FCS Football Top 25: Zach McKinnell's 2025 Week 6 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 6 ballot for the 2025 FCS football season.

25. Lamar

24. Southeastern Louisiana

23. Stephen F. Austin

22. Mercer

21. Presbyterian

20. Youngstown State

19. Jackson State

18. Idaho

17. West Georgia

16. Austin Peay

15. Abilene Christian

14. Northern Arizona

13. Harvard

12. UC Davis

11. Illinois State

10. Monmouth

9. Lehigh

8. North Dakota

7. Tennessee Tech

6. Southern Illinois

5. Tarleton State

4. Montana State

3. Montana

2. South Dakota State

1. North Dakota State

Honorable Mentions: Furman, Rhode Island, Villanova, North Carolina Central, Alabama State

Analysis:

The teams in my Top 6 remain unchanged, but Montana State does move up one spot with an impressive road win over Northern Arizona. The next few weeks will be telling for each of these teams, but I feel comfortable saying these are the six best teams in the country as of right now. North Dakota State and South Dakota State added another ranked win to their resume, both winning key road matchups.

Tarleton State survived an early scare from Southern Utah, but was missing multiple starters. Lastly, Montana put together a fourth-quarter comeback against Idaho State, but still has two ranked wins that keep the Griz at No. 3. Southern Illinois moved to 4-1 (4-0 vs FCS) with a win over Indiana State. The Salukis have a chance to really shake up the rankings against NDSU on Saturday.

Harvard made one of the biggest jumps in my ballot, moving into the Top 15. The Crimson may not have a ranked win, but have dominated their first three opponents, including Brown, which just beat No. 8 Rhode Island. It's a similar resume to Tennessee Tech, which remains in the Top 10 after another blowout win. The Golden Eagles moved to 5-0, outscoring their first five opponents 283-59.

I'm still buying stock in Lehigh right now, which appears at No. 9 on my ballot. The Hawks are 6-0 and have won all but one game by 14 points or more. They have two quality wins over Penn and Yale, along with a key conference win in Week 1 over Richmond. Barring an unexpected upset, this will be a team that will be in the conversation for a Top 8 seed.

As I've stated before, it's still early in the season, which means I'm not afraid to make significant changes to my ballot. After an upset loss to Brown, I didn't feel like Rhode Island had the resume to be ranked over teams with better overall resumes to this point in the season. Incarnate Word also dropped out of my ballot after a loss to Stephen F. Austin. The Cardinals are now 2-3 against FCS competition and have been one of the biggest disappointments in the FCS this season.

There were two new teams in my ballot this week. Southeastern Louisiana makes an appearance after a 38-0 win over McNeese. The Lions are 4-0 against the FCS, winning each game by 14 points or more. Lamar also returns to my ballot, which, despite an uninspiring offensive output, continues to find ways to win. The Cardinals are 4-0 against FCS opponents, including wins over South Dakota and Nicholls, both teams that were ranked at one point this season.

Austin Peay jumped a few spots after an impressive win over West Georgia. The Govs have an FBS win and now a ranked win, with a chance to add some other quality wins to their resume in the coming weeks. They remained behind Abilene Christian due to losing the head-to-head matchup. The Wildcats rebounded from an upset loss last week with a dominant win over North Alabama. They still have two ranked wins over Austin Peay and Stephen F. Austin, which keeps them in the Top 15.

Youngstown State remained in my ballot despite a loss to South Dakota State. The Penguins played their best game of the year and had chances to pull off the upset, making them an intriguing team to watch in the MVFC. Illinois State also remained in the Top 15 after a loss to North Dakota State, in which the Redbirds played well against an NDSU team that has dismantled every opponent they've played.

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