Aggies Will Start Football Season As Top-25 Team
GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina A&T will enter the football season as one of three nationally-ranked Big South Conference teams after Stats Perform released its FCS top-25 poll on Monday (Aug. 23).
The Aggies are the only historically black college or university (HBCU) in the poll. Other HBCU receiving votes include Alabama A&M (49), Florida A&M (47), Alcorn State (35) and S.C. State (10). A&T received 159 points to finish two points ahead of Murray State (157).
The biggest question for A&T heading into the season is potential rust. The COVID pandemic has sidelined the Aggies football program for almost two years. As a result, A&T’s last football game came in December of 2019.
Despite the long layoff, the Aggies lost very little talent-wise as this season they return an All-America running back in Jah-Maine Martin, an all-conference center in Dacquari Wilson and eight players return from a defense that ranked sixth in the nation in 2019.
In the poll, the other two Big South football teams are Monmouth at No. 13 and Kennesaw State at No. 19. The Aggies host Monmouth on Oct. 30 for the Greatest Homecoming On Earth at Truist Stadium at 1 p.m. A&T travels to Kennesaw State to play the Owls for their homecoming on Oct. 16.
No other Big South school received points in the football poll. A&T opens the season at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 4 at Furman. Not counting the pandemic year of 2020, A&T has finished nationally-ranked five straight seasons.
STATS PERFORM FCS PRESEASON TOP 25
(With fall 2020/spring 2021 record unless noted)
1. Sam Houston (10-0, 6-0 Southland), 1,228 points (39 first-place votes)
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Northern Arizona
2. James Madison (7-1, 3-0 CAA), 1,180 (8)
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Morehead State
3. South Dakota State (8-2, 5-1 Missouri Valley), 1,156 (3)
Season Opener: Sept. 3 at Colorado State
4. North Dakota State (7-3, 5-2 Missouri Valley), 1,116
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Albany
5. Delaware (7-1, 4-0 CAA), 1,017
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Maine
6. Weber State (5-1, 5-0 Big Sky), 927
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Utah
7. Southern Illinois (6-4, 3-3 Missouri Valley), 888
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Southeast Missouri
8. North Dakota (5-2, 4-1 Missouri Valley), 886
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Idaho State
9. Montana (2-0), 778
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Washington
10. Jacksonville State (10-3, 6-1 Ohio Valley), 744
Season Opener: Sept. 1 vs. UAB
11. Eastern Washington (5-2, 5-1 Big Sky), 659
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at UNLV
12. Montana State (2019: 11-4, 6-2 Big Sky), 654
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Wyoming
13. Monmouth (3-1, 3-0 Big South), 618
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Middle Tennessee
14. Central Arkansas (5-4), 561
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Arkansas State
15. Southeastern Louisiana (4-3, 4-2 Southland), 559
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. North Alabama
16. Villanova (2-2 CAA), 440
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Lehigh
17. VMI (6-2, 6-1 Southern), 397
Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Davidson
18. Chattanooga (3-2, 3-1 Southern), 295
Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Austin Peay
19. Kennesaw State (4-1, 2-1 Big South), 255
Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Reinhardt
20. Austin Peay (4-5, 4-2 Ohio Valley), 227
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Chattanooga
21. Northern Iowa (3-4 Missouri Valley), 219
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Iowa State
22. Nicholls (4-3 Southland), 173
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Memphis
23. UC Davis (3-2 Big Sky), 172
Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Tulsa
24. Missouri State (5-5, 5-1 Missouri Valley), 168
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Oklahoma State
25. North Carolina A&T (2019: 9-3, 6-2 MEAC), 159
Season Opener: Sept. 4 at Furman
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Murray State (5-2 Ohio Valley) 157, Richmond (3-1 CAA) 113, ETSU (4-2 Southern) 99, Sacramento State (2019: 9-4, 7-1 Big Sky) 57, Alabama A&M (5-0, 4-0 SWAC) 49, Florida A&M (2019: 9-2, 7-1 MEAC) 47, New Hampshire (0-1 CAA) 42, Alcorn State (2019: 9-4, 6-1 SWAC) 35, Holy Cross (3-1, 3-0 Patriot) 22, Samford (4-3 Southern) 20, UIW (3-3 Southland) 19, Sacred Heart (3-2, 2-1 Northeast) 17, Albany (1-3 CAA) 14, Illinois State (1-3 Missouri Valley) 10, Rhode Island (2-1 CAA) 10, South Carolina State (3-1) 10, Stephen F. Austin (6-4) 10, Duquesne (4-1, 4-0 Northeast) 4, Southeast Missouri (4-4, 4-3 Ohio Valley) 3