The South Dakota State University football team begins the upcoming 2023 season where it ended the 2022 campaign — at the top of the Football Championship Subdivision rankings.
Monday, the Jackrabbits received top billing in the preseason poll conducted by the American Football Coaches Association. SDSU earned 24 of 25 first-place votes, with national runner-up and Missouri Valley Football Conference rival North Dakota State receiving the other first-place vote en route to a second-place showing. Montana State, who the Jackrabbits are scheduled to host Sept. 9, is ranked third.
Previously, SDSU was a unanimous pick for the top spot in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Jackrabbits, who posted a 14-1 record en route to their first football national championship last season, kick off the 2023 season by hosting Western Oregon on Aug. 31.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | 2022 Rec. | Pts. | 2022 Rank | Season Opener | Head Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota St. (24) | 14-1 | 624 | 1 | Aug. 31 vs. Western Oregon | Jimmy Rogers | |
| 2 | North Dakota St. (1) | 12-3 | 596 | 2 | Sept. 2 vs. Eastern Washington | Matt Entz | |
| 3 | Montana St. | 12-2 | 567 | 5 | Sept. 2 vs. Utah Tech | Brent Vigen | |
| 4 | William & Mary | 11-2 | 510 | 8 | Aug. 31 at Campbell | Mike London | |
| 5 | Holy Cross | 12-1 | 459 | 6 | Sept. 2 vs. Merrimack | Bob Chesney | |
| 6 | Furman | 10-3 | 438 | 10 | Aug. 31 vs. Tennessee Tech | Clay Hendrix | |
| 7 | UIW | 12-2 | 424 | 3 | Sept. 2 at UTEP | Clint Killough | |
| 8 | Sacramento St. | 12-1 | 421 | 4 | Aug. 31 at Nicholls St. | Andy Thompson | |
| 9 | Samford | 11-2 | 414 | 7 | Aug. 31 vs. Shorter | Chris Hatcher | |
| 10 | Weber St. | 10-3 | 325 | 9 | Aug. 31 vs. Central Washington | Mickey Mental | |
| 11 | Southeast Missouri St. | 9-3 | 322 | 13 | Sept. 2 at Kansas St. | Tom Matukewicz | |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 9-4 | 304 | 15 | Sept. 2 at Stonehill | Rick Santos | |
| 13 | Idaho | 7-5 | 288 | 22 | Aug. 31 at Lamar | Jason Eck | |
| 14 | Montana | 8-5 | 285 | 14 | Sept. 2 vs. Butler | Bobby Hauck | |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana | 9-4 | 259 | 19 | Sept. 2 at Mississippi St. | Frank Scelfo | |
| 16 | Richmond | 9-4 | 235 | 12 | Sept. 2 vs. Morgan St. | Russ Huesman | |
| 17 | UC Davis | 6-5 | 226 | NR | Aug. 31 at Texas A&M-Commerce | Dan Hawkins | |
| 18 | North Dakota | 7-5 | 188 | NR | Sept. 2 vs. Drake | Bubba Schweigert | |
| 19 | North Carolina Central | 10-2 | 139 | 17 | Sept. 2 vs. Winston-Salem St. | Trei Oliver | |
| 20 | Northern Iowa | 6-5 | 137 | NR | Sept. 2 at Iowa St. | Mark Farley | |
| 21 | Delaware | 8-5 | 124 | 24t | Aug. 31 at Stony Brook | Ryan Carty | |
| 22 | Mercer | 7-4 | 123 | 21 | Aug. 26 vs. North Alabama | Drew Cronic | |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 7-4 | 73 | NR | Aug. 31 at Georgia St. | Jim Fleming | |
| 24 | Gardner-Webb | 7-6 | 72 | NR | Sept. 2 at Appalachian St. | Tre Lamb | |
| 25 | Florida A&M | 9-2 | 70 | 23 | Sept. 3 vs. Jackson St. | Willie Simmons |
Others Receiving Votes: Yale, 64; Eastern Kentucky, 59; Fordham, 58; Jackson St., 37; Elon, 30; St. Thomas (Minn.), 30; Youngstown St., 28; Princeton, 26; Southern Illinois, 26; UT Martin, 23; Central Arkansas, 22; Chattanooga, 13; North Carolina A&T, 13; Illinois St., 12; Northern Arizona, 12; Southern, 9; Davidson, 7; St. Francis (Pa.), 7; Tennessee Tech, 6; Howard, 5; Pennsylvania, 5; Abilene Christian, 4; Austin Peay, 3; Campbell, 2; Villanova, 1.
Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll
Presented by FedEx Ground (2022 Record in Parentheses)
1. South Dakota State (14–1, 8–0 Missouri Valley), 1,400 points (56 first-place votes)
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Western Oregon
2. North Dakota State (12–3, 7–1 Missouri Valley), 1,329
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Eastern Washington (in Minneapolis)
3. Montana State (12–2, 8–0 Big Sky), 1,294
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Utah Tech
4. William & Mary (11–2, 7–1 CAA), 1,172
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Campbell
5. Holy Cross (12–1, 6–0 Patriot), 1,113
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Merrimack
6. Furman (10–3, 7–1 Southern), 1,035
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Tennessee Tech
7. UIW (12–2, 5–1 Southland), 935
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at UTEP.
8. Idaho (7–5, 6–2 Big Sky), 932
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Lamar
9. Samford (11–2, 8–0 Southern), 885
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Shorter
10. Sacramento State (12–1, 8–0 Big Sky), 881
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Nicholls
11. New Hampshire (9–4, 7–1 CAA), 798
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Stonehill
12. Southeast Missouri (9-3, 5–0 Ohio Valley), 768
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Kansas State
13. Weber State (10–3, 6–2 Big Sky), 744
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 vs. Central Washington
14. Montana (8–5, 4–4 Big Sky), 711
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Butler
15. Southeastern Louisiana (9–4, 5–1 Southland), 710
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Mississippi State
16. UC Davis (6–5, 5–3 Big Sky), 513
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Texas A&M-Commerce
17. North Dakota (7–5, 5–3 Missouri Valley), 479
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Drake
18. Richmond (9–4, 6–2 CAA), 387
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Morgan State
19. North Carolina Central (10–2, 4–1 MEAC), 330
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Winston Salem State
20. Mercer (7–4, 5–3 Southern), 293
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 26 vs. North Alabama
21. Rhode Island (7–4, 5–3 CAA), 169
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Georgia State
22. Delaware (8-5, 4-4 CAA), 166
2023 Season Opener: Aug. 31 at Stony Brook
23. Northern Iowa (6-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley), 155
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Iowa State
24. Eastern Kentucky (7-5, 3-2 ASUN), 137
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Cincinnati
25. Gardner-Webb (7-6, 5-0 Big South), 129
2023 Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Appalachian State
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Central Arkansas (5–6, 3–2 ASUN) 110, Chattanooga (7-4, 5-3 Southern) 84, Jackson State (12-1, 8-0 SWAC) 71, Southern Illinois (5–6, 4–4 Missouri Valley) 66, Youngstown State (7-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley) 66, Florida A&M (9-2, 7-1 SWAC) 65, UT Martin (7–4, 5–0 Ohio Valley) 65, Elon (8-4, 6-2 CAA) 61, Austin Peay (7-4, 3-2 ASUN) 40, Fordham (9-3, 5-1 Patriot) 28, Yale (8-2, 6-1 Ivy) 18, Villanova (6-5, 4-4 CAA) 8, McNeese (4-7, 2-4 Southland) 7, Abilene Christian (7-4, 3-1 WAC) 6, St. Thomas (10-1, 8-0 Pioneer) 6, Saint Francis (9-3, 7-0 NEC) 5
