News/Commentary

Preseason FCS College Football Computer Rankings - Defending Champ NDSU Picked To Win It All Again

August 18, 2022 by Staff

With James Madison out of the way, and Sam Houston State ineligible, North Dakota State's pathway to another FCS title seems pretty clear. It would be the 10th title for the Bison in the last 12 years. James Madison won the 2016 season title, and Sam Houston snagged the Covid season (Fall 2019 to Spring 2020). North Dakota State snapped back to regain the crown in the 2021 Fall season.

JMU is off to the FBS this season while the Bearkats are prepared to move up to the next level in 2023. Jacksonville State also exits for the FBS next season, joining SHSU in Conference USA.

Three schools move up to the FCS this year from the D2 ranks - Lindenwood, Stonehill and Texas A&M-Commerce.

The preseason Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com put North Dakota State in the top spot, followed by coach Deion Sanders' Jackson State Tigers who are picked to go unbeaten on their way to the east division title in the SWAC and a possible second straight conference title.

Seven of the computer's top ten teams in this year's preseason poll also finished among the top 10 last season.

Get the complete FCS Top 130 here.

Here is how each conference stacks up in the computer's preseason projections.

CONF NAT'L TEAM CONF. POWER RANK W L CW CL SCHED
1 3 Kennesaw State A-SUN 55.80 50.73 10 1 5 0 29
2 47 Austin Peay A-SUN 47.37 25.84 6 5 3 2 10
2 48 Eastern Kentucky A-SUN 46.70 25.47 6 5 3 2 19
2 51 Central Arkansas A-SUN 44.67 24.37 6 5 3 2 25
5 107 Jacksonville State A-SUN 43.15 7.85 2 9 1 4 22
6 95 North Alabama A-SUN 38.04 10.37 3 8 0 5 44
                     
1 4 Montana Big Sky 55.50 50.45 10 1 7 1 41
2 7 Montana State Big Sky 58.75 48.07 9 2 7 1 16
3 13 Eastern Washington Big Sky 57.38 41.73 8 3 7 1 2
4 30 UC Davis Big Sky 49.65 31.60 7 4 6 2 27
5 28 Sacramento State Big Sky 49.96 31.79 7 4 5 3 39
6 45 Weber State Big Sky 48.78 26.61 6 5 4 4 20
7 64 Northern Arizona Big Sky 42.64 19.38 5 6 4 4 26
8 80 Portland State Big Sky 40.59 14.76 4 7 3 5 21
9 84 Idaho Big Sky 38.66 14.06 4 7 3 5 15
10 97 Northern Colorado Big Sky 36.53 9.96 3 8 1 7 47
11 118 Cal Poly Big Sky 35.22 3.20 1 10 1 7 6
12 129 Idaho State Big Sky 31.85 0.00 0 11 0 8 13
                     
1 34 North Carolina A&T Big South 41.42 30.12 8 3 4 1 81
2 33 Bryant Big South 42.60 30.98 8 3 3 2 105
3 69 Campbell Big South 38.53 17.51 5 6 3 2 52
4 73 Charleston Southern Big South 41.42 16.57 4 6 2 3 17
5 91 Gardner-Webb Big South 39.73 10.84 3 8 2 3 42
6 110 Robert Morris Big South 37.57 6.83 2 9 1 4 33
                     
1 8 Villanova CAA 52.10 47.36 10 1 8 0 64
2 12 Monmouth CAA 46.53 42.30 10 1 7 1 94
3 20 Richmond CAA 45.56 37.28 9 2 7 1 56
4 24 William & Mary CAA 44.50 32.36 8 3 6 2 60
5 41 Rhode Island CAA 45.00 28.64 7 4 6 2 38
6 56 Elon CAA 41.63 22.71 6 5 4 4 73
7 65 Stony Brook CAA 41.44 18.84 5 6 4 4 85
8 78 Delaware CAA 41.24 15.00 4 7 2 6 55
9 81 Hampton CAA 39.03 14.19 4 7 2 6 93
10 82 Towson CAA 38.93 14.16 4 7 2 6 62
11 90 Maine CAA 40.54 11.06 3 8 2 6 30
12 96 Albany CAA 36.96 10.08 3 8 2 6 24
13 117 New Hampshire CAA 35.62 3.24 1 10 0 8 46
                     
1 6 Sam Houston State Ind. 54.56 48.50 8 1     65
                     
1 9 Dartmouth Ivy 50.30 45.27 9 1 6 1 91
1 10 Harvard Ivy 48.83 43.95 9 1 6 1 84
1 11 Princeton Ivy 48.42 43.58 9 1 6 1 101
4 35 Columbia Ivy 41.37 30.09 7 3 4 3 123
5 63 Yale Ivy 42.80 21.40 5 5 3 4 87
6 108 Cornell Ivy 34.71 6.94 2 8 2 5 70
7 79 Penn Ivy 37.32 14.93 4 6 1 6 90
8 116 Brown Ivy 34.11 3.41 1 9 1 6 61
                     
1 46 South Carolina State MEAC 41.25 26.25 7 4 5 0 48
2 61 Norfolk State MEAC 39.92 21.77 6 5 4 1 79
3 54 Delaware State MEAC 36.42 23.18 7 4 2 3 126
4 85 North Carolina Central MEAC 37.39 13.60 4 7 2 3 125
5 101 Howard MEAC 35.46 9.67 3 8 2 3 97
6 124 Morgan State MEAC 30.39 2.76 1 10 0 5 98
                     
1 1 North Dakota State MVFC 60.01 54.55 10 1 8 0 31
2 5 South Dakota State MVFC 59.81 48.94 9 2 7 1 7
3 19 Missouri State MVFC 51.54 37.48 8 3 6 2 8
4 26 South Dakota MVFC 50.25 31.98 7 4 6 2 1
5 44 Southern Illinois MVFC 50.34 27.46 6 5 5 3 14
6 60 Northern Iowa MVFC 48.08 21.85 5 6 3 5 11
7 75 North Dakota  MVFC 45.40 16.51 4 7 3 5 5
8 77 Illinois State MVFC 41.48 15.08 4 7 2 6 12
9 89 Indiana State MVFC 42.31 11.54 3 8 2 6 3
9 92 Youngstown State MVFC 39.50 10.77 3 8 2 6 9
11 119 Western Illinois MVFC 34.06 3.10 1 10 0 8 4
                     
1 21 Sacred Heart NEC 45.13 36.92 9 2 6 1 119
2 31 Duquesne NEC 43.19 31.41 8 3 6 1 99
3 57 Saint Francis (PA) NEC 40.51 22.10 6 5 5 2 112
4 67 Merrimack NEC 39.09 17.77 5 6 4 3 118
4 68 Central Connecticut NEC 38.74 17.61 5 6 4 3 113
6 104 Stonehill NEC 27.71 9.24 3 6 1 6 127
7 122 LIU NEC 31.53 2.87 1 10 1 6 53
7 127 Wagner NEC 28.90 2.63 1 10 1 6 35
                     
1 39 Tennessee-Martin OVC 46.27 29.44 7 4 5 0 28
2 59 Southeast Missouri OVC 40.23 21.94 6 5 4 1 67
3 62 Tennessee State OVC 39.45 21.52 6 5 3 2 76
4 66 Murray State OVC 40.70 18.50 5 6 3 2 40
5 88 Tennessee Tech OVC 35.66 12.97 4 7 2 3 75
6 105 Lindenwood OVC 29.69 8.91 3 7 0 4 130
7 123 Eastern Illinois OVC 30.40 2.76 1 10 0 5 72
                     
1 14 Holy Cross  Patriot 49.86 40.79 9 2 6 0 103
2 37 Fordham Patriot 40.91 29.75 8 3 5 1 107
3 83 Colgate Patriot 38.74 14.09 4 7 3 3 50
4 99 Lehigh Patriot 36.42 9.93 3 8 3 3 82
4 102 Lafayette Patriot 34.83 9.50 3 8 3 3 83
6 120 Georgetown Patriot 33.31 3.03 1 10 1 5 102
7 130 Bucknell Patriot 30.73 0.00 0 11 0 6 74
                     
1 22 Davidson Pioneer 43.02 35.20 9 2 7 1 128
1 23 San Diego Pioneer 42.88 35.08 9 2 7 1 120
3 27 Morehead State Pioneer 43.92 31.94 8 3 7 1 110
4 43 Marist Pioneer 38.01 27.64 8 3 6 2 122
5 58 Dayton Pioneer 40.47 22.07 6 5 5 3 124
6 49 Saint Thomas (MN) Pioneer 39.53 25.16 7 4 4 4 129
7 71 Valparaiso Pioneer 38.37 17.44 5 6 4 4 111
8 74 Stetson Pioneer 36.36 16.53 5 6 3 5 121
9 112 Drake Pioneer 34.34 6.24 2 9 1 7 106
10 114 Butler Pioneer 31.96 5.81 2 9 0 8 115
11 125 Presbyterian Pioneer 29.83 2.71 1 10 0 8 96
                     
1 15 ETSU SoCon 48.12 39.37 9 2 7 1 51
2 25 Chattanooga SoCon 44.10 32.07 8 3 6 2 54
3 40 Mercer SoCon 45.88 29.20 7 4 5 3 34
4 42 VMI  SoCon 43.51 27.69 7 4 5 3 45
5 52 Samford SoCon 44.10 24.05 6 5 5 3 18
5 53 Furman SoCon 43.65 23.81 6 5 5 3 37
7 93 Western Carolina SoCon 38.85 10.60 3 8 2 6 66
8 109 The Citadel SoCon 37.89 6.89 2 9 1 7 57
9 128 Wofford SoCon 34.00 0.00 0 11 0 8 23
                     
1 18 SE Louisiana Southland 47.01 38.46 9 2 6 0 59
2 16 Incarnate Word Southland 47.72 39.04 9 2 5 1 114
3 55 Nicholls State Southland 42.40 23.13 6 5 5 1 80
4 72 McNeese State Southland 37.70 17.14 5 6 3 3 95
5 87 Northwestern State (LA) Southland 35.88 13.05 4 7 3 3 89
6 106 Texas A&M Commerce Southland 32.24 8.79 3 8 1 5 117
7 121 Lamar Southland 33.30 3.03 1 10 1 5 63
8 126 Houston Baptist Southland 29.43 2.68 1 10 0 6 104
                     
1 2 Jackson State SWAC-E 50.96 50.96 11 0 8 0 100
2 17 Florida A&M SWAC-E 47.36 38.75 9 2 8 0 71
3 38 Alabama A&M SWAC-E 46.51 29.60 7 4 6 2 36
4 70 Alabama State SWAC-E 38.43 17.47 5 6 3 5 69
5 94 Mississippi Valley State SWAC-E 38.53 10.51 3 8 2 5 77
6 111 Bethune-Cookman SWAC-E 36.98 6.72 2 9 1 7 32
                     
1 32 Alcorn State SWAC-W 42.63 31.00 8 3 6 2 86
1 36 Prairie View A&M SWAC-W 41.18 29.95 8 3 6 2 116
3 76 Southern SWAC-W 36.15 16.43 5 6 3 5 92
4 98 Grambling State SWAC-W 36.51 9.96 3 8 2 6 88
4 100 Texas Southern SWAC-W 35.91 9.79 3 8 2 6 49
6 103 Arkansas-Pine Bluff SWAC-W 34.34 9.37 3 8 1 7 68
                     
1 29 Stephen F. Austin WAC 43.49 31.63 8 3 4 1 108
2 50 Tarleton State WAC 39.16 24.92 7 4 3 2 109
3 86 Abilene Christian WAC 37.27 13.55 4 7 2 3 78
4 115 Southern Utah WAC 30.26 5.50 2 9 1 4 58
5 113 Utah Tech WAC 32.90 5.98 2 9 0 5 43