The JMU Dukes Are Top 10 in the Only Preseason Poll That Matters

We can finally see the light at the end of this offseason tunnel. Football season will be here before we know it. Last week the Dukes were picked to finish 3rd in the CAA at the league’s Media Day. And just yesterday JMU landed in the top 10 in the first edition of our favorite FCS poll. Of course we’re talking about the Any Given Saturday Preseason Poll. This poll is voted on by FCS fans, who actually follow the game. Passionately. It’s far, far better than any media poll where half the voters mail it in.

Our favorite squad found itself ranked 9th when the poll was published yesterday. You can check out the entire Top 25 via this link, but here’s the Top 10.

1 North Dakota State Bison

2 Northern Iowa Panthers

3 Richmond Spiders

4 Jacksonville State Gamecocks

5 Sam Houston State Bearkats

6 Chattanooga Mocs

7 South Dakota State Jackrabbits

8 Charleston Southern Buccaneers

9 James Madison Dukes

10 William & Mary Tribe

There are no real surprises here. We’re not really sure what more can be said about NDSU, but they’ll be the favorite every year until some team finally knocks ’em out of the playoffs. The Dukes have a lot of question marks, but landing somewhere near the bottom of the Top 10 seems fair. If the defense improves even a little bit and whomever earns the QB1 position can take advantage of his many weapons on offense, this team could make some noise.

Along with JMU, the Tribe and the Ticks earned preseason top 10 recognition. The MVC also placed three teams in the Top 10. Villanova, New Hampshire, and Towson all placed in the Top 25, which leads us to believe the the CAA could be a real dogfight this year.