FCS Week: An Early Look at the Top 25

It’s Football Championship Subdivision Week here at ITB (at least from my end, not sure what Brian has cooking for you this week), and to start us out I thought we could take a quick look at the official AnyGivenSaturday.com Fan Poll.

The fan poll, which is determined by voters on the popular FCS-themed web community of AnyGivenSaturday.com, has been in operation since 2004 and is considered the first “officially” released preseason poll for FCS teams each year.

This isn’t just a bunch of homer fans voting for their favorite teams though, as the website has established strict guidelines for voter fairness and accuracy.

The top teams on this year’s preseason poll should come as no surprise to those who have followed the FCS in recent years, as three-time defending National Champion Appalachian State comes in at the top with 76 first-place votes.

Colonial Athletic Association heavyweights James Madison and Richmond come in second and third, respectively, with the Dukes receiving two first place votes and the Spiders receiving one.

North Dakota State and Northern Iowa round out the top five, with the Bison, who defeated two FBS programs last season, receiving two first place votes.

Other notable features to the poll include Montana at No. 7, Delaware at No. 11, and Cal Poly at No. 13.  The Cal Poly Mustangs were also named the Poll’s “Team on the Rise,” while the Delaware Blue Hens were named the “Team Falling the Most” after losing star quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Omar Cuff to the NFL.

The full Top 25, including a section on “Others Receiving Votes,” can be viewed below:

1. Appalachian St. (76)
2. James Madison (2)
3. Richmond (1)
4. North Dakota St. (2)
5. Northern Iowa
6. Massachusetts
7. Montana
8. McNeese St.
9. Eastern Washington
10. Wofford
11. Delaware
12. Southern Illinois
13. Cal Poly (1)
14. Youngstown St.
15. Elon
16. Georgia Southern
17. Villanova
18. South Dakota St.
19. Eastern Illinois
20. New Hampshire
21. The Citadel
22. Eastern Kentucky
23. Fordham
24. Yale
25. Furman

Others receiving votes: Harvard (33), Sam Houston St. (31), Delaware St. (29), Northern Arizona (27), Central Arkansas (24), Montana St. (24), Jackson St. (23), South Carolina St. (22), Jacksonville St. (18), Grambling St. (16), Liberty (16), Holy Cross (14), Western Illinois (13), Albany (12), Hofstra (12), Dayton (10), Hampton (10), Nicholls St. (7), Coastal Carolina (5), Colgate (5), Norfolk St. (5)

Poll courtesy of AnyGivenSaturday.com.

Stay tuned to Inthebleachers.net this week as we continue our FCS coverage, including a week-long special devoted to breaking down my Top 10 most-likely FCS over FBS upsets for the upcoming 2008 season.