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The FCS media FCS Preseason poll, now hosted by STATS, dropped on Monday. To nobody's surprise, North Dakota State was a unanimous overwhelming pick as the top team in the country collecting 144 of the 147 media votes. The 2015 National Champion runner-up, Illinois State is ranked second.
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Villanova came in at #4, higher than their #7 ranking at the end of last season after bowing out in the quarterfinals to Sam Houston State who will start the season at #3.
The CAA is expected to have another strong season and it's reflected in this preseason poll. New Hampshire (#9) joins Villanova in the Top 10 while James Madison (#12) and Richmond (#18) also make an appearance. William & Mary, Maine and Towson also received some votes, but didn't make the Top 25. Fordham, Villanova's week two opponent, was also ranked at #20.
Andy Talley's Wildcats, who were posted at #3 in the FCS Coaches Poll, will open the 2015 season on the road against UConn on Thursday, September 3rd.
STATS FCS Preseason Poll
| Rank | School | Votes | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State (0-0) | 3671 (144) | NR |
| 2 | Illinois State (0-0) | 3423 (3) | NR |
| 3 | Sam Houston State (0-0) | 3264 | NR |
| 4 | Villanova (0-0) | 3249 | NR |
| 5 | Coastal Carolina (0-0) | 2900 | NR |
| 6 | Eastern Washington (0-0) | 2830 | NR |
| 7 | Jacksonville State (0-0) | 2705 | NR |
| 8 | Chattanooga (0-0) | 2590 | NR |
| 9 | New Hampshire (0-0) | 2570 | NR |
| 10 | UNI (0-0) | 2212 | NR |
| 11 | Montana State (0-0) | 2038 | NR |
| 12 | James Madison (0-0) | 1766 | NR |
| 13 | Montana (0-0) | 1710 | NR |
| 14 | Youngstown State (0-0) | 1662 | NR |
| 15 | Liberty (0-0) | 1623 | NR |
| 16 | South Dakota State (0-0) | 1390 | NR |
| 17 | Eastern Kentucky (0-0) | 1073 | NR |
| 18 | Richmond (0-0) | 1016 | NR |
| 19 | Southeastern Louisiana (0-0) | 791 | NR |
| 20 | Fordham (0-0) | 663 | NR |
| 21 | Indiana State (0-0) | 635 | NR |
| 22 | Idaho State (0-0) | 627 | NR |
| 23 | Harvard (0-0) | 620 | NR |
| 24 | Stephen F. Austin (0-0) | 554 | NR |
| 25 | McNeese State (0-0) | 440 | NR |
| Also Receiving Votes: Eastern Illinois (431) , William & Mary (225) , Cal Poly (189) , Alcorn State (144) , South Carolina State (126) , North Carolina A&T (108) , Northern Arizona (74) , Western Carolina (65) , Bethune-Cookman (56) , Sacred Heart (46) , Charleston Southern (40) , Samford (38) , Southern Illinois (26) , Western Illinois (23) , Jackson State (19) , Jacksonville (16) , Lehigh (15) , Delaware (14) , Bryant (11) , San Diego (10) , Bucknell (9) , Northwestern State (9) , Lamar (9) , Towson (8) , Dartmouth (6) , Grambling State (6) , Central Arkansas (6) , Yale (5) , Southern University (4) , Wagner (3) , Duquesne (2) , Maine (2) , Mercer (2) , Missouri State (1) , Tennessee State (1) , Furman (1) , Abilene Christian (1) , South Dakota (1) , North Carolina Central (1) | |||