We have the honor of being one of the 54 voters in the FCS STATS Perform Top-25 for the 2022 season. Each week we will release our official ballot and provide some explanation for the biggest movers in our FCS Top-25 each week at the FCS level. You can also hear the rationale on our weekly FCS Recap on our YouTube channel every Sunday/Monday night.
Week 2 Top-25 Ballot:
25. Samford (1-1)
Week 2: 33-0 Loss to Georgia
24. North Carolina Central (2-0)
Week 2: 41-0 Win over Winston-Salem State
23. Northern Arizona (1-1)
Week 2: 10-3 Win over Sam Houston State
22. Richmond (1-1)
Week 2: 31-21 Win over Saint Francis
21. North Dakota (1-1)
Week 2: 29-27 Win over Northern Iowa
20. Austin Peay (2-1)
Week 2: 41-0 Win over Mississippi Valley State
19. UT Martin (1-1)
Week 2: 35-30 Loss to #6 Missouri State
18. Rhode Island (2-0)
Week 2: 35-21 Win over Bryant
17. Mercer (1-1)
Week 2: Bye Week
16. Eastern Washington (1-1)
Week 2: 70-14 Loss to Oregon
15. William & Mary (2-0)
Week 2: 37-21 Win over Campbell
14. Eastern Kentucky (1-1)
Week 2: 59-57 Win over Bowling Green
13. Chattanooga (2-0)
Week 2: 38-20 Win over Eastern Illinois
12. Weber State (2-0)
Week 2: 35-7 Win over Utah State
11. Holy Cross (2-0)
Week 2: 37-31 Win over Buffalo
10. Jackson State (2-0)
Week 2: 16-3 Win over Tennessee State
9. Villanova (2-0)
Week 2: 38-21 Win over Long Island
8. Sacramento State (1-0)
Week 2: Bye Week
7. Delaware (2-0)
Week 2: 35-9 Win over Delaware State
6. Missouri State (2-0)
Week 2: 35-30 Win over #19 UT Martin
5. Incarnate Word (2-0)
Week 2: 55-41 Win over Nevada
4. Montana State (2-0)
Week 2: 63-13 Win over Morehead State
3. South Dakota State (1-1)
Week 2: 24-22 Win over UC Davis
2. Montana (2-0)
Week 2: 24-7 Win over South Dakota
1. North Dakota State (2-0)
Week 2: 43-3 Win over North Carolina A&T
Analysis On Week 2 Performances:
New teams to my Week 2 ballot: Rhode Island, Austin Peay, North Dakota, Richmond, Northern Arizona, & Samford
Teams that dropped out of the Top-25: Northern Iowa, Kennesaw State, Southern Illinois, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Louisiana, & East Tennessee State
There was a lot of movement in the bottom half of my Week 2 ballot after some impressive performances and some teams not living up to the preseason expectations that were placed on them. Rhode Island has been impressive over the first two weeks of the season with double digit wins over Stony Brook and Bryant, while Austin Peay has been dominant in their FCS out of conference performances and played Western Kentucky close in a great Week 0 matchup. Northern Arizona upset Sam Houston State in a defensive battle this week, while North Dakota found a way to pull off a huge win against Northern Iowa.
Southern Illinois, Kennesaw State, and Stephen F. Austin were all preseason Top-10 teams but have all underperformed on the field throughout the first few weeks of the season. Stephen F. Austin is 1-2 with a blowout loss to Jacksonville State and an unimpressive win against Alcorn State in Week 1. Kennesaw State and Southern Illinois both sit at 0-2, but both have chances to win their way back into the rankings throughout the next few weeks of the season.
Incarnate Word jumped another five spots this week after an impressive win over Nevada in Week 2. The Cardinals have been the most impressive team in the FCS over the first two weeks of the season. Incarnate Word faces Prairie View A&M and Southeastern Louisiana in the next two weeks and if this team wins both games in dominant fashion then a real discussion will have to be had about Incarnate Word being a Top-3 team in the FCS right now.
Weber State was one of the biggest movers in the rankings after a 35-7 win over Utah State, which was one of the four FCS over FBS upsets of the weekend. Eastern Kentucky won a thrilling seven overtime game against Bowling Green this weekend and currently looks like the best team in the ASUN through the first two weeks of the season. Holy Cross executed a last second hail mary against Buffalo, which is why I moved the Crusaders to right outside the Top-10 this week.
Montana moved to my #2 spot after an impressive 24-7 win over South Dakota this weekend. Lucas Johnson looks like the real deal at the QB position for the Griz and totaled 3 touchdowns this weekend and that was the main question mark for this team coming into the season. The defense is dominant again; led by Justin Ford and Patrick O’Connell who have both been spectacular in the first two games of the season. Right now I think Montana looks like the more complete team compared to South Dakota State, but both programs will have a chance to prove themselves over the next few games.
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