The Jackson State Tigers sit at no.17 in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 rankings. JSU went 12-2, including 8-0 within the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Jackson State ended the season on a 10-game winning streak, which included winning the SWAC Championship and the HBCU national championship in the Celebration Bowl.
The Tigers ended last season ranked 18th in the polls. Jackson State opens the season on August 30th against Hampton. The teams have not met since August 31, 2008, a 17-13 win fit the Pirates.
FCS Stats Perform Preseason Top 25 {August 4, 2025}
(2024 Record in Parentheses)
1. North Dakota State (14-2, 7-1 MVFC)
Points: 1,398 (54 of 56 first-place votes); Final 2024 Ranking: 1; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at The Citadel
2. Montana State (15-1, 8-0 Big Sky)
Points: 1,335 (1); Final 2024 Ranking: 2; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Oregon
3. South Dakota State (12-3, 7-1 MVFC)
Points: 1,266; Final 2024 Ranking: 3; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Sacramento State
4. South Dakota (11-3, 7-1 MVFC)
Points: 1,227 (1); Final 2024 Ranking: 4; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Iowa State
5. UIW (11-3, 7-0 Southland)
Points: 1,138; Final 2024 Ranking: 6; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 at Nicholls
6. Illinois State (10-4, 6-2 MVFC)
Points: 1,015; Final 2024 Ranking: 11; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Oklahoma
7. Montana (9-5, 5-3 Big Sky)
Points: 1,004; Final 2024 Ranking: 10; 2025 Season Opener: Sept. 6 vs. Central Washington
8. UC Davis (11-3, 7-1 Big Sky)
Points: 938; Final 2024 Ranking: 5; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 vs. Mercer (in Montgomery, Alabama)
9. Rhode Island (11-3, 7-1 CAA)
Points: 928; Final 2024 Ranking: 9; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 29 vs. Campbell
10. Tarleton State (10-4, 6-2 UAC)
Points: 912; Final 2024 Ranking: 13; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 at Portland State
11. Mercer (11-3, 7-1 SoCon)
Points: 824; Final 2024 Ranking: 8; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 23 vs. UC Davis (in Montgomery, Alabama)
12. Idaho (10-4, 6-2 Big Sky)
Points: 747; Final 2024 Ranking: 7; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Washington State
13. Villanova (10-4, 6-2 CAA)
Points: 737; Final 2024 Ranking: 12; 2025 Season Opener: Sept. 6 vs. Colgate
14. Lehigh (9-4, 5-1 Patriot)
Points: 493; Final 2024 Ranking: 20; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Richmond
15. Sacramento State (3-9, 1-7 Big Sky)
Points: 492; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. South Dakota State
16. Abilene Christian (9-5, 7-2 UAC)
Points: 436; Final 2024 Ranking: 14; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Tulsa
17. Jackson State (12-2, 8-0 SWAC)
Points: 336; Final 2024 Ranking: 18; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Hampton
18. Western Carolina (7-5, 6-2 SoCon)
Points: 335; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Gardner-Webb
19. Northern Arizona (8-5, 6-2 Big Sky)
Points: 312; Final 2024 Ranking: 22; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Arizona State
20. Southern Illinois (4-8, 2-6 MVFC)
Points: 310; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Thomas More
21. Tennessee Tech (7-5, 6-2 OVC-Big South)
Points: 284; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 vs. Cumberland
22. Monmouth (6-6, 4-4 CAA)
Points: 274; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 29 at Colgate
23. Stephen F. Austin (7-5, 4-3 Southland)
Points: 183; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 28 at Houston
24. Stony Brook (8-4, 5-3 CAA)
Points: 181; Final 2024 Ranking: NR; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 28 at San Diego State
25. Richmond (10-3, 8-0 CAA; now Patriot)
Points: 154; Final 2024 Ranking: 15; 2025 Season Opener: Aug. 30 at Lehigh
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Harvard (8-2, 5-2 Ivy), 139; Southeast Missouri (9-4, 6-2 OVC-Big South), 127; Southern Utah (7-5, 6-2 UAC), 123; UT Martin (9-5, 6-2 OVC-Big South), 92; North Dakota (5-7, 2-6 MVFC), 88; Eastern Kentucky (8-5, 6-2 UAC), 80; Chattanooga (7-5, 5-3 SoCon), 69; ETSU (7-5, 5-3 SoCon), 68; South Carolina State (9-3, 5-0 MEAC), 35; New Hampshire (8-5, 6-2 CAA), 22; Tennessee State (9-4, 6-2 OVC-Big South), 21; Southeastern Louisiana (7-5, 6-1 Southland), 19; North Carolina Central (8-3, 4-1 MEAC), 18; Youngstown State (4-8, 2-5 MVFC), 16; Duquesne (8-3, 5-1 NEC), 2.
