The concept that FCS college football is driven by schools in the Dakotas and Montana reflected in the 2024 Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll, announced on Monday.
They commanded the top five spots.
Two-time defending national champion South Dakota State led the way as an overwhelming No. 1, according to the national media voting panel. The Jackrabbits, who gained 52 of the 56 first-place votes, have held the top ranking in 22 straight polls since 2022.
Right behind them are No. 2 North Dakota State, a nine-time FCS champion; No. 3 Montana, the 2023 national runner-up; No. 4 Montana State; and No. 5 South Dakota.
South Dakota State will take a 29-game winning streak – the third-longest in FCS history – into its season opener at Oklahoma State on Aug. 31. Ten starters return for second-year coach Jimmy Rogers, led by Walter Payton Award-winning quarterback Mark Gronowski.
“I’m really excited for our players more than anything else,” Rogers said, “because we’ve got a lot of talent, even experience that just hasn’t been seen because we had players like Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield (in front of them).”
The Dakota-Montana dominance helped the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Big Sky Conference to the most teams in the preseason poll with seven and six, respectively. CAA Football had the third-most with four, led by No. 6 Villanova, while the Southern Conference’s three were led by No. 9 Chattanooga.
A national media panel selects the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. 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 Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. South Dakota State (2023 Record: 15–0, 8–0 Missouri Valley), 1,396 points (52 of 56 first-place votes)
Final 2023 Ranking: 1; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Oklahoma State
2. North Dakota State (11-4, 5-3 MVFC), 1,327 (3)
Final 2023 Ranking: 3; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 at Colorado
3. Montana (13-2, 7-1 Big Sky), 1,285
Final 2023 Ranking: 2; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Missouri State
4. Montana State (8-4, 6-2 Big Sky), 1,199 (1)
Final 2023 Ranking: 9; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 24 at New Mexico
5. South Dakota (10-3, 7-1 MVFC), 1,155
Final 2023 Ranking: 4; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 vs. Northern State
6. Villanova (10-3, 7-1 CAA), 1,151
Final 2023 Ranking: 6; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 vs. Youngstown State
7. Idaho (9-4, 6-2 Big Sky), 1,021
Final 2023 Ranking: 8; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Oregon
8. Sacramento State (8-5, 4-4 Big Sky), 874
Final 2023 Ranking: 13; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 at San Jose State
9. Chattanooga (8-5, 6-2 SoCon), 868
Final 2023 Ranking: 14; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Tennessee
10. Southern Illinois (8-5, 4-4 MVFC), 832
Final 2023 Ranking: 12; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at BYU
11. Central Arkansas (7-4, 4-2 UAC), 724
Final 2023 Ranking: NR; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Arkansas State
12. Furman (10-3, 7-1 SoCon), 678
Final 2023 Ranking: 7; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Ole Miss
13. Richmond (9-4, 7-1 CAA), 625
Final 2023 Ranking: 15; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Virginia
14. UIW (8-2, 6-1 Southland), 605
Final 2023 Ranking: 22; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Northern Colorado
15. William & Mary (6-5, 4-4 CAA), 546
Final 2023 Ranking: NR; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 vs. VMI
16. UAlbany (11-4, 7-1 CAA), 527
Final 2023 Ranking: 5; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. LIU
17. Lafayette (9-3, 5-1 Patriot), 359
Final 2023 Ranking: 21; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 at Buffalo
18. UC Davis (7-4, 5-3 Big Sky), 351
Final 2023 Ranking: 24; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at California
19. Illinois State (6-5, 4-4 MVFC), 350
Final 2023 Ranking: NR; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Iowa
20. Western Carolina (7-4, 5-3 SoCon), 318
Final 2023 Ranking: 23; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 at NC State
21. Tarleton State (8-3, 4-2 UAC), 302
Final 2023 Ranking: NR; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 24 vs. McNeese
22. Weber State (6-5, 4-4 Big Sky), 268
Final 2023 Ranking: NR; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Washington
23. Nicholls (6-5, 7-0 Southland), 201
Final 2023 Ranking: NR; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Louisiana Tech
24. North Dakota (7-5, 5-3 MVFC), 197
Final 2023 Ranking: 16; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Iowa State
25. Youngstown State (8-5, 5-3 MVFC), 177
Final 2023 Ranking: 19; 2024 Season Opener: Aug. 29 at Villanova
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Elon (6-5, 6-2 CAA) 174; UT Martin (8-3, 5-1 Big South-OVC) 169; Eastern Illinois (8-3, 4-2 Big South-OVC) 139; Mercer (9-4, 6-2 SoCon) 98; Florida A&M (12-1, 8-0 SWAC) 65; North Carolina Central (9-3, 4-1 MEAC) 52; Austin Peay (9-3, 6-0 UAC) 51; Alabama State (7-4, 5-3 SWAC) 17; Holy Cross (7-4, 5-1 Patriot) 17; Eastern Washington (4-7, 3-5 Big Sky) 14; Drake (8-4, 8-0 Pioneer) 8; Duquesne (7-4, 6-1 NEC) 8; Harvard (8-2, 5-2 Ivy) 6; Samford (6-5, 4-4 SoCon) 6; Northern Iowa (6-5, 5-3 MVFC) 4
