FCS Nation Radio Releases 2026 Preseason Top 25 Poll

The Throne Is Occupied… but Everyone’s Coming for It

FCS Nation Top 25 – Preseason (2026)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 21, 2026

1. Montana State

2. South Dakota State

3. Montana

4. Tarleton State

5. UC Davis

6. North Dakota

7. Youngstown State

8. Illinois State

9. Lehigh

10. Rhode Island

11. Southern Illinois

12. Tennessee Tech

13. Villanova

14. Austin Peay

15. Yale

16. South Dakota

17. Stephen F. Austin

18. Abilene Christian

19. Idaho State

20. South Carolina State

21. Lamar

22. UT Martin

23. East Tennessee State

24. Southeastern Louisiana

25. Alabama State

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A new season is here, and for the first time in a long time, the road to an FCS National Championship begins with Montana State sitting on the throne.

The Bobcats enter 2026 at No. 1 after finishing the job last January, taking down Illinois State 35-34 in an overtime thriller to capture their first FCS National Championship since 1984. The drought is over. The trophy is back in Bozeman. And until somebody takes it from them, the champs get the top spot. But there is absolutely no shortage of programs lining up for their shot.

South Dakota State sits at No. 2, right in front of Keali'i Ah Yat and the Montana Grizzlies at No. 3. Ah Yat already showed last season that the moment isn't too big for him, and with another year under his belt, Montana once again has the pieces to make a serious run at Nashville.

Tarleton State and UC Davis round out the Top 5, followed by North Dakota at No. 6. Then things start getting interesting. Youngstown State comes into the season at No. 7, one spot ahead of defending national runner-up Illinois State, and there is one very big reason to believe the Penguins can make some serious noise: Beau Brungard is still a Penguin.

In an era where the transfer portal can turn every breakout season into an offseason bidding war, Brungard returns as one of the most dangerous players in the country, and Youngstown State isn't exactly a one-man operation either. Four Penguins earned Preseason All-America honors, giving YSU the kind of returning firepower that can turn a dangerous team into a legitimate championship threat.

Lehigh checks in at No. 9, and don't sleep on the Mountain Hawks. This is a team with a seriously high ceiling after a 12-win season in 2025. Luke Yoder headlines the group after rushing for 1,409 yards last season. 👀 The Patriot League might have something brewing here.

Rhode Island rounds out the Top 10 before another team we might be higher on than most enters the picture.

Southern Illinois at No. 11 feels sneaky dangerous. Quarterback DJ Williams returns after accounting for nearly 3,700 yards of offense last season, setting an SIU quarterback record with 847 rushing yards. He had opportunities to move on. Instead, he's back in Carbondale with unfinished business. In his own words: "Time to go win a championship now." That's enough to get our attention. 👀

Tennessee Tech sits at No. 12, followed by Villanova and Austin Peay, before Yale enters at No. 15. And yes, we're buying the Bulldogs. Yale's 2025 season wasn't just a great year for the program, it was a historic one for the Ivy League. The Bulldogs beat previously unbeaten Harvard to earn a share of the Ivy League championship and secure the conference's first-ever automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. The Ivy is finally on the dance floor.

And with the changing landscape of college football, NIL and increased investment have helped level a playing field that once made it much harder for Ivy League programs to retain and attract championship-caliber talent. Yale proved last year that an Ivy League team can belong in the national conversation. We don't think they're leaving it anytime soon.

South Dakota, Stephen F. Austin, Abilene Christian and Idaho State take us through No. 19. Then comes the fun part. Because if you paid attention during conference media days, you already know the bottom of this poll isn't exactly filled with teams we're comfortable calling longshots. South Carolina State at No. 20 enters the year as the preseason favorite to win the MEAC and returns linebacker Jordan Franklin.

UT Martin sits at No. 22 after winning or sharing four conference championships in the last five years and enters 2026 as the OVC preseason favorite. And then there is Alabama State sitting all the way down at No. 25. The Hornets won 10 games last season, are the preseason favorite in the SWAC East and return quarterback Andrew Body, the reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Year and 2026 preseason favorite for the award once again. At No. 25.

That's what makes preseason rankings fun. There are teams near the bottom of this poll returning 18 of the 22 pieces a coaching staff wants on the field. There are conference favorites sitting outside the Top 20. And somewhere in this list is almost certainly a team we're going to look back at in November and wonder how the hell we had them that low.

The offseason is over. The throne belongs to Montana State. Now let's see who comes for it.