The 2024 FCS Top 25 Power Rankings showcase programs that prove FCS football is far more than just the little brother to the FBS.
Amid the chaos of conference realignment, transfer portal transactions, and the College Football Playoff expansion, this season is one of the most thrilling in recent memory.
While the majority of the country has its eyes on powerhouses like the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks, true die-hard fans know that the heart of the game beats strongest with teams like Jackson State and Tarleton State.
CFN’s Official FCS Top 25 Power Rankings
First things first, a quick primer on the FCS landscape for the uninitiated: The postseason bracket features 24 teams, with 10 automatic bids and 14 at-large teams as voted on by the FCS Playoff Committee.
In prior years, the top eight teams were seeded, but to provide more balanced early-round matchups, further transparency on who hosts in the first round, and introduce less regionalization, the Committee will now seed the top 16.
Additionally, Delaware and Missouri State will join the CUSA next year, meaning they are not eligible to receive Top 25 votes this season.
Note: A change from the previous week’s ranking will be indicated within the parentheses next to the team names.
Teams on the Outside Looking In
- Drake
- North Carolina Central
- Northern Arizona
- Western Carolina
- East Tennessee State
Teams Who Fell Out
- Butler
- Duquesne
- Harvard
- Stony Brook
FCS Top 25 Rankings | 11-25
25) San Diego Toreros (NR)
24) UT Martin Skyhawks (NR)
23) Southeastern Louisiana (NR)
22) Tennessee State Tigers (NR)
21) Eastern Kentucky Colonels (–)
20) New Hampshire Wildcats (–)
19) South Carolina State Bulldogs (+3)
18) Missouri State Bears (-3)
17) Jackson State Tigers (+1)
16) Abilene Christian Wildcats (-3)
15) Illinois State Redbirds (+2)
14) Montana Grizzlies (-2)
13) Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (-5)
12) Tarleton State Texans (+4)
11) Villanova Wildcats (+3) up
10) Rhode Island Rams (+1)
Rhode Island enters the postseason at 10-2 overall, with a 10-1 record against FCS opponents. Even more impressive, their lone loss came against a stout Delaware squad.
Starting QB Devin Farrell has missed the last two games with injury, but before his absence, he generated 1,670 passing yards, 11 TDs, and eight INTs. Clemson transfer Hunter Helms has stepped in, recording 248 yards against UAlbany and 209 against Bryant.
Yet, the Rams thrive with their ground attack, powered by Malik Grant. The former Sacred Heart All-American has eclipsed 1,000 yards, amassing 1,167 alongside 13 TDs.
The defense has done its part two, ranking among the top 40 in points (22.75, 34th), tackles for loss (6.9, t-14th), and sacks (2.58, t-18th) per game.
9) Idaho Vandals (+1)
Despite starting the season with back-to-back FBS bouts, Idaho gave Oregon a run for its money (24-14) and beat Wyoming outright (17-13). Their home schedule offers a likely 5-0 record, including a dominant 41-13 win over Albany in Week 3 and a 34-29 victory over Cal Poly in Week 8. Idaho also benefits from avoiding Montana and Sacramento State due to the schedule rotation.
The Vandals roared out to a 27-3 lead over Abilene Christian early in the third quarter, but they had to sweat out a too-little-too-late run by the Wildcats, culminating in a 27-24 victory.
Although they generated over 450 total yards and 5.8 yards per play against UC Davis, the Vandals turned the ball over three times inside Aggies territory. A late third-quarter interception practically sealed the deal, pointing to a potential QB conundrum in Moscow.
Conundrum or not, Idaho defeated its third ranked FCS opponent of the season with a 23-17 win against No. 25 Northern Arizona. However, Montana State embarrassed the program in Week 7, handing the Vandals a 38-7 loss.
They’ve bounced back with victories over Cal Poly (34-29), Eastern Washington (38-28), Portland State (39-30), and Weber State (31-24), but each was more difficult than it should’ve been. At least Idaho State offered a reprieve in the regular-season finale (40-17).
Idaho has played old-school football, leaning on the ground game and the defense. Yet, if it can’t move the ball through the air, it will struggle to keep pace with more balanced teams in the playoffs.
8) Richmond Spiders (+1)
After a slow start to 2023, the Spiders surged to six straight wins, finishing 7-1 in the CAA and sharing the conference title. However, an unbalanced schedule left them a step behind the FCS elite, culminating in a blowout loss to UAlbany in the second round of the playoffs.
Returning 15 starters has undoubtedly aided the Spiders in making a postseason rebound. Richmond is the only FCS team bringing back two QBs, Kyle Wickersham and Camden Coleman, who each threw for 1,000+ yards and 10+ TDs in 2023.
A favorable conference schedule, with only four FCS opponents who finished above .500 last season, has also worked in their favor, as they are now 10-2 with the only losses coming against Virginia and Wofford to start the year.
7) Incarnate Word Cardinals (–)
Incarnate Word has one of the best passers in the country under center in Zach Calzada. While he hasn’t been as prolific as last season, he’s still led a top-15 scoring (37.6 ppg, No. 8) and total (435.7, No. 13) offense.
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IUW will want to expunge the disappointing taste in their mouths after missing the playoffs due to a late-season loss to Nicholls, costing them the Southland title last year. Clint Killough’s squad should be favored in every conference game, but 2023 proved that they’ll likely need to win all of them to make the dance.
With their only two losses coming against South Dakota State and Southern Illinois, the Cardinals are sitting pretty in the standing, especially after wins over Lamar (41-20 win) and Stephen F. Austin (27-20).
6) Mercer Bears (–)
Mercer was on the outside looking in for the first two weeks, with blowout wins over Presbyterian (63-10) and Bethune-Cookman (31-2). However, knocking off Chattanooga (who entered the year in the top 10) cemented the program’s place in the FCS Power Rankings.
The Bears held the Mocs to three points, 0 for 12 on third downs, and one yard per rush. The offense only generated 10 points, but with the defense performing at an elite level, that’s clearly enough.
Mercer then flashed its offensive prowess with a 38-21 Week 4 win over Citadel, completely dismantled Wofford in Week 5 (22-3), and dispatched Princeton in Week 7 (34-7). The Bears were 6-0 for the first time in program history, but they couldn’t extend to 7-0.
After allowing just 46 points in the first six games, the defense conceded 28 in the first seven minutes against Samford. Following the horrid first half, Mercer attempted a valiant comeback, scoring 21 unanswered, but a pick-six and fumble-six in the fourth quarter were the nails in the coffin of the 55-35 upset.
The dominant defense is seemingly broken, allowing 34 points to Western Carolina and 31 to ETSU over two weeks, but the offense has done enough to pick up two more wins. VMI helped right the ship in Week 1, as the Bears conceded zero points while generating 34 of their own.
Of course, that momentum came to a halt on the road trip to Alabama. Nevertheless, a loss against a top FBS team won’t drop Mercer down the rankings, just like a 49-23 win over 3-8 Furman won’t move them up.
5) UC Davis Aggies (-1)
It seemed the Aggies could upset in-state FBS program Cal in Week 1, as they were down 14-13 at halftime. However, the Bears locked down the second half, going on a 17-0 run to close it out.
UC Davis didn’t dwell on the loss, dropping 36 points on Texas A&M-Commerce while shutting them out in the first half of their Week 2 matchup. The Aggies came right back and defeated ranked opponent Southern Utah, though they needed an 18-0 third quarter to do it.
The 32-14 final score against Utah Tech in Week 4 doesn’t tell the whole story, as the Aggies took their foot off the gas after a 25-0 start. Do-it-all RB Lan Larison accumulated three more TDs, but kicker Hunter Ridley also deserves flowers after setting a career-high four made field goals on four attempts.
UC Davis then stunned Idaho with a 28-26 upset, marking its first-ever win over a top-five FCS team. The Aggies dealt with a bit of a hangover in Week 6, only beating Portland State by one point (27-26), but they’ve since found their stride, erupting for 193 points against Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado, and Montana.
Montana State isn’t alone atop the Big Sky, but they are the 1A to UC Davis’ 1B, as they proved with a 30-28 victory in Week 12. The Aggies narrowly escaped a devastating upset in the regular-season finale, defeating Sacramento State in a 42-39 shootout.
4) North Dakota State Bison (-2)
Last year was an anomaly for the Bison, as they struggled with inconsistency and dropped four games. With HC Matt Entz off to be an assistant at USC, NDSU brought in Tim Polasek, who was a part of the program’s four FCS championship-winning teams during the 2010s.
Expectations are always high in Fargo, but with nine of 12 All-MVFC performers running it back, they’re attainable in 2024.
After narrowly losing to Colorado in Week 1, NDSU came right back and punched Tennessee State in the mouth, 52-3. However, the Bison struggled to put ETSU away in Week 3, needing two touchdowns in the final three minutes to seal the 38-35 victory. The run defense was particularly concerning, as the unit allowed 7.1 yards per attempt.
The trend persisted in Week 4, as Towson reached 8.5 ypa, but the Bison’s own rushing attack (52-188-3 line) and QB Cam Miller’s efficiency through the air (17 of 19 for 219 yards and one TD) secured the 41-24 victory.
However, NDSU used the next four weeks to make a statement, defeating ranked opponents Illinois State (42-10), North Dakota (41-17), Southern Illinois (24-3), and, most significant, South Dakota State (13-9).
The Bison ended their five-game losing streak to the Jackrabbits in the Dakota Marker, as QB Cam Miller had his Walter Payton moment, orchestrating a 10-play, 92-yard game-winning TD drive. The Bison didn’t take weeks off against Murray State, Northern Iowa, or Missouri State, either, outscoring the three 160-46.
Yet, South Dakota leapfrogged them in the ranking with an impressive 29-28 victory over the Bison in Week 13. Miller struggled to move the chains through the air, and the defense had no answer to the Coyotes’ multi-faceted offensive attack.
3) South Dakota Coyotes (+2)
With the terrifying trio of QB Aidan Bouman, RB Travis Theis, and WR Carter Bell back and owning a defense that allowed an eighth-ranked 17.7 points per game last year, the Coyotes have now broken into the top five.
South Dakota demolished DII program Northern State 45-3 in Week 1, with RB2 Charles Pierre Jr. looking like RB1 Theis with a 13-136-2 rushing line. However, they couldn’t upset Wisconsin in Week 2, specifically due to the passing game’s inability to move the ball.
The Week 3 contest with Portland State was canceled following a whooping cough outbreak within the Vikings’ program, but the Coyotes got right back to their winning ways with a 42-3 thrashing of Drake in Week 4, an impressive 42-12 showing over Southern Illinois in Week 5, a downright cruel 59-0 win against Murray State, a 42-17 outburst vs. Northern Iowa, and a moderate 27-17 victory against Youngstown State.
The Coyotes proved their worth against in-state rival SDSU, losing by just three points (20-17), but their final three games are possibly the most difficult gauntlet at the FCS level: vs. Indiana State (49-0 win), at North Dakota (42-36 victory), and vs. North Dakota State (29-28). Most difficult for their opponents, it seems, as South Dakota went 3-0 entering the postseason.
2) South Dakota State Jackrabbits (+1)
A 44-20 loss to Oklahoma State in Week 1 showcased the discrepancy between the top of the FCS and the top of the FBS. But the Jackrabbits unleashed their frustration in the next five games.
SDSU defeated Incarnate Word and Augustana by 21 points before winning by 35+ against SE Louisiana, Northern Iowa, and Youngstown State. Yet, North Dakota State wrote a different story in Week 8.
Star QB Mark Gronowski struggled mightily against the Bison’s vaunted defense, completing 58% of his passes for 118 yards and one pick. And although NDSU didn’t record a sack, it pressured Gronowski on 40% of his dropbacks.
The Jackrabbits’ inability to move the ball through the air allowed their opponent to key on the run and score the game’s final six points for the massive victory. They didn’t let the loss keep them down for long, getting right back up and knocking out in-state rival South Dakota 20-17, dog-walking Murray State 52-6, crushing North Dakota 38-7, cruising past Southern Illinois 41-10, and tormenting Missouri State 45-9 to finish the regular season.
1) Montana State Bobcats (–)
Remember the number 23 — that’s how many senior players Montana State returned this season, including dynamic QB Tommy Mellott.
The Bobcats boast FBS-level talent across the board, proving as much in a 35-31 upset victory over New Mexico in Week 1.
KEEP READING: 2024 FBS College Football Power Rankings
Montana State has ranked second in the FCS in rushing yards per game over the last three seasons under head coach Brent Vigen, and they’ve continued to run over teams to an undefeated record in 2024:
- Week 0 vs. New Mexico: 362 yards
- Week 1 vs. Utah Tech: 329
- Week 2 vs. Maine: 344
- Week 3 vs. Mercyhurst: 256
- Week 4 vs. Idaho State: 268
- Week 6 vs. Northern Colorado: 232
- Week 7 vs. Idaho: 360
- Week 8 vs. Portland State: 323
- Week 10 vs. Eastern Washington: 316
- Week 11 vs. Sacramento State: 508
- Week 12 vs. UC Davis: 159
- Week 13 vs. Montana: 328
Yeah, there’s a reason we predicted Montana State to win the FCS National Championship.
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