FCS Nation Top 25 – Final Regular Season Rankings

A Regular Season Closes, and Chaos Opens the Door to December Football

The 2025 FCS regular season is officially in the books, and the final FCS Nation Top 25 delivered one last jolt of drama before the playoff bracket rolled out. The top remains familiar, North Dakota State holds firm at No. 1, joined by the Montana schools to form a championship-caliber first tier, but everything behind them? That’s where the real volatility hit.

Tarleton State into the No. 7 spot, UC Davis into the Top 10, and Villanova returns at No. 9 after a late-season sprint. Lehigh locks in a top five finish at No. 5, while Mercer and Stephen F. Austin round out a fiercely competitive tier of teams that look capable of deep runs with the right matchup.

Further down the board, Youngstown State rockets to No. 10 after stabilizing late, Harvard holds at No. 15, and Rhode Island lands at No. 16 fresh off securing the CAA crown. Meanwhile, stalwarts like South Dakota State (No. 18) will enter the postseason as dangerous lower seeds faced with long roads, but roads they’ve walked before ... well kind of.

And then there's the biggest storyline of all: the playoffs begin this weekend, and the bracket delivered guaranteed fireworks. From resume wars to long-awaited rematches to style-clash showdowns, the opening rounds are filled with matchups that could quickly dismantle everything we think we know about the Top 25.

The stage is set. Here are the final rankings, and the full breakdown of the first- and second-round playoff matchups.

FCS Nation Top 25 – Week 13 (2025)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 25, 2025

1. North Dakota State (NDSU)

2. Montana State

3. Montana

4. Tennessee Tech (TTU)

5. Lehigh

6. Mercer

7. Tarleton State (TSU)

8. UC Davis

9. Villanova (Nova)

10. Youngstown State (YSU)

11. South Dakota (USD)

12. Abilene Christian (ACU)

13. Stephen F. Austin (SFA)

14. North Dakota (UND)

15. Harvard

16. Rhode Island (URI)

17. Illinois State (ISU)

18. South Dakota State (SDSU)

19. Alabama State

20. Jackson State (JSU)

21. South Carolina State (SC State)

22. Lamar

23. Yale

24. Southeastern Louisiana

25. Monmouth

2025 FCS Playoff Matchups

FIRST ROUND — Nov. 29

1 p.m. ET | Illinois State at No. 16 Southeastern Louisiana

12 p.m. ET | Central Connecticut State at No. 9 Rhode Island

12 p.m. ET | Harvard at No. 12 Villanova

1 p.m. ET | North Dakota at No. 13 Tennessee Tech

1 p.m. ET | New Hampshire at No. 18 South Dakota State

1 p.m. ET | Drake at No. 11 South Dakota

1 p.m. ET | Lamar at No. 12 Abilene Christian

12 p.m. ET | Yale at No. 10 Youngstown State