Who rules the state?
That’s the question NC Football News will be answering in the weeks to come as we assemble our unique Best In State “Fabulous 14” football rankings.
Unlike our other lists, where we compare North Carolina schools by division only, these rankings will encompass all 35 of the state’s colleges and universities that offer football into one poll.
The criteria here is different. The Fabulous 14 won’t be so much about who we think would win head-to-head, though that will come into play at times. It will be more about the teams making the biggest splash and generating the most impressive headlines.
The top teams in our Fabulous 14 may be from the powerhouse ACC. Or the FCS, Division II or Division III ranks. Or a combination. Time will tell. And there likely will be a lot of volatility while the weather is warm and the story lines of 2023 are just starting to unfold.
A couple of ground rules: 1) A team must have a .500 record or better to make the Fabulous 14. 2) We will include at least one team from every major division of play – FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III/NAIA/Junior College in our list.
Other than that, the door is open for any of our state’s programs to become one of the Fabulous 14.
Why 14, you may ask? First, it’s a football number. Two touchdowns equals 14 points. Plus, our state’s teams are divided neatly into multiples of seven – seven teams in the FBS, seven more in FCS, 14 in Division II and the last seven when you put Division III (5), NAIA (1) and JUCO (1) together.
—> LOOKING BACK: Revisiting the 2022 Best In State Rankings
One more important note: Since no games have been played, there have been no chances for teams to have a special season yet. So these preseason rankings will focus mostly on teams with the highest expectations and those who have garnered the splashiest spring and summer headlines.
OK, enough with the intros. The drum roll, please. On to our rankings.
The Preseason Fabulous 14
1. North Carolina Central Eagles (10-2 in 2022)
The reigning HBCU national champions clearly have MEAC and Celebration Bowl titles in their sights again. With the conference players of the year on both sides of the ball returning (Davius Richard and Khalil Baker) — plus a loaded roster across most other positions — no team has higher expectations at the start than the Eagles. Nothing short of retaining the MEAC and HBCU crowns will suffice.
2. North Carolina Tar Heels (9-5)
“Wait a minute?” you may be asking. Didn’t NC Football News rank NC State AHEAD of Carolina in its FBS state power rankings last week? Why yes we did, even using the headline “We’re all in on NC State Football this season.“ But remember, these rankings at this time of year are about expectations and splash.
Tar Heels fans may not want to admit it after last season’s deflating finish, but there are certainly sky-high expectations around this team. Will the season really be deemed a success if UNC doesn’t win at least nine or 10 times, stay in contention for the ACC title game until the end and get quarterback Drake Maye to New York for the Heisman ceremony? That’s why the Heels top the Pack on this list.
3. Fayetteville State Broncos (9-3)
The hunters become the hunted this year in the Division II ranks. FSU finally broke through in 2022 and won the CIAA after making it to the title game four straight years before that. Fayetteville State joins NC Central as the only North Carolina school picked in the preseason to win its conference outright.
4. NC State Wolfpack (8-5)
Now we bring the Wolfpack into the mix, as expectations have climbed steadily since the spring. The Pack would have been at the top of our Fabulous 14 a year ago (but we weren’t around yet). Folks were calling NCSU legit ACC contenders and talking about Devin Leary (not Drake Maye) capturing ACC player of the year honors.
That didn’t work out, but NC State looks more and more like one of the best teams in the league this season (voted fourth in the preseason ACC rankings behind Clemson, Florida State and UNC). We think in the end they’ll be the top FBS squad in our state.
5. Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (7-6)
The Bulldogs aced the Big South Conference a year ago with an unbeaten record and will play in a combo league this season, the Big South/OVC Football Association.
Coach Tre Lamb’s team has been picked second behind Southeast Missouri State and starts the year in the FCS national rankings for the first time in awhile. The Big South/OVC preseason all-conference watch list includes 64 total players — an amazing 11 hail from Gardner-Webb. The ‘Dogs could challenge for Fabulous 14 top honors by season’s end.
6. Wingate Bulldogs (11-3)
These Bulldogs led all North Carolina teams in total wins a year ago, earning a pair of playoff victories over Virginia Union and Benedict to reach the national quarterfinals. The defense ranked among the best in all of D2. Much of that unit returns, though some new players will need to step up on offense.
Coach Joe Reich’s bunch has been picked second in the South Atlantic Conference behind Newberry. The ‘Dawgs start in the D2 top 25.
7. Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (8-3)
One of the most experienced teams in the state joins Wingate in the Division II national rankings and among the top contenders in the SAC. The Bears are picked third in the league, right behind Wingate.
Mark your calendars now for Oct. 28 — Lenoir-Rhyne visits Wingate that evening for what could be the de facto SAC Piedmont championship game. The Bears have seven preseason all-conference selections, covering most position groups with top players.
8. Davidson Wildcats (8-4)
The ‘Cats play in a unique conference (the coast-to-coast Pioneer Football League) and boast a unique offensive style. They know who they are and they win a lot, earning back-to-back-to-back FCS playoff berths. Davidson led the nation in rushing a year ago, averaging a whopping 331.5 yards per game. Expect more of the same with a group of all-conference linemen paving the way.
9. Duke Blue Devils (9-4)
The Blue Devils won’t sneak up on anyone this season. Second-year coach Mike Elko has the ACC’s attention — and Duke’s, which offered him a generous contract extension earlier this summer. The schedule will be tough — Clemson in the opener, then teams like Notre Dame, NC State, UNC and Florida State.
10. Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-6)
Here is a team that has been tough for media pundits to get a read on. Some have App State contending for the Sun Belt championship. Others, like an outlet we saw last week, had the Mountaineers listed eighth in the 14-team league.
One thing is for sure, the culture that has been built in Boone over the past few decades doesn’t accept eighth-place aspirations. Neither do we and believe ASU will finish much higher up the Sun Belt standings.
11. Elon Phoenix (8-4)
Here is the sleeper section of our Fabulous 14. The final four teams have been picked middle of the pack of their conference but have the firepower to make a run for the top. Coach Tony Trisciani has had Elon on an upward trajectory, and last season his group earned multiple wins over top 25 opponents. The opener at Wake on Thursday could be, as TV personality Lee Corso likes to say on ESPN College Game Day, much closer than what the experts think.
12. Western Carolina Catamounts (6-5)
As far as expectations go, Southern Conference coaches pick the Catamounts fifth in a competitive league. We’ll let you read for yourself what WCU coach Kerwin Bell thinks of those expectations:
“We’ve talked about it the whole off-season – we’re getting on a ship and there’s only one destination. That’s a championship,” Bell said in a season preview story on SoConSports.com. “If you’re getting on this ship to go somewhere else, then get off …
“What has me so excited is that, the last three games (of 2022), I saw that championship DNA,” he continued. “It’s ‘Championship or Bust.’ We believe in that. I’m not just saying that because I’m trying to rally a football team. I truly believe we’re at this stage in our development right now with the talent level we have.”
13. Mars Hill Lions (7-3)
Another team not to overlook in D2. The Lions play in the SAC Mountain Division and made it to the conference championship game a year ago, falling in a close battle with Newberry. SAC coaches pegged Mars Hill fifth in this year’s preseason rankings. Eight preseason All-SAC performers return, including a true nose-for-the-football linebacker in Landon Honeycutt.
14. Brevard Tornados (5-5)
Our lone Division III entrant rounds out our first Fabulous 14. This was a tough choice. Brevard and Methodist tied for the No. 4 spot in the USA South Conference preseason rankings. We’ll give the edge to the Tornados based on last year’s head-to-head meeting, which Brevard won by a nose. Coach Bill Khayat is back for his seventh season. The past four have ended with .500 or better records. The 2022 group went 5-2 in conference.
Watch List:
We expect NC A&T (7-4), under the direction of new coach Vincent Brown, to jump into this list during the season. Expectations have been set low in the CAA, but this is a talented bunch not to be overlooked … Barton (4-7) has one of the top running backs in the state at any level, Jordan Terrell, and may see the top 14 as early as next week.
Methodist (5-5) has one of the top quarterbacks in Division III in Brandon Bullins (close to 9,000 career passing yards) … Johnson C. Smith (2-7) is a team on the rise in the CIAA … Catawba (1-10) has a new coach (Tyler Haines) with the pedigree to take the team up the ladder in the SAC.
The bar couldn’t have been set any lower for Charlotte (3-9) in its first AAC season. The 49ers, picked last in the league, gave us the most iconic moment of the summer when new coach Biff Poggi stormed away from the podium at media days after only being asked three questions. We’ll put the 49ers last here just to give them more bulletin board material and reasons to defy all odds in 2023.
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