7 potential first-time FCS champions in the 2025-26 season

Two of the last five national FCS champions (2020, 2022) have first won titles in the history of their program. Here is the look at which teams could be another to finally love the mountains of FCS in 2025-26.

Illinois State

Who did Uiw associate with the highest Americans? This team would be a state of Illinois.

Illinois State is a team that could have the best trio QB-RB-WR in Tommy Rittenhouse, Wenkers Wright and Daniel Sobkowicz. In defense, the Linebacker Tye Niekamp and the defensive tools Jake Anderson Front-Seven.

The only thing that prevents the state of Illinois to make the title to be his way to the title of MVFC. This year there is one less large place and the redbirds will probably be a loser against the state of Northern Dakota, the state of South Dakota and South Dakota. They will have to win at least one of these farewell games that could be a decisive factor for Illinois State to win the title in 2025.

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Rhode Island

If the popular CAA enters the year has never received the title, it must almost create this list. In the case of Rhode Island Island, Rams are here after the 11-winner season that won the playoffs. Quarterback Devin Farrell is back with probably the best wide receiver in FCS in Marquis Buchanan. Speaking of Buchanan, the Buck Bukanan Award Aj Pena is back on the island of Rhode Island after the semester, which gives Rams another key component for the potential year full of the first.

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State sacramento

Sacramento State won three Big Sky Championship 2019-22 and in 2023 he performed playoffs FCS. Then in 2024 the disaster hit when Hornets went 3-9.

So the team that went 3-9 last year could win the championship in 2025? Although it sounds eccentric, it is not in the age of the transmission portal. The new head coach Brennan Marion brought a tun of Humbuk and the FCS Transit portals class to Sacramenta. The boss is all-American, which runs back Jamar Curtis, led by Lafayette to the playoffs of FCS in 2023.

It is a long shot, but if a team has the potential to switch from three wins to the title, it is a sacramento this year.

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Souther

South Dakota has lost its head coach and several offensive lines, but they point to the championship everywhere else.

A few players at Walter Payton’s price is in the attack backfield in Quarterback Aidan Bouman and runs back Charles Pierre Jr., each of which is probably the best position in the country entering the year.

Defense should not be a problem, with the defensive coordinator Travis Johansen, who was taken over by the head coach while retaining Linebacker Nate Ewell and more.

South Dakota is also the only program with two victories over the state of the permanent force of North Dakota in the last two years. You want to be the best you have to be able to beat the best. That could be the year when all the coyots beat them.

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Tarleton State

Tarleton State made the second round of the playoff FCS in the first year of the eligible playoffs. For comparison, it took North Dakota two years after earning the ability to play -off to even make play -offs. Could Tarleton State be on his own dynasty?

Preseason Walter Payton Award Candidate Quarterback Victor Gabalis would be a big reason. It commands a crime when Texans enter the 8th place in the FCS Preseason Coaches coach. This evaluation led to Tarleton’s Championships in 2025.

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Uc davis

UC Davis advanced last year to the quarterfinals of FCS and wants to build on a successful season. Aggies, however, lost the star Quarterback Miles Hastings and Star, which ran back LAN Larison. Yet, with the preseason wide receiver Sam Gbatu Jr., the tight end of Winson Wiliams and a few offensive lines Ernesto Nava and Eli Simonson, the crime will not be missing.

On the other side of the ball, Rex Connors has been named Big Sky Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and will be a guide leader with talent at all levels. As they say, “Defense will win the Championship” – and UC Davis could rely on his defense to transfer it to new heights.

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Uiw

No team is ready to taste the sweet taste of victory than UIW. After running to the semifinals in 2022 and the quarterfinals of last year, UIW could finally put it together in 2025. Cardinals have the best wide duo of FCS with Jalen Walthall and Transfer Chedon James.

And it doesn’t stop there. Uiw tied for leading between all FCS teams with six statistics performs preseason all-Americanans.

The biggest challenge for Cardinals in 2025 will be navigation of a difficult non -non -conference schedule, which contains the two best 25 best teams. If UIW can do this from September, it will be sufficiently tested for battle testing for the title run.