The Montana Grizzlies were slotted in at No. 7 in the first, and only, STATS Perform FCS Top 25 media poll of the year, the organization announced Tuesday.
Despite the fall season being postponed for most FCS conferences due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns, the national panel of media poll voters submitted what they envisioned to be the final Top 25 poll when the traditional season would end in January.
Montana, which was picked to finish second in the preseason Big Sky Conference poll by both the league’s media and coaches, came in seventh in the national preseason poll with 2,753 points in the voting.
The Grizzlies are one of five teams from the Big Sky to earn a place in the poll, tied with the Missouri Valley Conference for the most representatives. Also slotting in are league foes Weber State (No. 3), Montana State (No. 6), Sacramento State (No. 12), and Eastern Washington (No. 18).
Montana has now been picked No. 7 in three of the major FCS preseason polls released so far this year, with publications HERO Sports and Athlon Sports, each ranking UM seventh. The Griz were also picked No. 6 in the College Football America poll and No. 9 in the Street and Smith College Football poll.
The Grizzlies finished the 2019 season at No. 6 in the STATS media poll after putting together the program’s first 10-win season since 2013 and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the FCS Playoffs for the first time in a decade.
Defending national champion North Dakota State was picked to once again win the title as the unanimous No. 1 selection, followed by James Madison, Northern Iowa, Weber State, and South Dakota State rounding out the top five.
On August 13, the Big Sky Conference President’s Council announced it would postpone all competition for its fall sports to the spring of 2021. Additionally, the Presidents’ Council confirmed that non-conference contests will not be permitted in any Big Sky fall sport, including football.
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.
Stats Perform 2020 Preseason FCS Top 25 (Aug. 25)
1. North Dakota State (16-0, 8-0 Missouri Valley), 3,675 points (147 first-place votes)
2. James Madison (14-2, 8-0 CAA), 3,411
3. Northern Iowa (10-5, 6-2 Missouri Valley), 3,269
4. Weber State (11-4, 7-1 Big Sky), 3,198
5. South Dakota State (8-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley), 2,911
6. Montana State (11-4, 6-2 Big Sky), 2,884
7. Montana (10-4, 6-2 Big Sky), 2,753
8. Villanova (9-4, 5-3 CAA), 2,499
9. Illinois State (10-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley), 2,471
10. Kennesaw State (11-3, 5-1 Big South), 2,178
11 Central Arkansas (9-4, 7-2 Southland), 2,093
12. Sacramento State (9-4, 7-1 Big Sky), 2,085
13. Austin Peay (11-4, 7-1 Ohio Valley), 2,030
14. Nicholls (9-5, 7-2 Southland), 1,392
15. Furman (8-5, 6-2 Southern), 1,239
16. Wofford (8-4, 7-1 Southern), 1,089
17. Albany (9-5, 6-2 CAA), 825
18. Eastern Washington (7-5, 6-2 Big Sky), 817
19. North Carolina A&T (9-3, 6-2 MEAC), 809
20. New Hampshire (6-5, 5-3 CAA), 759
21. Southeastern Louisiana (8-5, 6-3 Southland), 652
22. Sam Houston State (7-5, 6-3 Southland), 597
23. Monmouth (11-3, 6-0 Big South), 577
24. Southern Illinois (7-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley), 568
25. Southeast Missouri (9-4, 7-1 Ohio Valley), 499
Others receiving votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Jacksonville State 357, Florida A&M 301, The Citadel 283, Central Connecticut State 200, Towson 199, Dartmouth 195, Delaware 193, Yale 193, Princeton 143, San Diego 104, North Dakota 66, South Carolina State 25, Alcorn State 22, Houston Baptist 19, Richmond 18, Chattanooga 16, Elon 15, Holy Cross 15, UIW 15, UT Martin 14, Portland State 12, Youngstown State 12, McNeese 10, UC Davis 9, Maine 7, Duquesne 5, Charleston Southern 4, Eastern Kentucky 2