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Athlon has released, via twitter, their 2015 Preseason FCS Poll and Andy Talley's Villanova Wildcats are ranked at the #5 spot leading four CAA teams in the rankings. Unsurprisingly, the 4x returning national champions, North Dakota State Bison, start the season at the poll's top spot.
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Also representing the Colonial Athletic Association is New Hampshire (#9), James Madison (#12), and Richmond at #20.
'Nova finished last season 11-3 (7-1 CAA) and earned a 6-seed in the FCS Playoffs, losing to Sam Houston State in the Quarterfinals. The Wildcats ended the 2014 campaign ranked #7 in the polls.
Quarterback John Robertson, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner, and Don Cherry, 2014 Buck Buchanan Award runner-up, will anchor the squad.
2015 Athlon FCS Preseason Poll
| Rank | School |
|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State |
| 2 | Illinois State |
| 3 | Sam Houston State |
| 4 | Jacksonville State |
| 5 | Villanova |
| 6 | Eastern Washington |
| 7 | Coastal Carolina |
| 8 | Chattanooga |
| 9 | New Hampshire |
| 10 | Youngstown State |
| 11 | Northern Iowa |
| 12 | Liberty |
| 13 | Montana State |
| 14 | James Madison |
| 15 | Eastern Illinois |
| 16 | McNeese State |
| 17 | Montana |
| 18 | Idaho State |
| 19 | South Dakota State |
| 20 | Richmond |
| 21 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 22 | Harvard |
| 23 | Western Carolina |
| 24 | Cal Poly |
| 25 | Indiana State |