The upcoming FCS college football season features experienced, talent-laden teams, a number of which figure to contend for the national championship.
Sam Houston is the team to beat, however, returning its entire starting lineup from a spring season in which it went a perfect 10-0 and captured the FCS title for the first time.
On Monday, the Bearkats gained 39 of the 50 first-place votes while being selected No. 1 in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25.
“It’s hard enough to win one; it’s even harder to win two because you are the hunted,” said eighth-year coach K.C. Keeler, the first coach to lead two different schools to the FCS title. He first won at Delaware in 2003.
The FCS seeks a return to normalcy this fall after the pandemic delayed much of the 2020 season to this past spring, with some schools not playing at all.
A normal FCS season means the usual power programs are in national title contention. Right behind Sam Houston in the national media poll were the final three teams it beat in the playoffs – semifinalist James Madison, runner-up South Dakota State and quarterfinalist North Dakota State. Delaware, a semifinalist for the first time since it played in the 2010 championship game under Keeler, was fifth.
A national media panel selects the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.
STATS PERFORM FCS PRESEASON TOP 25
(With fall 2020/spring 2021 record unless noted)
1. Sam Houston (10-0, 6-0 Southland), 1,228 points (39 first-place votes)
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Northern Arizona
2. James Madison (7-1, 3-0 CAA), 1,180 (8)
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Morehead State
3. South Dakota State (8-2, 5-1 Missouri Valley), 1,156 (3)
Season Opener: Sept. 3 at Colorado State
4. North Dakota State (7-3, 5-2 Missouri Valley), 1,116
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Albany
5. Delaware (7-1, 4-0 CAA), 1,017
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Maine
6. Weber State (5-1, 5-0 Big Sky), 927
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Utah
7. Southern Illinois (6-4, 3-3 Missouri Valley), 888
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Southeast Missouri
8. North Dakota (5-2, 4-1 Missouri Valley), 886
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Idaho State
9. Montana (2-0), 778
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Washington
10. Jacksonville State (10-3, 6-1 Ohio Valley), 744
Season Opener: Sept. 1 vs. UAB
11. Eastern Washington (5-2, 5-1 Big Sky), 659
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at UNLV
12. Montana State (2019: 11-4, 6-2 Big Sky), 654
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Wyoming
13. Monmouth (3-1, 3-0 Big South), 618
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Middle Tennessee
14. Central Arkansas (5-4), 561
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Arkansas State
15. Southeastern Louisiana (4-3, 4-2 Southland), 559
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. North Alabama
16. Villanova (2-2 CAA), 440
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Lehigh
17. VMI (6-2, 6-1 Southern), 397
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Davidson
18. Chattanooga (3-2, 3-1 Southern), 295
Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Austin Peay
19. Kennesaw State (4-1, 2-1 Big South), 255
Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Reinhardt
20. Austin Peay (4-5, 4-2 Ohio Valley), 227
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Chattanooga
21. Northern Iowa (3-4 Missouri Valley), 219
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Iowa State
22. Nicholls (4-3 Southland), 173
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Memphis
23. UC Davis (3-2 Big Sky), 172
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Tulsa
24. Missouri State (5-5, 5-1 Missouri Valley), 168
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Oklahoma State
25. North Carolina A&T (2019: 9-3, 6-2 MEAC), 159
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Furman
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Murray State (5-2 Ohio Valley) 157, Richmond (3-1 CAA) 113, ETSU (4-2 Southern) 99, Sacramento State (2019: 9-4, 7-1 Big Sky) 57, Alabama A&M (5-0, 4-0 SWAC) 49, Florida A&M (2019: 9-2, 7-1 MEAC) 47, New Hampshire (0-1 CAA) 42, Alcorn State (2019: 9-4, 6-1 SWAC) 35, Holy Cross (3-1, 3-0 Patriot) 22, Samford (4-3 Southern) 20, UIW (3-3 Southland) 19, Sacred Heart (3-2, 2-1 Northeast) 17, Albany (1-3 CAA) 14, Illinois State (1-3 Missouri Valley) 10, Rhode Island (2-1 CAA) 10, South Carolina State (3-1) 10, Stephen F. Austin (6-4) 10, Duquesne (4-1, 4-0 Northeast) 4, Southeast Missouri (4-4, 4-3 Ohio Valley) 3