FCS Football Top 25: Zach McKinnell's 2025 Week 12 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 construct my ballot week-to-week.

Below is my Week 12 ballot for the 2025 FCS football season.

25. South Dakota State

24. West Georgia

23. Northern Arizona

22. Austin Peay

21. Southeastern Louisiana

20. Jackson State

19. Lamar

18. Villanova

17. Rhode Island

16. South Dakota

15. Illinois State

14. Stephen F. Austin

13. Abilene Christian

12. Youngstown State

11. North Dakota

10. Monmouth

9. UC Davis

8. Mercer

7. Tennessee Tech

6. Harvard

5. Lehigh

4. Tarleton State

3. Montana

2. Montana State

1. North Dakota State

Honorable Mentions: Dartmouth, Sacramento State, Alabama State, Yale, Prairie View A&M, Southern Utah

Analysis:

There's really not much to break down this week, only one Top 25 team lost to an unranked opponent. Next week could bring more chaos, with three ranked matchups, along with five games between Top 25 teams and teams receiving votes in the Stats Perform media poll.

One of the biggest movers was South Dakota, which extended its winning streak to three games. All three wins were over ranked opponents, including a head-to-head win over North Dakota. At 8-4 overall (8-3 vs FCS), the Coyotes ended the season strong, and their three FCS losses were all against Top 25 teams.

I struggled with where to rank South Dakota State, or even whether to rank the Jackrabbits at all, after their loss to Illinois State on Saturday. The Jacks remained in my ballot, taking the final spot, mostly because I didn't feel overly confident about any of the other options. They are 7-4 overall, holding head-to-head wins over Sacramento State, Montana State, and Youngstown State. If SDSU loses this weekend, it would drop them out of my ballot, and I would expect the Jacks to also miss the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Austin Peay jumps back into my ballot, moving to 7-4 overall (7-3 vs FCS) with a win over Samford. The Govs have a quality win over West Georgia, along with a 20-point FBS win over Middle Tennessee State. They are also projected to finish with a Top 30 SOS, which gives them the edge over some teams below them. A win over Tarleton State will get Austin Peay into the playoff field, but a loss could have them on the outside looking in.

West Georgia slips into the No. 24 spot on my ballot, finishing the season 8-3 overall. The Wolves have quality wins over ETSU and Southern Utah, along with a then-ranked win over Nicholls. I found it hard to leave a team with eight Division I wins out of my ballot, which is why the Wolves earned a spot this week.

After a loss to South Dakota, I dropped Southern Illinois out of my ballot for the first time. The Salukis fell to 6-5 overall, but they only have five Division I wins. I don't think any team with fewer than 6-7 Division I wins should ever be ranked this late in the season. The Salukis are likely eliminated from postseason contention, but they have a chance to secure a key ranked win over Illinois State on Saturday.

Western Carolina also drops back out of the Top 25 after an upset loss to ETSU. It's unfortunate that Taron Dickens wasn't available for their first three games, but 6-5 overall (6-4 vs FCS) is not enough to earn a Top 25 spot right now. The Catamounts have now lost two consecutive games and lack a quality win, which probably ended their postseason hopes. It's just another "what-if" year for the Catamounts under head coach Kerwin Bell.

Follow FCS Football Central on social media for ongoing coverage of FCS football, including on X, Facebook, and YouTube.