Week 1 FCS Football Top 25 Rankings
September 5, 2022 · CSM Staff
| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  |
North Dakota State | Honestly, the Bison probably took it easy on Drake, winning 56-14. Now a past “dream” matchup with North Carolina A&T. Who’s nightmare will it be? | 1 |
| 2 |  |
South Dakota State | Jackrabbits went into FBS Iowa and lost by two safeties, literally. The offense will need to get going if they’re going to beat visiting UC-Davis. | 2 |
| 3 |  |
Montana | Washington-Grizzly Stadium is tough enough to play in, but when Montana is good? Look out! Northwestern State learned that. Host South Dakota next. | 3 |
| 4 |  |
Montana State | Bobcats took it to McNeese and won 40-17. They host Morehead State next, who gave up 63 in their first game. The offense should roll. | 4 |
| 5 |  |
Missouri State | Bears record a solid road win at Central Arkansas, 27-14. Now a home opener with ranked neighbor Tennessee-Martin. | 7 |
| 6 |  |
Villanova | Wildcats beat in-state brother, Lehigh soundly. Next they take to the road. An interesting game at the NEC’s Long Island. | 10 |
| 7 |  |
Delaware | The Blue Hens anchored Navy, prevailing 14-7. You figure the defense should shine again when they host Delaware State. | 15 |
| 8 |  |
Sacramento State | Hornets offense appears in top condition. You have to wonder about giving up 33 points to Utah Tech though. They get this week off before going to UNI. | 11 |
| 9 |  |
Incarnate Word | Cardinals put a 64-29 throttling on Southern Illinois. That’s called making a statement! A trip to FBS Nevada is next. | 20 |
| 10 |  |
ETSU | Buccaneers beat down sub-FCS Mars Hill 44-7. What have we really learned from that? May not learn at lot at The Citadel either. | 12 |
| 11 |  |
Chattanooga | The Mocs shutout Wofford, 31-0. The defense was supposed to be great, but that’s perfection. Can they repeat at Eastern Illinois next week? | 13 |
| 12 |  |
William & Mary | Tribe put a solid beating on FBS Charlotte to open the year. They get to host this week against Campbell. | NR |
| 13 |  |
Jackson State | The Tigers roar to a 59-3 stomping of FAMU. If they’re going to play like this all year, no one is gonna stop them. Tennessee State is next. | NR |
| 14 |  |
Eastern Washington | Eagles got a handful from a much improved Tennessee State. Now the daunting task of going to FBS Oregon, who was thoroughly minimized. | 16 |
| 15 |  |
UT Martin |
Skyhawks picked up the lone OVC victory in Week 1, 42-25 over Western Illinois. The short trip to the MVFC’s Missouri State should be a lot tougher. | 19 |
| 16 |  |
Jacksonville State | Gamecocks have beaten two playoff teams from last year; Stephen F. Austin and Davidson. Now they hit the road to play Murray State. | NR |
| 17 |  |
Sam Houston | Welcome to FBS transition, Bearkats. Texas A&M was not accomodating. Home date with Northern Arizona should be a little easier. | 8 |
| 18 |  |
Weber State |
Not going to know a lot about the Wildcats by beating sub-FCS Western Oregon. They play at FBS Utah State, who’s already played two games. | 14 |
| 19 |  |
Southern Illinois | Salukis were about as embarrassed as a Top 5 team could have been. Selective amnesia should be sought before their home opener against SEMO. | 5 |
| 20 |  |
Mercer | Bears destroyed Morehead State in Week 0. The last game at Auburn was a different story. They get an early bye before hosting The Citadel. | 17 |
| 21 |  |
Samford | Bulldogs pulled a home upset over highly touted Kennesaw State. The party is likely over as they travel to FBS Georgis next week. No injuries, please. | NR |
| 22 |  |
Holy Cross | A 31-17 win over Merrimack doesn’t seem that impressive. Hopefully, the Crusaders were holding back for this coming trip to FBS Buffalo. | 22 |
| 23 |  |
Rhode Island | Rams had a convincing win at CAA Stony Brook, 35-14. Now an in-state roadie to Bryant, who nearly knocked off FBS Florida International. | NR |
| 24 |  |
Southeastern Louisiana | The Lions lost 24-7 to FBS Louisiana. Used to seeing more scoring from SLU, but the defense looked better. Go to FBS Florida Atlantic next. | 21 |
| 25 |  |
Kennesaw State | Definitely not how the Owls wanted to come out of the gate. A trip to FBS Cincinnati isn’t going to be a place to be looking for sympathy either. | 6 |
Madness FCS Power Rankings
