Everybody loves the thrilling moment when they can exalt, “We’re No. 1!”
The defending national champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who were a unanimous selection atop the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll, presented by FedEx Ground and unveiled on Monday, feel there’s responsibility that accompanies the lofty position.
“I think it sets you apart as far as a standard,” said first-year coach Jimmy Rogers, the top assistant on last year’s coaching staff under John Stiegelmeier who helped guide the Jackrabbits to their first-ever No. 1 ranking in midseason, and they didn’t relinquish it while going 14-1.
“What does it mean? It means we’re at a point right now that the outside world expects a lot. But we need to expect more from ourselves than from what you guys expect from us.”
South Dakota State received all 56 first-place votes in the national media poll to outdistance fellow Missouri Valley Football Conference power North Dakota State. The Jackrabbits dethroned the Bison, who had won nine of the previous 11 titles, 45-21 in the 2022 national championship game.
The Big Sky Conference, led by No. 3 Montana State, had the most ranked teams with six. CAA Football collected the second-most with five, including No. 4 William & Mary, as nine of the 13 leagues were represented in the preseason poll.
A national media panel selects the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. 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 Poll
Presented by FedEx Ground (2022 Record in Parentheses)
1. South Dakota State (14–1, 8–0 Missouri Valley), 1,400 points (56 first-place votes)
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Western Oregon
2. North Dakota State (12–3, 7–1 Missouri Valley), 1,329
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Eastern Washington (in Minneapolis)
3. Montana State (12–2, 8–0 Big Sky), 1,294
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Utah Tech
4. William & Mary (11–2, 7–1 CAA), 1,172
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Campbell
5. Holy Cross (12–1, 6–0 Patriot), 1,113
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Merrimack
6. Furman (10–3, 7–1 Southern), 1,035
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Tennessee Tech
7. UIW (12–2, 5–1 Southland), 935
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at UTEP.
8. Idaho (7–5, 6–2 Big Sky), 932
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Lamar
9. Samford (11–2, 8–0 Southern), 885
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Shorter
10. Sacramento State (12–1, 8–0 Big Sky), 881
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Nicholls
11. New Hampshire (9–4, 7–1 CAA), 798
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Stonehill
12. Southeast Missouri (9-3, 5–0 Ohio Valley), 768
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Kansas State
13. Weber State (10–3, 6–2 Big Sky), 744
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Central Washington
14. Montana (8–5, 4–4 Big Sky), 711
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Butler
15. Southeastern Louisiana (9–4, 5–1 Southland), 710
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Mississippi State
16. UC Davis (6–5, 5–3 Big Sky), 513
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Texas A&M-Commerce
17. North Dakota (7–5, 5–3 Missouri Valley), 479
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Drake
18. Richmond (9–4, 6–2 CAA), 387
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Morgan State
19. North Carolina Central (10–2, 4–1 MEAC), 330
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Winston Salem State
20. Mercer (7–4, 5–3 Southern), 293
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 26 vs. North Alabama
21. Rhode Island (7–4, 5–3 CAA), 169
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Georgia State
22. Delaware (8-5, 4-4 CAA), 166
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Stony Brook
23. Northern Iowa (6-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley), 155
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Iowa State
24. Eastern Kentucky (7-5, 3-2 ASUN), 137
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Cincinnati
25. Gardner-Webb (7-6, 5-0 Big South), 129
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Appalachian State
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Central Arkansas (5–6, 3–2 ASUN) 110, Chattanooga (7-4, 5-3 Southern) 84, Jackson State (12-1, 8-0 SWAC) 71, Southern Illinois (5–6, 4–4 Missouri Valley) 66, Youngstown State (7-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley) 66, Florida A&M (9-2, 7-1 SWAC) 65, UT Martin (7–4, 5–0 Ohio Valley) 65, Elon (8-4, 6-2 CAA) 61, Austin Peay (7-4, 3-2 ASUN) 40, Fordham (9-3, 5-1 Patriot) 28, Yale (8-2, 6-1 Ivy) 18, Villanova (6-5, 4-4 CAA) 8, McNeese (4-7, 2-4 Southland) 7, Abilene Christian (7-4, 3-1 WAC) 6, St. Thomas (10-1, 8-0 Pioneer) 6, Saint Francis (9-3, 7-0 NEC) 5
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Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Voters – Stats Perform: Craig Haley, Gary Reasons. Big Sky Conference: Doug Kelly, Tyson Rodgers, Larry Weir. Big South-OVC Football Association: Mike Bradd, Brian Cleary, Kyle Schwartz, Mark Simpson. CAA Football: Matt Harmon, Scott Klatzkin, Rob Washburn. Ivy League: Rick Bender, Craig Larson. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Kendrick Lewis, Patricia Porter-Mayfield. Missouri Valley Football Conference: Dom Izzo, Mike Kern, Randy Reinhardt. Northeast Conference: Sarah Boissonneault, Randy Brochu. Patriot League: Eric Malanoski, Ryan Sakamoto. Pioneer Football League: Cody Bush, Jack Cronin. Southern Conference: Scott Keeler, Andrew Miller, Ralan Wardlaw. Southland Conference: Matthew Bonnette, James Dixon, James Hill. Southwestern Athletic Conference: Ronnie Johnson, Joshua Padilla. United Athletic Conference: Steve East, Tony Jones, Brian Morgan, Jake Withee. National Representatives: Sean Anderson, Zack Carlton, Riley Corcoran, Joe DeLeone, Steven J. Gaither, Sam Herder, Emory Hunt, Kyle Kensing, Brandon Lawrence, Zach McKinnell, Brian McLaughlin, Jon Passman, Omar Rashon Borja, Ryan Roberts, Kent Schmidt, Phil Sokol, Reggie Thomas, Ralph Ventre, Jamie Williams.