National Champ NDSU a Decisive Preseason No. 1 in Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll

Each week throughout the college football season, alumni, fans, media and the teams themselves look to the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll to see who is rising and moving within the national rankings. In the 2025 preseason poll, North Dakota State remains No. 1.

And still No. 1.

Those are familiar words with defending national champion North Dakota State, which on Monday was installed atop the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Bison received 54 of the 56 first-place votes in the national media poll.

It marked the eighth time NDSU gained preseason No. 1. Over the last 14 seasons, the Bison have captured 10 FCS championships, including with a 35-32 win over Montana State in early January to cap coach Tim Polasek’s first season.

NDSU (14-2) returns 11 starters, including five who were named to the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team, from a squad that shared the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with South Dakota and South Dakota State.

“I like our leadership,” Polasek said. “We don’t have the big group of seniors that we had last year. And I hope people write about that. Because whatever this team is, about Week 5 or 6, we’re gonna know. And one thing we do have is leadership within all levels of offense, defense and special teams.”

Montana State, the 2024 Big Sky Conference champ, was No. 2 in the preseason poll. SDSU and South Dakota were No. 3 and 4, respectively, while defending Southland Conference champion UIW followed at No. 5.

Nine of the 13 FCS leagues were represented in the Top 25, led by the Big Sky with six ranked teams.

The Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll will be released each Monday during the regular season and one day after the FCS championship game (scheduled for Jan. 5 in Nashville, Tennessee). A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll (2025 Preseason)

1. North Dakota State (14-2, 7-1 MVFC in 2024)

Points: 1,398 (54 of 56 first-place votes); Final 2024 Ranking: 1; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at The Citadel

2. Montana State (15-1, 8-0 Big Sky)

Points: 1,335 (1); Final 2024 Ranking: 2; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Oregon

3. South Dakota State (12-3, 7-1 MVFC)

Points: 1,266; Final 2024 Ranking: 3; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Sacramento State

4. South Dakota (11-3, 7-1 MVFC)

Points: 1,227 (1); Final 2024 Ranking: 4; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Iowa State

5. UIW (11-3, 7-0 Southland)

Points: 1,138; Final 2024 Ranking: 6; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 at Nicholls

6. Illinois State (10-4, 6-2 MVFC)

Points: 1,015; Final 2024 Ranking: 11; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Oklahoma

7. Montana (9-5, 5-3 Big Sky)

Points: 1,004; Final 2024 Ranking: 10; 2025 Season Opener: Sept. 6 vs. Central Washington

8. UC Davis (11-3, 7-1 Big Sky)

Points: 938; Final 2024 Ranking: 5; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 vs. Mercer (in Montgomery, Alabama)

9. Rhode Island (11-3, 7-1 CAA)

Points: 928; Final 2024 Ranking: 9; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 29 vs. Campbell

10. Tarleton State (10-4, 6-2 UAC)

Points: 912; Final 2024 Ranking: 13; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 at Portland State

11. Mercer (11-3, 7-1 SoCon)

Points: 824; Final 2024 Ranking: 8; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 vs. UC Davis (in Montgomery, Alabama)

12. Idaho (10-4, 6-2 Big Sky)

Points: 747; Final 2024 Ranking: 7; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Washington State

13. Villanova (10-4, 6-2 CAA)

Points: 737; Final 2024 Ranking: 12; 2025 Season Opener: Sept. 6 vs. Colgate

14. Lehigh (9-4, 5-1 Patriot)

Points: 493; Final 2024 Ranking: 20; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Richmond

15. Sacramento State (3-9, 1-7 Big Sky)

Points: 492; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. South Dakota State

16. Abilene Christian (9-5, 7-2 UAC)

Points: 436; Final 2024 Ranking: 14; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Tulsa

17. Jackson State (12-2, 8-0 SWAC)

Points: 336; Final 2024 Ranking: 18; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Hampton

18. Western Carolina (7-5, 6-2 SoCon)

Points: 335; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Gardner-Webb

19. Northern Arizona (8-5, 6-2 Big Sky)

Points: 312; Final 2024 Ranking: 22; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Arizona State

20. Southern Illinois (4-8, 2-6 MVFC)

Points: 310; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Thomas More

21. Tennessee Tech (7-5, 6-2 OVC-Big South)

Points: 284; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Cumberland

22. Monmouth (6-6, 4-4 CAA)

Points: 274; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 29 at Colgate

23. Stephen F. Austin (7-5, 4-3 Southland)

Points: 183; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 28 at Houston

24. Stony Brook (8-4, 5-3 CAA)

Points: 181; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 28 at San Diego State

25. Richmond (10-3, 8-0 CAA; now Patriot)

Points: 154; Final 2024 Ranking: 15; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Lehigh

Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots)

Harvard (8-2, 5-2 Ivy), 139; Southeast Missouri (9-4, 6-2 OVC-Big South), 127; Southern Utah (7-5, 6-2 UAC), 123; UT Martin (9-5, 6-2 OVC-Big South), 92; North Dakota (5-7, 2-6 MVFC), 88; Eastern Kentucky (8-5, 6-2 UAC), 80; Chattanooga (7-5, 5-3 SoCon), 69; ETSU (7-5, 5-3 SoCon), 68; South Carolina State (9-3, 5-0 MEAC), 35; New Hampshire (8-5, 6-2 CAA), 22; Tennessee State (9-4, 6-2 OVC-Big South), 21; Southeastern Louisiana (7-5, 6-1 Southland), 19; North Carolina Central (8-3, 4-1 MEAC), 18; Youngstown State (4-8, 2-5 MVFC), 16; Duquesne (8-3, 5-1 NEC), 2

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll Voting Panel

Stats Perform: Craig Haley. Big Sky Conference: Riley Corcoran, Tyson Rodgers, Larry Weir. CAA Football: Roger Brown, Matt Harmon, Rob Washburn. Ivy League: JJ Klein, Craig Larson. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Kendrick Lewis, Patricia Porter-Mayfield. Missouri Valley Football Conference: Kyle Grooms, Dom Izzo, Randy Reinhardt. Northeast Conference: Sarah Boissonneault, Brian Cleary. OVC-Big South Football Association: Mike Bradd, Kyle Schwartz, Mark Simpson. Patriot League: Eric Malanoski, Ryan Sakamoto. Pioneer Football League: Cody Bush, Larry Hansgen. Southern Conference: Scott Keeler, Andrew Miller, Ralan Wardlaw. Southland Conference: Matthew Bonnette, James Dixon, James Hill. Southwestern Athletic Conference: Curtis Ford, Ronnie Johnson. United Athletic Conference: Brian Morgan, Benjamin Ray, Jake Withee. National Representatives: Sean Anderson, Stan Becton, Zack Carlton, Gene Clemons, Joe DeLeone, Matt Dixon, Steven J. Gaither, Sam Herder, Emory Hunt, Doug Kelly, Kyle Kensing, Brandon Lawrence, Zach McKinnell, Jon Passman, Omar Rashon Borja, Ryan Roberts, Timothy Rosario, Kent Schmidt, Phil Sokol, Reggie Thomas, Ralph Ventre, Jamie Williams.

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