Each week, we will break down the FCS national poll vote by FanBuzz CFB writer Brian McLaughlin, an annual participant in the poll of note — the STATS-Perform national poll. This year, this poll will be used as part of the criteria that select the FCS teams for the postseason.
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At quick glance, the biggest questions will likely come from how far should we drop Montana State?
Who are we kidding? The Bobcats nearly knocked off the machine at South Dakota State back in September, and on Saturday they lost by three points to a really good Idaho team. Do we really think MSU now drops out of the national title picture? I don't think so. MSU would need to drop another biggie between now and Nov. 19 to get dumped — and I don't see that happening.
Overall? This is a Big Sky heavy ranking — and why wouldn't it be? The Big Sky has been the deepest league since the Montana schools achieved national relevance a few years ago, and schools like Sacramento State, UC Davis, and Weber State have joined schools like Eastern Washington to make this a true brawl to get through.
We have the most critical three weeks left though. Here we go:
We will have more commentary when we release the FCS playoff picture on Monday morning, and we'll break it down even more in-depth.
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BMAC'S WEEK 9 FCS POLL VOTE
EDITOR'S NOTE: Folks, remember — an FBS loss or a D-2 win may not have an effect on an FCS team's position in the postseason picture. The playoff committee leaves that up to the individual panel member.
NOTE: FanBuzz national FCS/Group of Five college football writer Brian McLaughlin has had a vote in the STATS-Perform FCS National Poll and end-of-year awards since 2016.
(*) - Has a FBS win
| RK | BMACS VOTE | REC. (O28) | FCS (O28) |
| 1 | SDSU | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| 2 | Montana | 7-1 | 5-1 |
| 3 | Idaho (*) | 6-2 | 5-1 |
| 4 | Montana St | 6-2 | 6-2 |
| 5 | Furman | 6-1 | 6-0 |
| 6 | Delaware | 6-1 | 6-0 |
| 7 | South Dakota | 6-2 | 6-1 |
| 8 | Sac St (*) | 6-2 | 5-2 |
| 9 | NDSU | 6-2 | 6-2 |
| 10 | UIW | 7-1 | 6-0 |
| 11 | UNI | 5-3 | 5-3 |
| 12 | Youngstown | 5-3 | 5-2 |
| 13 | Mercer | 6-3 | 6-2 |
| 14 | West Carolina | 5-2 | 5-1 |
| 15 | Chattanooga | 7-2 | 7-2 |
| 16 | North Dakota | 5-3 | 5-2 |
| 17 | SIU (*) | 6-2 | 5-2 |
| 18 | N.C. Cent | 7-1 | 6-0 |
| 19 | Austin Peay | 6-2 | 6-1 |
| 20 | Albany | 6-3 | 6-1 |
| 21 | Villanova | 6-2 | 6-1 |
| 22 | UT Martin | 6-2 | 6-1 |
| 23 | Lafayette | 7-1 | 7-0 |
| 24 | FAMU | 7-1 | 6-0 |
| 25 | Richmond | 6-3 | 6-2 |
| DROPPED | |||
| UC Davis | 4-4 | 4-3 | |
| Cent. Ark. | 5-3 | 4-2 | |
| ON DECK | |||
| Harvard | 6-1 | 6-1 | |
| Tennessee St. | 6-2 | 5-1 | |
| Holy Cross | 5-3 | 5-2 |
