There wasn’t much to scare about in the first few games of 2024. The lone FCS win over FBS (Montana State over New Mexico) wasn’t much of a surprise, and the rest of those games went about as expected.

The best FCS vs. FCS games went as expected and of course some FCS teams opted to play a lower division program.

My ballot for this week’s poll is divided into three segments: the Top 8 (the playoff teams/first round bye teams), the Next 8 (the first round hosts), and the rest of the Top 25. But overall, here’s how I voted this week.

THE PRESTIGIOUS TOP 8
NOTE: These are the schools that receive a bye into the first round of the play-offs and will play one game in the second round.

#1 – STATE OF MONTANA
LAST WEEK AT #1: South Dakota State
WHY: Why did Montana State jump from #3 to #1 this week? It’s simple: The FBS win in Week 0 is one big deal, while another is a solid non-conference win over Utah Tech. What’s surprised me about the Bobcats so far is how well this program runs the ball. Not only can QB Tommy Mellott score, which we’ve all known for years, but he has two young players who can pound it — and we knew this was one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in the FCS nation. I struggled with the top four in the preseason poll, but I have MSU at #1 for now, and 7 other voters nationally agreed with me this week that the ‘Cats deserve top billing this week.

NO. 2 – STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA
LAST WEEK AT #2: Montana
WHY?: Loss to Deion or not, I thought the Bison looked good against Colorado last Thursday. It was an entertaining matchup, we saw two incredible players for the Buffaloes in Shedeur and Hunter, and the contrast was? NDSU dominated the line of scrimmage. The Bison set the tone. Even though they lost, I thought they looked pretty good.

NO. 3 – STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA
LAST WEEK AT #3: Montana State
WHY?: Normally? I don’t drop a team that loses to a P5 or a P4 or a P-whatever. Because that’s the way the playoff committee looks at things, I continue to do so. But this year’s top four is an exception. SDSU is going to be a powerhouse again, we all know that, but the question is: who will ultimately take those top picks? There are so many variables when this quartet is so good at the top. These spots will likely come down to nitpicking come November.

NR. 4 – MONTANA
LAST WEEK AT #4: North Dakota State
WHY?: Again, Montana didn’t really do anything wrong, although a better performance against Missouri State might have helped here. The thing is, the top two teams just looked like better teams in their early season games.

NO. 5 – SOUTH DAKOTA
LAST WEEK AT #5: South Dakota
WHY: We don’t know a whole lot about South Dakota yet, thanks to a game against a lower division opponent. Kept them steady at No. 5 this week.

NR. 6 – IDAHO
LAST WEEK AT #6: Idaho
WHY?: Given this situation, I still stand by my stance that I shouldn’t move a team down to P4 with a loss. Hey, with under six minutes left at Oregon, the Vandals were within three. That’s a sign of things to come this fall, and it almost made me want to put them over South Dakota. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the No. 5 and No. 6 spots in the coming weeks.

NR. 7 – VILLANOVA
LAST WEEK AT #7: Villanova
WHY: Villanova’s win over Youngstown State was the best FCS-vs-FCS non-conference game of Week 1. The Wildcats controlled the entire game and led 24-3 with just two minutes left in the third quarter, but Youngstown State made things interesting late in the game. This will be one of those big games we’ll be watching in November when we’re talking playoff seeds, etc.

NR. 8 – UC DAVIS
LAST WEEK AT #8: UC Davis
WHY: UC Davis’ game with nearby academic rival California was one of those typical FCS/FBS games where the FCS team is great for nearly three quarters, but the depth takes over late. The Aggies were within a point with eight minutes left in the third period, and the Bears pulled away. Again, not a game that’s going to change a team’s standings, as far as I’m concerned.

FROM NO. 9 TO NO. 16
NOTE: This is the category they would be placed in (if they make the play-offs), but they would still have to play in the first round.

9. Central Arkansas
10. State of Sacramento
11. Southern Illinois
12. Richmond
13. State of Illinois
14. Willem and Maria
15. UAlbany
16. Weber State

WHY: I didn’t move much here, with the exception of UAlbany and Central Arkansas. While the Great Danes came away with a win, I felt their 6-point victory over Long Island University of the NEC warranted a demotion in this bracket. UAlbany fell behind in the third quarter in a game they should have won. But hey, they survived, so they’re still in the poll – but I moved them from #10 to #15 as one of those early-season voting adjustments to reflect team strengths. I was also very impressed with Central Arkansas, who had FBS Arkansas State on the ropes until they trailed by 3 with three seconds left. Another early-season voting adjustment, which moved the Bears from #16 to #9. The rest stayed roughly where they were, no surprises there.

FROM NO. 17 TO NO. 25
NOTE: This is the category where no teams are placed, but they will compete for a spot in the playoffs (if they do not become conference champions).

17. Western Carolina
18. Lafayette
19. Elon
20. Eastern Illinois
21. State of Youngstown
22. Chattanooga
23. Nicholls
24. UIW
25. Abilene Christian

WHY?: There wasn’t much movement here either. Western Carolina moved up a spot with its tough showing against NC State, while I saw Youngstown State slide a few spots from #14 (at least for now). Also, Abilene Christian beat Texas Tech, and for the first time as a voter, I wanted them on my ballot.