Welcome to the 2025 FCS season! With fall camps getting started around the country the games less than a month away comes the first release of the AGS Top 25 for the 2025 season. The top starts much the same way that it ended 2024 with defending national champion North Dakota State taking the #1 spot with 37 of the 39 first place votes. They were followed by defending national runner-up Montana State at #2 and 2024 semifinalists South Dakota State and South Dakota stayed in the #3 and #4 spots, respectively. Incarnate Word climbed up 3 spots to come in at #5 – their highest ranking in the AGS Poll since 2022.
Other notable teams climbing the rankings in this initial AGS Poll release of 2025 included Montana who made a 7-spot jump from the final 2024 poll to come in at #7. Sac State came from completely out of the final 2024 poll all the way up to #16 in this release. Western Carolina vaulted up 12 spots to take the #20 spot. Monmouth and Southern Illinois were two other teams who didn’t appear in the final 2024 poll that cracked the top 25 in the first 2025 poll coming in at #21 and #23, respectively. Tennessee Tech made a 15-spot jump up to #23 to claim their AGS Top 25 ranking since 2011. Chattanooga and Stephen F Austin both climbed from the ORV in the final 2024 to round it out at #24 and #25, respectively, in this initial 2025 release.
The teams falling to start the 2025 season were headlined by Idaho who dropped 6 spots to #12. Teams falling out of the top 25 in 2025 after finishing inside of it to end 2025 included Jackson State, Southeast Missouri State, Harvard, and Eastern Kentucky who all finished within the top 5 of the ORV. Other teams falling a bit further from the top 25 included New Hampshire and Tennessee State but both remained in the ORV section. Missouri State fell completely out of the poll as they are now ineligible due to their FBS transition.
In terms of conference representation the Big Sky led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the MVFC with 5. The CAA, SOCON, and UAC each placed 3 teams and the OVC and Patriot League had 2 each in the top 25. 8 conferences were represented in this initial 2025 AGS Top 25.
Full results below:
Dropped out of the poll:
Central Connecticut Blue Devils
Dartmouth Big Green
Drake Bulldogs
Duquesne Dukes
Missouri State Bears
North Carolina Central Eagles
South Carolina State Bulldogs
Join the discussion here: AGS Poll Results 2025Week 0 (Preseason) – AnyGivenSaturday.com