FCS Football Top 25: Zach McKinnell's Week 10 Ballot

Zachary McKinnell | Oct 28, 2024

Ashley Monjaras (UIW Athletics)

I am honored to represent FCS Football Central as one of the 56 voters in the FCS Stats Perform Top 25 for the 2024 season. As I have over the past few seasons, I will release my official ballot each week and explain my reasoning behind the rankings throughout the season.

Below is my Week 10 ballot for the 2024 FCS football season.

25. Tennessee State (6-2)
24. Illinois State (5-3)
23. Jackson State (6-2)
22. North Carolina Central (6-2)
21. UT Martin (5-3)
20. Abilene Christian (5-3)
19. ETSU (5-3)
18. North Dakota (5-3)
17. Stony Brook (6-2)
16. Villanova (6-2)
15. Richmond (6-2)
14. Montana (6-2)
13. Central Arkansas (6-2)
12. Rhode Island (7-1)
11. Tarleton State (7-1)
10. Incarnate Word (6-2)
9. Chattanooga (5-3)
8. Idaho (6-3)
7. Mercer (7-1)
6. SEMO (8-1)
5. UC Davis (7-1)
4. South Dakota (6-2)
3. South Dakota State (6-2)
2. Montana State (8-0)
1. North Dakota State (8-1)

Honorable Mentions: Dartmouth, Duquesne, William & Mary, Western Carolina, Harvard

Analysis:

Dropped: Western Carolina, William & Mary
Added: Stony Brook, Tennessee State

Despite an overtime loss to South Dakota State, I made the decision to keep South Dakota at No. 4 this week. The Coyotes are still 5-1 against the FCS, including a ranked victory over Southern Illinois. They had every opportunity to defeat the Jackrabbits, showing that they are in the top tier of the FCS.

I still need to see more from UC Davis and SEMO before putting those two programs into the same tier as the Top 4 teams. Both remain undefeated against FCS competition with one ranked victory, but neither team ranks inside the Top 30 for strength of schedule.

Many voters dropped Mercer outside the Top 10 after a stunning upset loss to Samford two weeks ago, but the Bears responded by adding another ranked win to their resume. This program has a Top 10 resume in FCS football, headlined by three ranked wins and a 7-1 record against FCS competition. There is no excuse to have Mercer outside the Top 10 right now, behind teams that have lost multiple FCS games this season.

Stony Brook jumps to No. 17 after an impressive win over William & Mary. This is one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football after the Seawolves finished last season 0-11. They are now 6-1 against FCS competition with their only loss coming against Villanova. The Seawolves added a much-needed ranked win to their resume this weekend, which has Stony Brook in the conversation for an at-large bid.

North Dakota falls to No. 18 after an upset loss to Youngstown State, which entered this weekend 2-6. The Hawks remain in the Top 20 due to an impressive win over Montana but lack any other quality wins on their resume. The future looks bleak for this program with upcoming games against South Dakota State, Illinois State, and South Dakota on the schedule.

I had an intense internal debate on whether to drop Western Carolina from my ballot. The Catamounts have faced an extremely difficult schedule, but 4-3 against FCS competition is not worthy of a spot in the Top 25 right now. Their loss to Campbell has aged poorly, and until the Catamounts learn how to finish games, they will remain outside of my ballot.

Chattanooga moves into the Top 10 for the first time this season as the Mocs extend their winning streak to five games. The Mocs are 5-1 against the FCS with a ranked victory over ETSU and notable wins over Wofford and Furman. They have played a Top 25 strength of schedule and their only loss is to Mercer, a Top 10 program.

Tarleton State and Rhode Island are two teams that have been difficult to evaluate. Both are undefeated against the FCS but lack quality wins compared to other teams fighting to break into the Top 10. The Rams have a ranked win over New Hampshire, but the Wildcats are now 4-4 and clearly not a Top 25 program. The Texans have not played a ranked opponent this season but will have an opportunity to improve their resume against Abilene Christian and Central Arkansas to end the season.

William & Mary drops outside my Top 25 after a loss to Stony Brook, giving the Tribe their second FCS loss of the season. They do not have a ranked win this season but have quality wins over Wofford and Furman. I want to see more from this program, but the Tribe will not face another ranked opponent until Richmond during the final week of the season.

Montana is an interesting team to evaluate, with two ranked wins and an impressive win over Missouri State. The Grizzlies also have two FCS losses, including a stunning upset to a 3-5 Weber State team. If the Grizzlies can upset UC Davis or Montana State to end the season, this team could solidify their spot in the Top 10.

More FCS Football News

FCS Football Recap: Week 9 Takeaways
Week 9 FCS Football Top 25 Scoreboard
FCS Football Playoff Picture: Oct. 23 (Week 9)
FCS Football Recap: Week 8 Takeaways

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