The 2024 FCS football season kicks off with Week 0 matchups on Aug. 24. The unofficial start to the season began with the release of conference preseason polls.

The anticipation of FCS college football only grows during the offseason, but the arrival of conference media days in the middle of summer makes people sense how the upcoming season is nearing.

The release of FCS conference preseason polls serve as an unofficial start to the 2024 season – and surely as motivation depending on where a team fits into them.

Following is how the FCS conference polls have predicted the races ahead:

Big Sky Conference

Coaches Poll

  • 1. Montana (13-2, 7-1), 120 points (10 first-place votes)
  • 2. Montana State (8-4, 6-2), 110 (1)
  • 3. Idaho (9-4, 6-2), 95
  • 4. UC Davis (7-4, 5-3), 88 (1)
  • 5. Sacramento State (8-5, 4-4), 82
  • 6. Weber State (6-5, 4-4), 74
  • 7. Northern Arizona (5-6, 5-3), 55
  • 8. Eastern Washington (4-7, 3-5), 47
  • 9. Portland State (5-6, 4-4), 45
  • 10. Idaho State (3-8, 3-5), 31
  • 11. Northern Colorado (0-11, 0-8), 23
  • 12. Cal Poly (3-8, 1-7), 22

Media Poll

  • 1. Montana (13-2, 7-1), 442 points (26 first-place votes)
  • 2. Montana State (8-4, 6-2), 414 (9)
  • 3. Idaho (9-4, 6-2), 342 (2)
  • 4. UC Davis (7-4, 5-3), 332 (1)
  • 5. Sacramento State (8-5, 4-4), 324
  • 6. Eastern Washington (4-7, 3-5), 240
  • 7. Weber State (6-5, 4-4), 234
  • 8. Idaho State (3-8, 3-5), 174
  • 9. Northern Arizona (5-6, 5-3), 172
  • 10. Portland State (5-6, 4-4), 169
  • 11. Cal Poly (3-8, 1-7), 74
  • 11. Northern Colorado (0-11, 0-8), 47

Preseason Offensive MVP: Lan Larison, RB, UC Davis

Preseason Defensive MVP: Brody Grebe, DE, Montana State

Big South-Ohio Valley Football Association

  • 1. UT Martin (8-3, 5-1), 61 points (5 first-place votes)
  • 2. Eastern Illinois (8-3, 4-2), 53 (2)
  • 3. Southeast Missouri (4-7, 3-3), 51 (2)
  • 4. Tennessee State (6-5, 2-4), 41
  • 5. Gardner-Webb (7-5, 5-1), 40
  • 6. Charleston Southern (4-7, 2-4), 27
  • 7. Tennessee Tech (4-7, 2-4), 24
  • 8. Lindenwood (3-7, 1-5), 18
  • 9. Western Illinois (0-11, 0-8 MVFC), 9

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Pierce Holley, QB, Eastern Illinois

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Bryce Norman, LB, Southeast Missouri

CAA Football

  • 1. Villanova (10-3, 7-1), 217 points (9 first-place votes)
  • 2. Richmond (9-4, 7-1), 189 (1)
  • 3. UAlbany (11-4, 7-1), 179 (3)
  • 4. William & Mary (6-5, 4-4), 175
  • 5. Delaware (9-4, 6-2), 163
  • 6. Elon (6-5, 6-2), 157
  • 7. New Hampshire (6-5, 4-4), 150
  • 8. Rhode Island (6-5, 4-4), 142
  • 9. Towson (5-6, 4-4), 114
  • 10. Monmouth (4-7, 3-5), 95
  • 11. Campbell (5-6, 4-4), 83
  • 12. Hampton (5-6, 3-5), 62
  • 13. Maine (2-9, 1-7), 57
  • 14. North Carolina A&T (1-10, 0-8), 49
  • 15. Bryant (6-5, 4-2 Big South-OVC), 46
  • 16. Stony Brook (0-10, 0-8), 42

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Connor Watkins, QB, Villanova

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Caleb Curtain, S, Elon

Ivy League

  • 1. Yale (7-3, 5-2), 114 points (6 first-place votes)
  • 2. Harvard (8-2, 5-2), 108 (7)
  • 3. Penn (6-4, 3-4), 88 (2)
  • T4. Princeton (5-5, 4-3), 80 (1)
  • T4. Dartmouth (6-4, 5-2), 80
  • 6, Brown (5-5, 3-4), 56
  • 7. Cornell (3-7, 2-5), 26
  • 8. Columbia (3-7, 1-6), 24

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

  • 1. North Carolina Central (9-3, 4-1), 110 points (4 first-place votes)
  • 2. Howard (6-6, 4-1), 92 (4)
  • 3. Morgan State (4-6, 3-2), 80 (1)
  • 4. South Carolina State (5-6, 3-2), 78 (2)
  • 5. Norfolk State (3-8, 1-4), 50 (1)
  • 6. Delaware State (1-10, 0-5), 22

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Jarrett Hunter, RB, Howard

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kenny Gallop Jr., S, Howard

Missouri Valley Football Conference

  • 1. South Dakota State (15-0, 8-0), 482 points (42 first-place votes)
  • 2. North Dakota State (11-4, 5-3), 437 (1)
  • 3. South Dakota (10-3, 7-1), 371
  • 4. Southern Illinois (8-5, 4-4), 293
  • 5. North Dakota (7-5, 5-3), 276
  • 6. Illinois State (6-5, 4-4), 264
  • 7. Youngstown State (8-5, 5-3), 255
  • 8. Northern Iowa (6-5, 5-3), 227
  • 9. Missouri State (4-7, 3-5), 164 (1)
  • 10. Indiana State (1-10, 1-7), 68
  • 11. Murray State (2-9, 1-7), 67

Northeast Conference

  • 1. Duquesne (7-5, 6-1), 5 first-place votes
  • 2. Saint Francis (4-6, 4-3), 1 first-place vote 
  • 3. Robert Morris (4-7, 2-4 Big South-OVC)
  • 4. LIU (4-7, 4-3), 1 first-place vote
  • 5. Stonehill (5-5, 4-3)
  • 6. Wagner (4-7, 3-4)
  • 7. Central Connecticut State (3-8, 1-6)
  • Ineligible for NEC Title: Mercyhurst (2-9 Division II)

Patriot League

  • 1. Lafayette (9-3, 5-1), 72 points (12 first-place votes)
  • 2. Holy Cross (7-4, 5-1), 56
  • 3. Fordham (6-5, 2-4), 53 (1)
  • 4. Colgate (6-5, 4-2), 46 (1)
  • 5. Georgetown (5-6, 3-3), 27
  • 6. Lehigh (2-9, 1-5), 24
  • 7. Bucknell (4-7, 1-5), 16

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Jamar Curtis, RB, Lafayette

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Jaworski, DL, Fordham

Pioneer Football League

  • 1. Drake (8-4, 8-0), 98 points (8 first-place votes)
  • 2. St. Thomas (8-3, 7-1), 87 (1)
  • 3. Davidson (7-4, 6-2), 81 (1)
  • 4. Butler (7-4, 5-3), 72
  • 5. San Diego (4-7, 4-4), 67 (1)
  • 6. Dayton (4-7, 2-6), 49
  • 7. Presbyterian (4-7, 2-6), 39
  • 8. Marist (4-7, 4-4), 37
  • 9. Morehead State (4-7, 3-5), 35
  • 10. Valparaiso (3-8, 2-6), 22
  • 11. Stetson (3-8, 1-7), 18

Southern Conference

  • 1. Chattanooga (8-5, 6-2), 61 points (5 first-place votes)
  • 2. Furman (10-3, 7-1), 56 (3)
  • 3. Western Carolina (7-4, 5-3), 49 (1)
  • 4. Mercer (9-4, 6-2), 45
  • 5. Samford (6-5, 4-4), 37
  • 6. ETSU (3-8, 2-6), 26
  • 7. VMI (5-6, 4-4), 23
  • 8. Wofford (2-9, 2-6), 19
  • 9. The Citadel (0-11, 0-8), 8

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Cole Gonzales, QB, Western Carolina

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Marlon Taylor, DL, Chattanooga

Southland Conference

  • 1. Nicholls (6-5, 7-0), 119 points (9 first-place votes)
  • 2. UIW (8-2 6-1), 113 (8)
  • 3. Southeastern Louisiana (3-8, 3-4), 94
  • 4. Lamar (6-5, 5-2), 88 (1)
  • 5. Stephen F. Austin (3-8, 0-6 UAC), 72
  • 6. McNeese (0-10, 1-6), 64
  • 7. HCU (5-5, 4-3), 41
  • 8. Texas A&M-Commerce (1-9, 2-5), 37
  • 9. Northwestern State (0-6, 0-7), 25

Southwestern Athletic Conference

East Division

  • 1. Alabama State (7-4, 5-3), 114 points (11 first-place votes)
  • 2. Florida A&M (12-1, 8-0), 104 (6)
  • 3. Jackson State (7-4, 5-3), 87 (2)
  • 4. Alabama A&M (5-6, 3-5), 76 (4)
  • 5. Bethune-Cookman (3-8, 2-6), 47
  • 6. Mississippi Valley State (1-10, 1-7), 31

West Division

  • 1. Alcorn State (7-4, 6-2), 112 (11)
  • 2. Prairie View A&M (6-6, 6-2), 104 (8)
  • 3. Grambling State (5-6, 4-4), 72 (4)
  • 4. Southern (6-5, 5-3), 70 (1)
  • 5. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-9, 1-7), 61
  • 6. Texas Southern (3-8, 2-6), 40

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Myles Crawley, QB, Grambling State

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Ckelby Givens, DE, Southern

United Athletic Conference

  • 1. Central Arkansas (7-4, 4-2), 77 points (5 first-place votes)
  • 2. Tarleton State (8-3, 4-2), 74 (3)
  • 3. Southern Utah (6-5, 4-2), 54
  • 4. Eastern Kentucky (5-6, 4-2), 53
  • 5. Austin Peay (9-3, 6-0), 46 (1)
  • 6. Abilene Christian (5-6, 3-3), 43
  • 7. North Alabama (3-8, 1-5), 26
  • 8. Utah Tech (2-9, 1-5), 19
  • 9. West Georgia (6-4 Division II), 13

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Kayvon Britten, RB, Tarleton State

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Edwin White Schultz, DB, North Alabama

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