We’re less than a month away from FCS playoff selection Sunday — 25 days to be exact — and the Division I Football Championship Committee has revealed its in-season top 10 rankings of the FCS teams. The rankings were announced Wednesday, Oct. 30 shortly after 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2’s College Football Live broadcast.
The committee used results of games played through Oct. 26, and these in-season rankings serve as a snapshot as to where the committee has teams ranked heading into the final four weeks of the regular season.
The committee consider some of the following criteria (in no order) when selecting at large teams:
- Each team’s won-lost record
- Each team’s strength of schedule
- The won-lost record of a team will be scrutinized to determine a team’s strength of schedule; however, fewer than six Division I wins may place a team in jeopardy of not being selected.
- The committee may give more consideration to those teams that have played all Division I opponents.
- Eligibility and availability of student-athletes for the NCAA championship
- Two predictive methods (Massey and ESPN)
- Two results-based metrics (KPI and ESPN) as a tool for evaluating teams.
Unlike past years, the FCS Coaches Poll and FCS STATS Perform Poll ARE NOT considered.
The committee’s top 10 rankings give insight into which teams are in contention for the first-round byes given to the eight seeded teams in the FCS playoff bracket. For the first time in 2024, teams seeded Nos. 9-16 will also be seeded, increasing the importance of the last two teams ranked in the committee’s rankings. Click or tap here for more on this year’s FCS Championship.
That said, see the top 10 rankings below along with a breakdown of each team.
- North Dakota State
- Montana State
- South Dakota State
- South Dakota
- UC Davis
- Southeast Missouri State
- Idaho
- Mercer
- UIW
- Montana
What to know about the top-10 teams
No. 1 North Dakota State
| REcord | 8-1 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | None |
| FBS Losses | Colorado |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
South Dakota State, North Dakota, Illinois State |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
ETSU, Tennessee State |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 1 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 1 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 1 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 7 |
No. 2 Montana State
| REcord | 8-0 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | None |
| FBS Losses | None |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
Idaho |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
None |
| FBS wins | New Mexico |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 2 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 2 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 6 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 51 |
No. 3 South Dakota State
| REcord | 6-2 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | North Dakota State |
| FBS Losses | Oklahoma State |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
UIW, South Dakota |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
None |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | Augustana |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 3 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 3 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 5 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 2 |
No. 4 South Dakota
| REcord | 6-2 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | South Dakota State |
| FBS Losses | Wisconsin |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
Southern Illinois* |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
Drake (RV) |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | Northern State |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 5 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 5 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 11 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 11 |
No. 5 UC Davis
| REcord | 7-1 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | None |
| FBS Losses | California |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
Idaho |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
Southern Utah (RV) |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 4 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 4 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 19 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 32 |
No. 6 Southeast Missouri State
| REcord | 8-1 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | None |
| FBS Losses | New Mexico State |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
Southern Illinois* |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
UT Martin (RV) |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 6 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 6 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 30 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 69 |
No. 7 Idaho
| REcord | 6-3 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | UC Davis, Montana State |
| FBS Losses | Oregon |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
UAlbany*, Abilene Christian, Northern Arizona* |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
None |
| FBS Wins | Wyoming |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 11 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 10 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 18 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 5 |
No. 8 Mercer
| REcord | 7-1 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | Samford |
| FBS Losses | None |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
Chattanooga, Wofford*, Western Carolina * |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
None |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 16 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 12 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 10 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 83 |
No. 9 UIW
| REcord | 6-2 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | South Dakota State, Southern Illinois |
| FBS Losses | None |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
None |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
Northern Arizona (RV) |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 10 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 9 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 25 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 34 |
No. 10 Montana
| REcord | 6-2 |
|---|---|
| FCS Losses | North Dakota, Weber State |
| FBS Losses | None |
| Ranked Wins (* = team not currently ranked) |
Western Carolina*, Northern Arizona* |
| Other Notable FCS wins (Currently Ranked Teams) |
Missouri State |
| FBS Wins | None |
| Non-DI wins | None |
| Coaches Poll Ranking | No. 8 |
| STATS Perform Poll Rankings | No. 8 |
| KPI RaNking | No. 8 |
| Strength of Schedule (Massey) | No. 30 |
The ESPN predictive and results-based metrics are not currently publicly posted, but are compiled and sent weekly to the FCS Committee. The posted Massey ratings on this website factor in last year’s results and don’t match the accurate rankings that committee receives weekly that don’t include last year’s results. The Strength of Schedule listed on the Massey site is accurate and only from the current season.
https://gobison.com/news/2024/10/30/football-north-dakota-state-no-1-in-fcs-committee-rankings.aspx