2025 FCS Football Conference Preseason Polls

The start of conference media days signals that the upcoming college football season is rapidly approaching. We have less than 25 days until the season kicks off on Week 0, headlined by some major FCS matchups, including the FCS Kickoff Game and MEAC/SWAC Challenge.

Each conference has released a preseason predicted order of finish, voted on by the league's head coaches, SIDs, and other selected voters.

Below is the predicted order of finish for each FCS conference.

Big Sky

Media Poll:
1. Montana State (30 first-place votes)
2. Montana (6)
3. UC Davis (4)
4. Idaho (1)
5. Northern Arizona
6. Sacramento State (1)
7. Idaho State
8. Eastern Washington
9. Weber State
10. Portland State
11. Cal Poly
12. Northern Colorado

Coaches Poll:
1. Montana State (7 first-place votes)
2. UC Davis (1)
3. Montana (2)
4. Northern Arizona (1)
5. Idaho
6. Sacramento State (1)
7. Idaho State
8. Weber State
9. Eastern Washington
10. Portland State
11. Cal Poly
12. Northern Colorado

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Adam Jones (Montana State, RB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Rex Connors (UC Davis, S)

CAA

1. Rhode Island (8 first-place votes)
2. Monmouth (4)
3. Villanova (2)
4. Stony Brook
5. New Hampshire
6. Towson
7. William & Mary
8. Elon
9. Maine
10. Campbell
11. Hampton
12. UAlbany
13. Bryant
14. North Carolina A&T

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Derek Robertson (Monmouth, QB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: A.J. Pena (Rhode Island, LB)

Ivy League

1. Harvard (9 first-place votes)
2. Dartmouth (4)
3. Yale (3)
4. Columbia
5. Princeton
6. Penn
7. Cornell
8. Brown

MEAC

1. South Carolina State (5 first-place votes)
2. North Carolina Central (4)
3. Morgan State
4. Norfolk State (1)
5. Howard (1)
6. Delaware State (1)

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Jason Collins (Morgan State, RB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Erick Hunter (Morgan State, LB)

MVFC

1. North Dakota State (39 first-place votes)
2. South Dakota State
3. South Dakota (3)
4. Illinois State
5. Youngstown State
6. Southern Illinois
7. North Dakota
8. Northern Iowa
9. Indiana State
10. Murray State

NEC

1. Central Connecticut State (5 first-place votes)
2. Duquesne (2)
3. Robert Morris (1)
4. Long Island
5. Wagner
6. Saint Francis
7. Mercyhurst
8. Stonehill

OVC-Big South

1. Tennessee Tech (5 first-place votes)
2. UT Martin (2)
3. SEMO (2)
4. Lindenwood
5. Western Illinois
T6. Eastern Illinois
T6. Gardner-Webb
8. Tennessee State
9. Charleston Southern

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Steve Hall (Lindenwood, RB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: JaMichael McGoy Jr. (UT Martin, CB)

Patriot League

1. Lehigh (13 first-place votes)
2. Richmond (3)
3. Holy Cross
4. Bucknell
5. Lafayette
6. Georgetown
7. Colgate
8. Fordham

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Ralph Rucker IV (Bucknell, QB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Spatny (Lehigh, DE)

Pioneer League

1. San Diego (5 first-place votes)
2. Drake (3)
3. St. Thomas (1)
4. Butler
5. Dayton
6. Morehead State
7. Presbyterian
8. Davidson
9. Marist
10. Valparaiso
11. Stetson

SoCon

1. Mercer (6 first-place votes)
2. Chattanooga (2)
3. Western Carolina (1)
4. ETSU
5. Samford
6. Furman
7. Wofford
8. The Citadel
9. VMI

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Taron Dickens (Western Carolina, QB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Zock (Mercer, EDGE)

Southland

1. Incarnate Word (15 first-place votes)
2. Stephen F. Austin (3)
3. Southeastern Louisiana (1)
4. Lamar (1)
5. Nicholls
6. McNeese
T7. East Texas A&M
T7. Houston Christian
9. Northwestern State
10. UTRGV

SWAC

East:
1. Jackson State (16 first-place votes)
2. Florida A&M (3)
3. Alabama State (2)
4. Alabama A&M
5. Bethune-Cookman (1)
6. Mississippi Valley State

West:
1. Southern (17)
2. Alcorn State (2)
3. Prairie View A&M (1)
4. Texas Southern
5. Grambling State
6. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1)

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: JaCobian Morgan (Jackson State, QB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Ckelby Givens (Southern, EDGE)

UAC

1. Tarleton State (8 first-place votes)
2. Abilene Christian (1)
3. Eastern Kentucky
4. Southern Utah
5. Central Arkansas
6. Austin Peay
T7. North Alabama
T7. West Georgia
9. Utah Tech

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Victor Gabalis (Tarleton State, QB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Will Shaffer (Abilene Christian, LB)

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