After just two weeks of the 2025 FCS football season, the Coaches Poll and the Stats Perform Poll have been released, revealing how quickly the league’s hierarchy can be reshaped by early results.
Early Upsets Redefine the FCS Landscape
South Dakota State continues to dominate the Stats Perform Poll, holding the top spot with 1,303 points, while Montana sits at No. 3 and Tarleton State at No. 5, and Montana State, once perched at No. 1, has fallen to No. 25 with 648 points after a steep decline. The same volatility is evident in the Coaches Poll, where Youngstown State has slipped from seventh to a 1‑1 record and Lamar has dropped from fourteen to the same standing, underscoring the rapid turnover among the rankings.
Among the notable entries, South Dakota State remains the No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll, followed by Illinois State at No. 4, Tarleton State at No. 5 and UC Davis at No. 6, while additional votes have been recorded for Wofford, Cal Poly, Southern Illinois and Prairie View A&M, highlighting the depth of competition across the conference.
Fan interest has been sparked by high‑profile matchups such as Morgan State versus North Carolina A&T, and the early season’s surprising losses and upsets have already pushed several programs out of the top 25, reinforcing a narrative of chaos and unpredictability that defines the FCS landscape this year.