FCS Football Top 25: Zach McKinnell's 2025 Week 4 Ballot

I'm honored to represent FCS Football Central on SI as one of the voters in the FCS Stats Perform Top 25 again for the 2025 season. I also submit this ballot for the Redshirt Sports Top 25 poll.

As I have over the past few years, I will release my weekly ballot and explain my reasoning behind my selections throughout the season. I believe it's important to be transparent as a voter, giving fans insight into how I analyze teams and build my ballot week-to-week.

Below is my Week 4 ballot for the 2025 FCS football season.

25. Dartmouth

24. Sacramento State

23. South Dakota

22. Austin Peay

21. ETSU

20. Youngstown State

19. Lamar

18. Jackson State

17. West Georgia

16. Lehigh

15. Illinois State

14. Northern Arizona

13. Monmouth

12. Idaho

11. UC Davis

10. Tennessee Tech

9. North Dakota

8. Abilene Christian

7. Rhode Island

6. Southern Illinois

5. Montana

4. Montana State

3. Tarleton State

2. South Dakota State

1. North Dakota State

Honorable Mentions: Harvard, Stephen F. Austin, Gardner-Webb, Villanova, Presbyterian

Analysis:

Abilene Christian jumped into the Top 10 after a ranked win over Austin Peay. The Wildcats are 2-0 against FCS competition, both wins over ranked opponents, giving them one of the best resumes in the country. The Wildcats are going to have a very good argument to make another jump with a road win over Incarnate Word in Week 5. Austin Peay dropped a few spots, but remained in my Top 25 despite the loss. The Govs still have a 20-point FBS win over Middle Tennessee State, and their only two losses are to Georgia and Abilene Christian on the road. At 1-1 vs the FCS, along with an FBS win, the Govs still belong in the Top 25.

Monmouth was another team that made a jump in my ballot. The Hawks moved to 3-0 against FCS teams, which now includes a ranked victory over Villanova. It was an important win due to unbalanced CAA scheduling, so this may have been one of Monmouth's only chances to earn a ranked win. The CAA race looks to really be a two-team race between Monmouth and Rhode Island, who remained at No. 7 after a win over Long Island. These teams don't play each other, creating a scenario where they both could finish inside the Top 10.

Illinois State drops after an overtime win against North Alabama. The Redbirds have not passed the eye test the past two weeks, failing to dominate two overmatched opponents. This, along with other teams improving their resume, has led to the Redbirds falling a bit in my ballot. We'll see just how good this team is in two weeks when they host North Dakota State.

One MVFC team that has exceeded my preseason expectations is Youngstown State, which jumps to No. 20 in my ballot. The Penguins are 3-0 against FCS teams, including an impressive road win over a solid Towson team. The road ahead is treacherous for this team, with matchups against South Dakota State, Illinois State, and North Dakota in the next three weeks.

Dartmouth fills the last spot on my ballot after a season-opening ranked win over New Hampshire. This team has won a share of the Ivy League in back-to-back years and holds the best non-conference win among all the Ivy League programs. After a disappointing Week 1 performance, Sacramento State has looked like a different team with Cardell Williams at quarterback. The Hornets have a three-point FBS loss and back-to-back FCS wins. Yes, the competition hasn't been the best, but the Hornets have looked like a more complete team since the change.

UC Davis also jumped a few spots in my ballot this week. I was really impressed with the Aggies, who handled business against a tough Southern Utah team. The rushing attack was lethal, and Caden Pinnick was efficient. It puts the Aggies at 2-0 against the FCS ahead of Big Sky play. Northern Arizona also remains in the Top 15 after a win over Incarnate Word. The Lumberjacks have a chance to make their case for a Top 10 ranking in two weeks against Montana State.

In my opinion, the gap between Montana and Montana State continues to close. The Griz were dominant against Indiana State and already have a ranked win over North Dakota. Regardless of how Montana State looks against Eastern Washington, if the Grizzlies find a way to get the win over Idaho, they deserve the No. 4 ranking right now. There would even be an argument that Montana would deserve a Top 3 spot, but we'll cross that bridge next Saturday.

Speaking of Idaho, I still have zero idea how to evaluate the Vandals after four games. The Vandals have two uninspiring FCS wins against St. Thomas (37-30) and Utah Tech (20-6), but they have looked amazing in two one-score FBS losses. Are the Vandals playing "up" to their opponents? Were they just overlooking two inferior opponents? We'll have that answer this weekend against Montana.

There is a push for Presbyterian to be on everyone's Top 25 ballot, and I'm just not sold right now. Don't get me wrong, the Blue Hose have two really solid wins over Mercer and Furman. I just don't believe wins over Erskine (D2) and Bluefield (NAIA) are enough to break into the Top 25. I wasn't high on Furman, and since Mercer's quarterback change, the Bears look like a different team. At some point, the wins could start to add up and I may have a different opinion, but at 2-0 against FCS teams, I haven't been convinced.

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