The FCS Playoffs committee does not release a weekly rankings akin to the College Football Playoff, instead introducing a top 10 one month out from the actual selection date. In that regard, it’s more comparable to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament committee’s top-16 reveal in mid-February.
I did not have many gripes with it, even before the inevitable shake-ups that Week 8 brought — most nobaly South Dakota knocking off a North Dakota team that was fresh off a dominating upset of South Dakota State.
The Coyotes, checking in at No. 8 on the committee’s top 10, would presumably leap the Fighting Haws after Saturday’s overtime decision. They did on my STATS Perform Top 25 ballot, moving to No. 6 while North Dakota falls from third to eighth.
I write presumably, however, because North Dakota’s placement according to the committee struck me as odd. The Fighting Hawks checked in at No. 6, behind a South Dakota State team at No. 5 they’d just beaten by two possessions.
Perhaps UND was docked ever-so-slightly for its quality-of-loss, the College Football Playoff panel’s favorite cop-out for penalizing the ACC and Big 12 more severely than it does the Big Ten or SEC. The Fighting Hawks’ loss came against an inconsistent Northern Iowa bunch that fell below .500 and out of my Top 25 with its loss to Southern Illinois this week.
However, reigning national champion Montana State held the committee’s No. 1 spot with a loss to an Idaho side that, as of last week, had only two wins. The Bobcats garnered the top seeding ahead of undefeated Tarleton — ranked second — and Stephen F. Austin.
Quizzical, SFA sat at No. 4 behind two-loss Youngstown State. The third-ranked Penguins have been impressive, but still have…two losses. SFA is unbeaten and remained so after defeating Southeastern Louisiana upon the Lions’ return to the Top 25 last week.
And, one of Youngstown State’s two defeats came against South Dakota State. So while the Jackrabbits were seeded ahead of one MVFC opponent against which they lost head-to-head in North Dakota, they were two places below another MVFC opponent they beat in YSU.
Thus, the key takeaways I left last Tuesday’s top-10 reveal with were:
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Tarleton and Stephen F. Austin have no margin for error when it comes to losses. While a single defeat should not knock either out of a 1st-Round bye, both appear hard-pressed to have homefield advantage beyond the Round of 16 if they suffer even one setback.
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For the sake of their arguments for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, Tarleton benefits tremendously from Abilene Christian continuing on its current winning streak going into and after the Texans and Wildcats meet on Nov. 7. Likewise, Stephen F. Austin should cheer for Lamar to go unscathed outside of the Nov. 7 Southland Conference showdown. A late-season marquee win helps each shake some of the skepticism inherent from representing the United and Southland.
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The flipside of this for Tarleton is that Abilene Christian’s remaining schedule includes a matchup with Austin Peay. The Governors were slotted just outside of the top-eight and thus a 1st-Round bye. APSU winning out to finish the regular season 10-2 likely assures it one of those eight spots, but at the cost of Abilene Christian’s late-season surge for a third UAC team in the Playoffs. So the question then becomes, does Tarleton benefit more from two wins over playoff qualifiers, or one win against a top-eight opponent?
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The committee’s enthusiasm for Harvard, placed No. 10, shocked me. And, if the Crimson win out — which looks increasingly likely with rival Yale underwhelming this season — Cambridge is well-positioned to host a Round of 16 game.
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Campbell’s exclusive from the top 10, while unsurprising, is a grim forecast for the Coastal Athletic Association. Long a conference rivaling the Big Sky and MVFC for its collective strength, the CAA faces the very real prospect of earning only a single bid in 2026.
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There’s still a quarter of the regular-season schedule or more remaining for the entirety of the FCS, however. Look forward to plenty more changes, as reflected in this week’s Press Break FCS Top 25 ballot.
1. Tarleton
The Texans’ 49-6 romp against UAC cellar-dweller West Georgia marked their fifth consecutive scoring 40-plus points. In that stretch, quarterback Kaden Anderson has thrown for three or more touchdowns each time, including his four in Week 8.
Anderson is building a case for the Walter Payton Award, leading the nation in a variety of passing statistics including touchdowns (24) and efficiency (177.2).
2. Stephen F. Austin
A possible knock on Stephen F. Austin heading into Week 8 was its dearth of signature wins. Thanks to a 21-point third-quarter onslaught, the Lumberjacks notched their most impressive victory of the season against a good Southeastern Louisiana team.
SFA’s 8-0 start is the best in program history.
3. Montana State
The Bobcats rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat a recently surging Weber State, 38-33. It’s a quality win for Montana State to be sure, but surrendering 27 first-half points with touchdowns on drives of 75 and 78 yards is a potential red flag for the Bobcats defense.
Montana State also allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown. A positive for the defense, however, is that it held Weber State to field goals twice on red-zone opportunities — two possessions that could have had things get out-of-hand quickly if the Wildcats had punched them in for six.
4. South Dakota State
A surefire recipe for bouncing back from loss in the MVFC is to follow a setback with Murray State. South Dakota State predictably handled the Racers in a 42-9 blowout that included Josiah Johnson rushing for a pair of touchdowns.
The next two weeks are likely to decide if the Jackrabbits land a top-four seed in the FCS Playoffs. A home date with South Dakota and visit to the UNI Dome remain as the potential traps on SDSU’s schedule.
5. Youngstown State
Shakeups elsewhere in the MVFC allowed Youngstown State to jump into my ballot’s top five for the first time this season. With North Dakota visiting Stambaugh Stadium on Halloween, and the Penguins hosting Illinois State to close out the regular season, they have an opportunity to play for a top-two seed pending losses for either Tarleton or Stephen F. Austin.
This Youngstown State team looks like the program’s best chance for a national championship since the Jim Tressel era.
[
The Championship Rivalry That Helped Shape 21st Century College Football
](https://pressbreak.substack.com/p/the-championship-rivalry-that-helped)
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May 4, 2021
Four teams remain in the FCS Playoffs with the semifinals this weekend, and for the first time in more than a decade, not one is North Dakota State.
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Read full story
](https://pressbreak.substack.com/p/the-championship-rivalry-that-helped)
6. South Dakota
The Coyotes’ overtime win over North Dakota became more stressful than it started, with USD jumping out to a 17-0 lead through the first quarter. Still, in rallying to beat the Fighting Hawks for a top-10 win — top-three win based on my Week 8 ballot — South Dakota proved itself once again to be a dangerous, championship-contending team.
Up next, the Coyotes visit in-state rival South Dakota State for what will be the 119th meeting in the series. Despite sharing a territory and such extensive history, dating back to 1889, the rivalry lacks a defining trophy. There has also been few truly high-profile encounters. In fact, The Daily Republic in Mitchell deemed that this year’s entry is probably the biggest in the series history.
7. Northern Arizona
The Lumberjacks rode a three-game winning streak into their bye week. They return to action with at least a share of a Big Sky Conference championship in their control.
Two potential trip-up games welcome Northern Arizona to its final stretch of the regular, beginning on Halloween with its rivalry game against Southern Utah. The winner takes home the Grand Canyon Trophy.
8. North Dakota
A harsh reality of the MVFC is evident in North Dakota’s current stretch. The Fighting Hawks are national championship material, as proven in their win over South Dakota State.
And yet, with their Week 8 loss at South Dakota and a Week 9 visit to Youngstown State upcoming, they face the prospect of a third loss in four weeks.
9. Illinois State
The Redbirds offense mustering only one touchdown in Illinois State’s 17-10 win over Indiana State might signal trouble for last season’s national runner-up.
Still, with Key Crowell effectively putting away the Sycamores by halftime on a pick-six, punctuating Illinois State’s fourth game holding an FCS opponent to 14 points or fewer, Brock Spack has a defense capable of another deep Redbirds run come postseason play.
10. Austin Peay
Denver Harper’s seventh touchdown reception of the season highlighted a 98-yard performance, and was the go-ahead score in Austin Peay’s 24-21 defeat of feisty North Alabama.
Harper is among the top contenders for the Jerry Rice Award, averaging more than 20 yards per catch to provide the Governors with a game-changing weapon.
11. Montana
Montana is in a critical get-right stretch. The Griz were on their bye in Week 8, returning to face Eastern Washington and Portland State in the following two Saturdays.
That takes Montana into its final two contests with an Idaho State team likely playing for its FCS Playoffs life, and then the Brawl of the Wild rivalry showdown with Montana State.
12. Campbell
Kamden Sixkiller’s 450-yard, three-touchdown passing performance powered Campbell to a 35-6 rout of Maine. The Fighting Camels are 7-1, undefeated against the FCS, and winners in five straight.
They face a dangerous opponent on Halloween, however, drawing a newcomer on my FCS Top 25 ballot. More to come.
13. Lamar
Lamar bounced back from its first loss to an FCS opponent effectively, routing Houston Christian last Saturday, 35-10.
Shoutout Davin Driskell, who celebrated National Tight End Day early. Driskell caught a pair of touchdowns in the Cardinals’ rout.
14. Harvard
No interceptions in Week 8 for national picks leader Xaden Benson. However, with a sack and a forced fumble, Harvard’s standout cornerback further strengthened his Buck Buchanan Award candidacy.
The Crimson rolled over Princeton, 35-7, and are 6-0 heading into a Friday night affair with Dartmouth in Week 9.
15. Mercer
Mercer comes off of a bye week looking to extend its current four-game winning streak with the start of a season-defining stretch.
The Bears host The Citadel on Saturday, then face each of a recently surging Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech and ETSU to close out the regular season.
16. Tennessee Tech
An absolutely dominant defensive effort, with the Golden Eagles holding The Citadel to just 190 total yards, buoyed Tennessee Tech in its third consecutive win. Tech’s defense held the Bulldogs without an offensive touchdown, the lone Citadel trip to the end zone coming on a scoop-and-score.
Tech’s prospects to win the Southern Conference in its first year as a member likely comes down to two of the next three weeks with matchups against East Tennessee State and Mercer.
17. ETSU
The Buccaneers’ 38-0 shutout of VMI extended ETSU’s winning streak to five games. Not only have the Bucs been rolling since their loss to North Carolina, but Saturday’s romp was the fourth straight by a double-digit-point margin.
What’s more, ETSU is undefeated in the SoCon and in the driver’s seat for an outright conference championship. Bookending matchups with Tennessee Tech and at Mercer are the must-watch dates on the Bucs’ final four-game stretch.
18. Lehigh
On the cusp of a case for No. 1 just a few weeks ago, Lehigh now heads into its final month with limited margin for error as it pertains to an FCS Playoffs at-large berth.
The Mountain Hawks dropped back-to-back games to non-conference opponent Cornell, then fell in Week 8 to a previously floundering Villanova side, 24-18. Lehigh closes out with four straight Patriot League contests, including a Top 25 matchup with Richmond on Nov. 7.
19. Monmouth
With a 49-13 thrashing of Hampton, Monmouth is a winner in five straight and has scored 40-plus over three in a row. Kenny Smith Jr. is fast emerging as the latest backfield standout in a program that’s produced a number of them in recent years.
Smith followed a 175-yard game against New Hampshire with 163 yards vs. Hampton.
20. Weber State
In part due to the attrition around it, and in recognition of playing the FCS Playoffs committee’s No. 1 team to a nail-biting finish, Weber State climbed on my ballot despite losing.
However, the Wildcats are playing for the postseason with almost no, if any room for slip-ups. They face both top 10-ranked Northern Arizona to close out the regular season, and a UC Davis team that — while not appearing on my FCS Top 25 ballot — landed in the overall tally for this week.
21. Abilene Christian
Abilene Christian should win its fourth straight when it returns from the bye week to face West Georgia. That will likely take the Wildcats into their Nov. 7 showdown with Tarleton on the right side of .500 and ranked in the top 20.
22. Southeast Missouri
Sitting atop the OVC standings, SEMO makes its first appearance on my ballot in 2026. The Redhawks have a three-game winning streak, all by multiple-possession-point margins, following a 20-10 defeat of Eastern Illinois.
23. UAlbany
First-year coach Tom Perkovich has quietly built a case for the Eddie Robinson Award. The longtime leader at Div. III Susquehanna took over a UAlbany program that floundered at 2-10 in Jared Ambrose’s sole season as head coach.
Eight games into his first season, Perkovich has five wins and can match the Great Danes’ combined win totals for 2024 and 2025 with a win on Halloween against Campbell.
8-4 in this year’s CAA may not be enough for an at-large bid into the Playoffs, so UAlbany may need to win out. However, by beating Campbell, the Great Danes would be in control for the Coastal’s automatic berth as league champion.
24. Southeastern Louisiana
Coming off an upset of a then-top 10-ranked Lamar, SELA gave No. 2 Stephen F. Austin a handful for 3-of-4 quarters in Week 8. The Lions remain on my FCS Top 25 ballot as a result, but likely need to win out — and do so in impressive fashion — to land an at-large berth in the Playoffs.
25. Richmond
The Spiders returned from their bye week and a rather stunning loss to Fordham — a loss so brutal, it gave me considerable pause before placing Richmond at No. 25, even at 6-2.
However, I ultimately went with UR to complete my FCS Top 25 ballot after its 13-6 win over Colgate. Spiders defensive end Daniel Sellers is among the nation’s best pass-rushers, boasting 7.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss with seven quarterback hurries to buoy a Richmond defense holding all but one of its FCS opponents to 21 points or fewer.