Many factors were impacted by Florida A&M’s 28-10 win over Jackson State on Sunday, and it turned out one of them was a spot in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, presented by FedEx Ground.
The Rattlers moved into the national media rankings at No. 23 on Monday, marking their first appearance since the 2021 season-ending poll.
Coach Willie Simmons’ squad won what’s generally considered the most-important game in the SWAC East Division, and it ended Jackson State’s 21-game winning streak against conference opponents. The Tigers (1-1), the two-time defending SWAC champions, opened the season one weekend earlier by defeating South Carolina State in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge.
Missouri Valley programs Southern Illinois (49-23 over Austin Peay) and Youngstown State (52-10 over Valparaiso) also moved into the poll at No. 24 and 25, respectively.
Top-ranked South Dakota State, the defending FCS champion, lost one first-place vote to North Dakota State. The only movement within the top 10 involved UIW, which lost at UTEP, then dropped from No. 7 to 10, with the next three teams climbing one spot each.
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.
(For more on the FCS college football weekend, here are our Week 1 Takeaways)
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll (Sept. 4)
Presented by FedEx Ground
1. South Dakota State (1-0), 1,399 points (55 first-place votes)
Previous Ranking: 1; Week 1 Result: 45-7 win over Western Oregon
2. North Dakota State (1-0), 1,330 (1)
Previous Ranking: 2; Week 1 Result: 35-10 win over Eastern Washington
3. Montana State (1-0), 1,298
Previous Ranking: 3; Week 1 Result: 63-20 win over Utah Tech
4. William & Mary (1-0, 1-0 CAA), 1,184
Previous Ranking: 4; Week 1 Result: 34-24 win at Campbell
5. Holy Cross (1-0), 1,114
Previous Ranking: 5; Week 1 Result: 42-20 win over Merrimack
6. Furman (1-0), 1,075
Previous Ranking: 6; Week 1 Result: 45-10 win over Tennessee Tech
7. Idaho (1-0), 991
Previous Ranking: 8; Week 1 Result: 42-17 win at Lamar
8. Samford (1-0), 958
Previous Ranking: 9; Week 1 Result: 69-14 win over Shorter
9. Sacramento State (1-0), 925
Previous Ranking: 10; Week 1 Result: 38-24 win at Nicholls
10. UIW (0-1), 888
Previous Ranking: 7; Week 1 Result: 28-14 loss at UTEP
11. New Hampshire (1-0), 843
Previous Ranking: 11; Week 1 Result: 51-17 win at Stonehill
12. Weber State (1-0), 783
Previous Ranking: 13; Week 1 Result: 35-10 win over Central Washington
13. Montana (1-0), 706
Previous Ranking: 14; Week 1 Result: 35-20 win over Butler
14. Southeast Missouri (0-1), 667
Previous Ranking: 12; Week 1 Result: 45-0 loss at Kansas State
15. UC Davis (1-0), 617
Previous Ranking: 16; Week 1 Result: 48-10 win at Texas A&M-Commerce
16. Southeastern Louisiana (0-1), 578
Previous Ranking: 15; Week 1 Result: 48-7 loss at Mississippi State
17. North Dakota (1-0), 524
Previous Ranking: 17; Week 1 Result: 55-7 win over Drake
18. North Carolina Central (1-0), 387
Previous Ranking: 19; Week 1 Result: 47-21 win over Winston Salem State
19. Delaware (1-0, 1-0 CAA), 317
Previous Ranking: 22; Week 1 Result: 37-13 win at Stony Brook
20. Mercer (1-1), 240
Previous Ranking: 20; Week 0 and 1 Results: 17-7 win over North Alabama; 73-7 loss at Ole Miss
21. Northern Iowa (0-1), 190
Previous Ranking: 23; Week 1 Result: 30-9 loss at Iowa State
22. Rhode Island (0-1), 167
Previous Ranking: 21; Week 1 Result: 42-35 loss at Georgia State
23. Florida A&M (1-0), 154
Previous Ranking: NR; Week 1 Result: 28-10 win over Jackson State
24. Southern Illinois (1-0), 152
Previous Ranking: NR; Week 1 Result: 49-23 win over Austin Peay
25. Youngstown State (1-0), 103
Previous Ranking: NR; Week 1 Result: 52-10 win over Valparaiso
Dropped Out: Richmond (18), Eastern Kentucky (24), Gardner-Webb (25)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Eastern Kentucky (0-1) 90; Richmond (0-1) 89; Central Arkansas (0-1) 78; Gardner-Webb (0-1) 67; Villanova (1-0) 66; Elon (0-1) 40; UT Martin (0-1) 38; Abilene Christian (1-0) 32; Morgan State (1-0) 31; UAlbany (1-1) 22; Yale (0-0) 13; Jackson State (1-1) 12; Tarleton (1-0) 9; St. Thomas (1-0) 7; Saint Francis (0-1) 3
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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.