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 4 Top-25 Ballot
25. Eastern Kentucky (2-2)
Week 4: 31-20 Loss To Austin Peay
24. William & Mary (3-1)
Week 4: 35-31 Loss To Elon
23. Elon (3-1)
Week 4: 35-31 Win Over #14 William & Mary
22. Furman (3-1)
Week 4: 24-19 Win Over Charleston Southern
21. Southern Illinois (2-2)
Week 4: 34-17 Win Over #19 North Dakota
20. Southeast Missouri State (3-1)
Week 4: 35-27 Win Over Central Arkansas
19. Richmond (3-1)
Week 4: 51-7 Win Over Stony Brook
18. Southeastern Louisiana (2-2)
Week 4: 41-35 Win Over #4 Incarnate Word
17. Samford (3-1)
Week 4: 35-12 Win Over Western Carolina
16. North Carolina Central (4-0)
Week 4: 59-14 Win Over Virginia-Lynchburg
15. Incarnate Word (3-1)
Week 4: 41-35 Loss To Southeastern Louisiana
14. UT Martin (2-2)
Week 4: 56-26 Win Over Lindenwood
13. Austin Peay (4-1)
Week 4: 31-20 Win Over #16 Eastern Kentucky
12. Mercer (3-1)
Week 4: 45-14 Win Over Gardner-Webb
11. Chattanooga (3-1)
Week 4: 31-0 Loss To Illinois
10. Missouri State (2-2)
Week 4: 28-14 Loss To #2 South Dakota State
9. Holy Cross (4-0)
Week 4: 35-10 Win Over Colgate
8. Weber State (4-0)
Week 4: 17-12 Win Over UC Davis
7. Jackson State (4-0)
Week 4: 49-7 Win Over Mississippi Valley State
6. Delaware (4-0)
Week 4: 35-3 Win Over Hampton
5. Sacramento State (3-0)
Week 4: 41-10 Win Over Colorado State
4. Montana State (3-1)
Week 4: 38-35 Win Over #15 Eastern Washington
3. Montana (4-0)
Week 4: 53-16 Win Over Portland State
2. South Dakota State (3-1)
Week 4: 28-14 Win Over #6 Missouri State
1. North Dakota State (3-1)
Week 4: 34-17 Win Over South Dakota
Analysis On Week 4 Performances:
New teams on my Top-25 ballot: Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Illinois, & Elon
Teams who dropped out of my Top-25: Villanova, North Dakota, & Eastern Washington
The biggest drop this week was Villanova who dropped from 10th to unranked after their 49-42 loss to Monmouth this weekend. The Wildcats have not looked impressive this season with their only wins coming against Lehigh (1-3) and Long Island (0-4) while also losing an uncompetitive 49-10 game against Army last weekend. North Dakota and Eastern Washington lost competitive games to ranked opponents, but will have a chance to climb back into the rankings over the next few weeks.
Southeastern Louisiana climbed to 18th after pulling off the 41-35 upset over #4 Incarnate Word in their Southland Conference opener. The Lions lost two early FBS games, but have looked like a contender against Incarnate Word and Central Connecticut State. Elon made their first appearance in the Top-25 after an impressive 35-31 win over William & Mary this weekend. Jalen Hampton rushed for 3 touchdowns as the Phoenix scored 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to overcome a 18-point second half deficit. Southern Illinois had a rough start to the season, but has bounced back in a big way with a FBS upset and a ranked FCS win the past two weeks.
Sacramento State moved into the Top-5 after a dominating 41-10 win over Colorado State, which is one of the more impressive FBS wins of the season. Austin Peay made a significant jump into the Top-15 and looked like a complete team in a 31-20 win over #16 Eastern Kentucky. Mike DiLiello rushed for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Governors established themselves as the favorites in the ASUN conference race.
South Dakota State jumped Montana this weekend for the #2 spot after a 28-14 win over #6 Missouri State. Mark Gronowski looked impressive this weekend with 319 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. The Griz have looked impressive over their first four games, but still have not played a ranked team and their opponents have combined for a 3-11 record this season. The Jackrabbits have a Top-10 win on their resume now, which is why they are ranked above the Griz after the first four weeks of the season.
Notable Week 5 Games: #19 Richmond @ #23 Elon, #17 Samford @ #22 Furman, UC Davis @ #4 Montana State, #11 Chattanooga @ East Tennessee State, #16 North Carolina Central @ Campbell, #13 Austin Peay @ Central Arkansas, Youngstown State @ #1 North Dakota State, #10 Missouri State @ North Dakota
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