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.
On Sunday (Nov. 11), I'll give my idea of what we think will happen on Selection Sunday (Nov. 19) — with results up to this point PLUS what happens in the final weekend (Nov. 18 games).
For now though, as a voter who takes pride in spending a few hours making sure we're accurate? Below is how I think it looks after Week 11 results (Nov. 11 action).
Quick mentions:
- The seeding situation? The winner of Montana's "Brawl" will get my No. 2 final vote next weekend. I still think the two Montana schools will have a tougher resume than Furman. Now, do I think this will ultimately be how the Selection Sunday situation goes? Probably not. But on my vote? The winner of the Brawl gets No. 2 on my voting ballot. Furman should take care of business against Greenville-Spartanburg rival Wofford (trust me, I grew up in that area - it's big). But I feel strongly that Furman will be a No. 3 next Sunday for the FCS Selection Show — but they may see it differently.
- After that? Things get kind of murky. I see things in "gaggles". Like, CAA teams Delaware, Albany, and Villanova are in that situation — we need another week before we can cast a vote putting those three in order. The same goes for MVFC's UNI, North Dakota, and Youngstown based on results. History has proven that 7-4 Missouri Valley teams will get into the FCS playoffs, and usually, that's the same with Big Sky teams — but these teams aren't done yet. If you get stuck at 6-5? Your season is usually done, even in the top conferences.
- Lastly is the SoCon — the Mercer, Western Carolina, and Chattanooga trio. There's no question this has been the best year in the SoCon since the conference saw Appalachian State and Georgia Southern roaming the gridiron about a decade ago. These teams need a bit more playoff/resume juice, depending on how the others do.
- The rest of the mess? It'll come out in the wash a week from tonight, and we'll be all over it. Worthy of note though, Nicholls has clinched the Southland Conference at 6-4, ahead of Incarnate Word.
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BMAC'S WEEK 11 FCS POLL VOTE
EDITOR'S NOTE: Folks, remember — an FBS loss or a D-2 win may not affect 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
(#) - Clinched a playoff berth this weekend
| RK | BMACS VOTE | REC. (N11) | FCS (N11) | WK 11 (Nov 11) |
| 1 | SDSU (#) | 10-0 | 10-0 | beat YoungsSt by 34 |
| 2 | Montana | 9-1 | 8-1 | beat Port St by 24 |
| 3 | Montana St | 8-2 | 8-2 | beat EWU by 43 |
| 4 | Furman (#) | 9-1 | 9-0 | beat VMI by 34 |
| 5 | South Dakota | 8-2 | 8-1 | beat UND by 14 |
| 6 | Idaho (*) | 7-3 | 6-2 | lost at Weber by 2 |
| 7 | Sac St (*) | 7-3 | 6-3 | beat Cal Ply by 11 |
| 8 | Delaware | 8-2 | 8-1 | beat Campbell by 38 |
| 9 | NDSU | 7-3 | 7-3 | beat SIU by 24 |
| 10 | Albany | 8-3 | 8-1 | beat StonyB by 18 |
| 11 | Villanova | 8-2 | 8-1 | beat Towson by 23 |
| 12 | UNI | 6-4 | 6-4 | lost at Mizz. St. |
| 13 | North Dakota | 6-4 | 6-3 | lost SoDak by 4 |
| 14 | Youngstown | 6-4 | 6-3 | lost SDSU by 34 |
| 15 | Mercer | 8-3 | 8-2 | beat Samford by 7 |
| 16 | West. Carolina | 7-3 | 7-2 | beat ETSU by 51 |
| 17 | Chattanooga | 7-3 | 7-3 | OPEN WEEK |
| 18 | UT Martin | 8-2 | 8-1 | beat SEMO |
| 19 | Harvard | 8-1 | 8-1 | beat Penn by 2 |
| 20 | FAMU | 9-1 | 8-0 | beat D2 Lincoln-CA |
| 21 | SIU (*) | 6-4 | 5-4 | lost NDSU by 24 |
| 22 | Austin Peay | 8-2 | 8-1 | beat Utah Tech by 13 |
| 23 | Richmond | 7-3 | 7-2 | beat Elon by 14 |
| 24 | Nicholls (#) | 6-4 | 6-2 | beat Lamar by 13 |
| 25 | Cent. Ark. | 7-3 | 6-2 | beat EKU by 3 |
| DROPPED | ||||
| N.C. Cent | 8-2 | 7-1 | lost Howard bad | |
| Elon | 5-5 | 5-4 | lost at Richm by 14 | |
| ON DECK | ||||
| UIW | 7-2 | 6-1 | vs. NW State FFT | |
| Lafayette | 8-2 | 8-1 | beat Fordham by 8 | |
| UC Davis | 6-4 | 6-3 | beat Idaho St by 7 | |
| Gardner Webb | 6-4 | 6-2 | beat Tenn Tech by 35 |
