Beyond The Ballot, Week 1

A lot was different – kicking off the season in the cold, coaches wearing masks, the smaller crowds or no spectators at all. But there was some of same, too, like easy wins for powers North Dakota State and James Madison.

This spring, I’m one of 40 voters around the country for the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. Each Monday, I’ll post my ballot and some thoughts about how it came together here. First, let’s start with my vote:

Madia's Ballot

Rank	Team

1	North Dakota State
2	James Madison
3	South Dakota State
4	Weber State
5	Illinois State
6	Furman
7	Northern Iowa
8	New Hampshire
9	Villanova
10	Wofford
11	North Dakota
12	McNeese State
13	Kennesaw State
14	Tennessee Tech
15	Eastern Washington
16	Jacksonville State
17	Nicholls
18	Albany
19	East Tennessee State
20	Tarleton State
21	Sam Houston State
22	Stony Brook
23	Southeastern Louisiana
24	Delaware
25	Monmouth

And some thoughts…

- First, the toughest part of voting this week was weighing actual results from Friday, Saturday and Sunday versus projections and predictions for teams that won’t play until this coming weekend or the weekend after.

- For those in action, I rewarded significant wins like South Dakota State’s at Northern Iowa and FCS newcomer Tarleton State’s blowout victory against FBS New Mexico State.

The poise South Dakota State showed to drive 75 yards over 10 plays to score with 19 seconds left to win 24-20 proved the Jackrabbits belong in the top three and should be viewed as the top contender to North Dakota State in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. On the other hand, Northern Iowa quarterback Will McElvain didn’t show the same composure as his counterpart, SDSU signal-caller Mark Gronowski, and now the Panthers will play with little margin for error the rest of the way if they want to return to the postseason.

Tarleton State, in only its second game as an FCS member, crushed New Mexico State, 43-17, at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. The Texans’ win also boosted McNesee State to No. 12 on my ballot. McNeese State beat Tarleton State in overtime behind quarterback Cody Orgeron’s five total touchdowns in Week 0 on Feb. 13.

Furman, North Dakota and Tennessee Tech also had impressive wins this past weekend.

- As for defending national champion North Dakota State and 2019 runner-up James Madison, the Bison and the Dukes looked like the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country while dominating their opponents.

NDSU handled Youngstown State in MVFC play and JMU suffocated Morehead State in a non-conference contest.

- For those programs that didn’t play, I’ve examined their rosters and looked at the returning personnel as well as transfers or freshmen who could help those teams this spring and tried project from there.

In my opinion, the most competitive division in the FCS this spring is the Colonial Athletic Association North. Six of the seven schools can win any week and though most view Villanova or Albany as the favorite of the group, New Hampshire shouldn’t be overlooked. UNH returns key starters like quarterback Max Brosmer, running back Carlos Washington and safety Evan Horn.