(STATS) – A preseason poll provides forward thinking because voters look into their crystal ball and project what they think will happen in the season ahead.
The STATS FCS Preseason Top 25 did just that Monday, although defending champion North Dakota State and runner-up James Madison going 1-2 isn’t just forward thinking, it’s a familiar look to recent seasons. They’ve combined for the last seven FCS titles.
Here are five quick reactions from the preseason rankings, which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ybuqmkr3:
—=
Bison and the iron teams=
The five longest active streaks in the Top 25 come from teams ranked in the top six. Preseason No. 1 North Dakota State leads the way with 105 straight appearances since the 2010 season, including 98 in a row inside the Top 10. The next-longest active streaks belong to No. 3 South Dakota State (77), No. 6 Jacksonville State (59), No. 2 James Madison (46) and No. 4 Sam Houston State (45).
—=
Not a clean sweep with JMU around=
NDSU claimed 151 of the 157 first-place votes, and the other six top votes went to James Madison, the FCS runner-up last season and the 2016 national champ. Only two of the JMU votes came from CAA Football voters. One voter each from four others conferences also gave a first-place nod to the Dukes.
—=
Conference race is competitive for No. 3=
CAA Football (six teams in the preseason poll) and the Missouri Valley Football Conference (five) usually battle to claim the mythical title of “top FCS conference.”
At least one of the two conferences has had a national finalist since 2002, and that’s led to a combined 12 national titles in the 16 seasons. Who’s third-best among the conferences is up for debate this season. The Southland Conference had the third-most teams in the preseason rankings, claiming four in the top 18 plus two more teams receiving votes. The Big Sky Conference had three in the Top 25 with six more receiving votes. The Southern Conference also placed three in the Top 25 with three more receiving votes.
—=
Moving in, moving out=
Six teams that weren’t ranked at the end of last season are in the Top 25 to start this season: No. 15 Delaware (7-4); No. 19 Villanova (5-6); No. 21 Illinois State (6-5); No. 22 Austin Peay (8-4), which is ranked for the first time in program history; No. 24 Montana (7-4); and No. 25 Youngstown State (6-5). Their inclusion comes at the expense of Southwestern Athletic Conference champ Grambling State, Pioneer Football League champ San Diego, South Dakota, Big Sky co-champ Southern Utah, Western Illinois and Ivy League champ Yale.
—=
Uncertainty surrounds Idaho=
The hardest team to pinpoint this preseason might be Idaho, which collected the sixth-most votes outside the Top 25. The Vandals are a Big Sky member again after spending the last 22 seasons on the FBS level. Coach Paul Petrino’s squad was 4-8 a year ago, which included a 28-6 win over Sacramento State – now a conference partner. The Vandals, who were fourth in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll, were picked as high as No. 8 on a Top 25 ballot.
25% Bonus via Western Union
