{"id":369964,"date":"2025-11-10T20:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T20:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369964\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T20:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T20:36:12","slug":"playoff-bound-mercer-rises-to-no-8-in-the-stats-perform-fcs-top-25-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369964\/","title":{"rendered":"Playoff-Bound Mercer Rises to No. 8 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each week, throughout
\nthe college
\nfootball season<\/a>, alumni, fans, media and the teams themselves
\nlook to the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll to see who is rising and
\nmoving within the national rankings. The new poll follows Week 11
\ngames.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After opening their season in unexpected ways, the Mercer Bears
\nare now right where they expected to be all along.<\/p>\n

Mercer (8-1) is climbing in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll \u2013
\nat No. 8 in the new national media rankings \u2013 and heading back to
\nthe FCS playoffs via the Southern Conference\u2019s automatic bid. It
\ncomes after the Bears won one of the season\u2019s best and wildest
\ngames, 49-47 at Western Carolina on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Mercer\u2019s season opener against UC Davis was halted in the fourth
\nquarter by inclement weather and not completed. A week later, coach
\nMike Jacobs\u2019 squad became the first nationally ranked team to lose
\nto a non-scholarship Pioneer Football League team since 2018, which
\nled to being outside the next four polls.<\/p>\n

But Mercer hasn\u2019t lost since making a quarterback change to
\nBraden Atkinson, with the thriller over WCU the Bears\u2019 eighth
\nstraight win and clinching a least a share of a second consecutive
\nSoCon title. The new ranking is one shy of their all-time high.<\/p>\n

Top-ranked North Dakota State, the Missouri Valley Football
\nConference champ, also has
\nclinched a playoff bid<\/a>, with more teams expected to make their
\nway into the 24-team field this weekend. The pairings will be
\nannounced on Nov. 23.<\/p>\n

The Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll is released each Monday during
\nthe regular season and one day after the FCS championship game (to
\nbe played Jan. 5 in Nashville, Tennessee). A first-place vote is
\nworth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to
\none point for a 25th-place vote.<\/p>\n

\"FCS
\nGraphic by Graham
\nBell.<\/p>\n

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll (Nov. 10)<\/strong>
\n1. North Dakota State (10-0,
\n7-0 MVFC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 1,399 (55 of 56 first-place votes);
\nPrevious Ranking:<\/strong> 1; Week 11:<\/strong>
\n15-10 win at then-No. 13 North Dakota; Week 12:<\/strong>
\nNorthern Iowa<\/p>\n

2. Montana (10-0, 6-0 Big
\nSky)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 1,327; Previous
\nRanking:<\/strong> 2; Week 11:<\/strong> 29-24 win over
\nEastern Washington; Week 12:<\/strong> at Portland State
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Montana
\nState (8-2, 6-0 Big Sky)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 1,300 (1 first-place vote);
\nPrevious Ranking:<\/strong> 3; Week 11:<\/strong>
\n66-14 win over Weber State; Week 12:<\/strong> No. 9 UC
\nDavis \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Lehigh (10-0, 5-0
\nPatriot)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 1,196; Previous
\nRanking:<\/strong> 4; Week 11:<\/strong> 38-3 win over Holy
\nCross; Week 12:<\/strong> at Colgate<\/p>\n

5. Tennessee Tech (10-0, 7-0
\nOVC-Big South)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 1,157; Previous
\nRanking:<\/strong> 5; Week 11:<\/strong> 21-9 win at Eastern
\nIllinois; Week 12:<\/strong> at Kentucky \u00a0<\/p>\n

6. Tarleton State (9-1, 5-1
\nUAC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 1,130; Previous
\nRanking:<\/strong> 6; Week 11:<\/strong> No game;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> North Alabama<\/p>\n

7. Harvard (8-0, 5-0
\nIvy)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 956; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n9; Week 11:<\/strong> 31-14 win at Columbia; Week
\n12:<\/strong> Penn<\/p>\n

8. Mercer (8-1, 7-0
\nSoCon)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 916; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n12; Week 11:<\/strong> 49-47 win at then-No. 24 Western
\nCarolina; Week 12:<\/strong> Chattanooga \u00a0<\/p>\n

9. UC Davis (6-3, 4-2 Big
\nSky)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 890; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n11; Week 11:<\/strong> 28-14 win at Idaho; Week
\n12:<\/strong> at No. 3 Montana State \u00a0<\/p>\n

10. Villanova (7-2, 6-1
\nCAA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 888; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n10; Week 11:<\/strong> 28-10 win at Towson; Week
\n12:<\/strong> Stony Brook<\/p>\n

11.<\/strong> Rhode
\nIsland (8-2, 6-0 CAA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 800; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n14; Week 11:<\/strong> 34-20 win at Elon; Week
\n12:<\/strong> at Maine<\/p>\n

12. Monmouth (8-2, 5-1
\nCAA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 661; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n7; Week 11:<\/strong> 34-13 loss to New Hampshire;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> at North Carolina A&T<\/p>\n

13. North Dakota (6-4, 4-2
\nMVFC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 653; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n13; Week 11:<\/strong> 15-10 loss to then-No. 1 North Dakota
\nState; Week 12:<\/strong> at Murray State \u00a0<\/p>\n

14. Illinois State (7-3, 4-2
\nMVFC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 629; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n16; Week 11:<\/strong> 52-20 win at Indiana State;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> at No. 16 South Dakota State<\/p>\n

15. Stephen F. Austin (8-2,
\n6-0 Southland)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 598; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n17; Week 11:<\/strong> 50-3 win at HCU; Week
\n12:<\/strong> No. 19 Lamar<\/p>\n

16. South Dakota State (7-3,
\n3-3 MVFC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 544; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n8; Week 11:<\/strong> 24-17 loss at then-No. 22 South
\nDakota; Week 12:<\/strong> No. 14 Illinois State<\/p>\n

17. South Dakota (7-4, 5-2
\nMVFC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 530; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n22; Week 11:<\/strong> 24-17 win over then-No. 8 South
\nDakota State; Week 12:<\/strong> at No. 21 Southern
\nIllinois<\/p>\n

18. Abilene Christian (6-4,
\n5-1 UAC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 506; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n18; Week 11:<\/strong> 31-10 win over Utah Tech;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> at Eastern Kentucky<\/p>\n

19. Lamar (8-2, 5-1
\nSouthland)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 503; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n20; Week 11:<\/strong> 14-12 win over then-No. 19
\nSoutheastern Louisiana; Week 12:<\/strong> at No. 15 Stephen
\nF. Austin<\/p>\n

20. Youngstown State (6-4, 3-3
\nMVFC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 445; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n21; Week 11:<\/strong> 48-38 win over then-No. 15 Southern
\nIllinois; Week 12:<\/strong> Indiana State<\/p>\n

21. Southern Illinois (6-4,
\n3-3 MVFC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 242; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n15; Week 11:<\/strong> 48-38 loss at then-No. 21 Youngstown
\nState; Week 12:<\/strong> No. 17 South Dakota<\/p>\n

22. Jackson State (7-2, 5-1
\nSWAC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 226; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n23; Week 11:<\/strong> 42-3 win at Mississippi Valley State;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> Bethune-Cookman<\/p>\n

23. Southeastern Louisiana
\n(7-3, 5-1 Southland)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 208; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n19; Week 11:<\/strong> 14-12 loss at then-No. 20 Lamar;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> at UIW<\/p>\n

24. Northern Arizona (6-4, 3-3
\nBig Sky)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 81; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\nNR; Week 11:<\/strong> 49-10 win over Northern Colorado;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> Cal Poly<\/p>\n

25. Western Carolina (6-4, 5-1
\nSoCon)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Points:<\/strong> 75; Previous Ranking:<\/strong>
\n24; Week 11:<\/strong> 49-47 loss to then-No. 12 Mercer;
\nWeek 12:<\/strong> ETSU \u00a0<\/p>\n

Dropped Out of FCS Top 25:<\/strong> Presbyterian
\n(25)<\/p>\n

\nMORE FCS FOOTBALL ON OPTA ANALYST\n<\/p>\n

Others Receiving Votes
\n(schools listed on two or more ballots)<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Hampshire (6-4, 4-2 CAA),<\/strong> 74;
\nAlabama State (7-2, 5-1 SWAC),<\/strong> 69;
\nLafayette (7-3, 5-0 Patriot),<\/strong> 39; West
\nGeorgia (7-3, 4-3 UAC),<\/strong> 36; Delaware State (7-3,
\n3-0 MEAC),<\/strong> 35; Austin Peay (6-4, 4-3
\nUAC),<\/strong> 22; Yale (6-2, 4-1 Ivy),<\/strong> 18;
\nSacramento State (6-4, 4-2 Big Sky),<\/strong> 11;
\nDartmouth (6-2, 4-2 Ivy),<\/strong> 10; Central
\nConnecticut State (7-3, 5-0 NEC),<\/strong> 9; South
\nCarolina State (7-3, 3-0 MEAC),<\/strong> 7; Southern Utah
\n(5-5, 4-2 UAC),<\/strong> 3<\/p>\n

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll
\nVoting Panel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stats Perform:<\/strong> Craig Haley. Big Sky
\nConference:<\/strong> Riley Corcoran, Tyson Rodgers, Larry Weir.
\nCAA Football:<\/strong> Roger Brown, Matt Harmon, Rob
\nWashburn. Ivy League:<\/strong> JJ Klein, Craig Larson.
\nMid-Eastern Athletic Conference:<\/strong> Kendrick Lewis,
\nPatricia Porter-Mayfield. Missouri Valley Football
\nConference<\/strong>: Kyle Grooms, Dom Izzo, Randy Reinhardt.
\nNortheast Conference:<\/strong> Sarah Boissonneault, Brian
\nCleary. OVC-Big South Football Association:<\/strong> Mike
\nBradd, Kyle Schwartz, Mark Simpson. Patriot
\nLeague:<\/strong> Eric Malanoski, Ryan Sakamoto. Pioneer
\nFootball League:<\/strong> Cody Bush, Larry Hansgen.
\nSouthern Conference:<\/strong> Scott Keeler, Andrew Miller,
\nRalan Wardlaw. Southland Conference:<\/strong> Matthew
\nBonnette, James Dixon, James Hill. Southwestern Athletic
\nConference:<\/strong> Curtis Ford, Ronnie Johnson. United
\nAthletic Conference:<\/strong> Brian Morgan, Benjamin Ray, Jake
\nWithee. National Representatives:<\/strong> Sean Anderson,
\nStan Becton, Zack Carlton, Gene Clemons, Joe DeLeone, Matt Dixon,
\nSteven J. Gaither, Sam Herder, Emory Hunt, Doug Kelly, Kyle
\nKensing, Brandon Lawrence, Zach McKinnell, Jon Passman, Omar Rashon
\nBorja, Ryan Roberts, Timothy Rosario, Kent Schmidt, Phil Sokol,
\nReggie Thomas, Ralph Ventre, Jamie Williams.<\/p>\n

Top photo from Mercer
\nAthletics. For more FCS coverage, follow on social media
\nat\u00a0<\/strong>X,<\/a> Facebook<\/a>,<\/strong> Instagra<\/a>m<\/a>
\nand Bluesky<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n