The guiding metric for our Fabulous 15 statewide college football rankings is pretty simple: which schools are having the most special seasons?
Raise your hand if you thought Wake Forest would be near the top of this list as the calendar rolls into November? Or Gardner-Webb?
Every season, there are always positive surprises, and the Demon Deacons and Runnin’ Bulldogs are among those teams for 2025. With all of the hoopla surrounding Bill Belichick’s hiring at UNC, Wake Forest and new football boss Jake Dickert are stealing the thunder. The Demon Deacons have produced the most results among FBS teams with new head coaches (5-2 record, win over 2024 ACC runner-up SMU, a near-win over Georgia Tech).
Cris Reisert has done a solid job lifting Gardner-Webb back toward the top of the OVC/Big South Football Association. The Bulldogs, picked near the bottom in the preseason, have a 3-1 mark in Association play and get their shot at the leaders this week.
Of course, we pegged Johnson C. Smith to be a contender for Fabulous 15 glory back in the summer, and here they are on top of the list for the second week in a row – and the fourth time this season.
The Golden Bulls face a huge challenge this Saturday against a Fayetteville State team that knows well what it’s like to be the hunted. Now the Broncos are the hunters.
NCAA Division II football continues to be our strong suit overall in North Carolina college football. Six D2 schools boast records better than .500, including the only two teams in our state (JCSU and UNC Pembroke) with seven wins. Catawba and Wingate aren’t far behind with six wins apiece.
D2 football figures strongly into our Fabulous 15 mix again this week. Without further ado, here are the rankings:
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🔥 Fun Facts & Shout-Outs — Week 10! 🔥@DavidGlennShow spotlights:
🏈 Wake’s last-second 50-yard game-winner
💥 NC RBs lighting up the ACC
👏 Coaching grit from Hillsborough's Scott Satterfield
🎧 Watch now >> https://t.co/pAIMIN3wKd#NCSports #ACCFootball #NCPride… pic.twitter.com/wJBA0kY9TJ— NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS NETWORK (@TheNCSportsNet) October 28, 2025
🏈 Fabulous 15 North Carolina College Football Rankings
After Oct. 24-25, 2025 Games
1. Johnson C. Smith (D2): The Golden Bulls put up 52 points on a solid Winston-Salem State defense. Quarterback Kelvin Durham (351 passing yards, 5 total TDs) continues to put up MVP numbers. Now we’ve arrived at the spot where JCSU’s season got derailed last season – the Fayetteville State game. The time to make amends is here for the Bulls, and JCSU at FSU is arguably the biggest game in the state this week at any level.
2. Western Carolina (FCS): Here we are Catamounts – the four-game stretch that could decide whether WCU will hoist its first-ever Southern Conference championship banner in football. WCU has been riding high with quarterback Taron Dickens in command, winning five in a row. But the Cats can’t look ahead to a Nov. 8 date with defending champ Mercer. Chattanooga, this week’s opponent, is right there in the SoCon mix as well.
3. Wingate (D2): The Bulldogs have won three straight conference games since back-to-back defeats to Carson-Newman and Newberry. The NCAA D2 selection committee believes Wingate to be playoff-worthy despite those two losses, listing the ‘Dogs in their initial regional rankings.
4. UNC Pembroke (D2): The Braves cruised past Chowan for their seventh win Saturday. We find it telling that UNCP is listed in the initial D2 regional rankings and NOT North Greenville, the team that beat them a few weeks ago and which currently leads Conference Carolinas. Can we say that the committee believes the Braves will win the rematch in the league title game in a few weeks and claim the automatic berth?
5. Fayetteville State (D2): The Broncos are billing Saturday’s game against Johnson C. Smith as a western rodeo-themed contest. If the Broncos can corral the Golden Bulls, the prize could be a trip back to the CIAA game in mid-November.
6. Wake Forest (FBS): “Dear old Wake Forest, thine is a noble name. Thine is a glorious fame. Constant and true. We give thee of our praise for the 50-yard field goal that finally helped the ACC beat SMU.” One more win and Dear old Wake is bowl eligible.
7. Catawba (D2): The Indians’ magical season continues, with a 38-3 thumping of Tusculum adding to the impressive resume on Saturday. Catawba improved to 5-0 at home and still has an outside shot at the SAC championship. Tyler Haines’ team is the only one to beat league-leading Newberry (6-1 SAC) so far.
8. Duke (FBS): The Blue Devils’ Labor Day triumph over Clemson in 2023 seemed to mark a big moment in the Tigers’ downfall from the loftiest heights of college football. Clemson (3-4, 2-3 ACC) looks ripe for the taking again this Saturday, but Duke must face the Tigers in Death Valley this time, not the friendly confines of Wallace Wade like ‘23.
9. East Carolina (FBS): The Pirates still have big things to play for in the American Conference coming out of their bye week. A win at Temple on Saturday keeps them within reach of the league leaders. The Owls are certainly not a team to overlook.
10. Gardner-Webb (FCS): Tennessee Tech (8-0, 5-0) has been the standard bearer in the OVC/Big South this season. The Runnin’ Bulldogs (5-3, 3-1) get their shot to shake up the league standings this Saturday in Cookeville.
11. Lenoir-Rhyne (D2): The Bears are coming off their most thorough victory of the season, blanking what has otherwise been a solid Mars Hill team 45-0. Lenoir-Rhyne won in all phases and returned a kickoff and punt back for touchdowns. Huge match-up at Wingate awaits this Saturday – a battle between the past two Fabulous 15 champs.
12. North Carolina Central (FCS): The MEAC always has a few surprises, and Saturday’s NCCU homecoming loss to Delaware State certainly took us off guard. The Hornets, who were 0-10 in MEAC play the previous two seasons, put a giant dent in the Eagles’ plans to return to the top of the conference and claim a Celebration Bowl berth this December.
13. Brevard (4-3): The Tornados took the first step in their quest to win a D3 “state championship,” beating conference rival Greensboro 34-7. Rayshawn Williams averaged 8.9 yards per carry and finished with 125 yards and a touchdown. USA South games vs. North Carolina Wesleyan and Methodist still await.
14. Livingstone (D2): The Blue Bears feature one of the top defensive players in the state in Kenyon Garner. The defensive end leads all of D2 football in tackles-for-loss and sacks. Livingstone as a team is tied for the national lead in TFLs. Protect your backfield when Blue Bears are lurking around.
15. Louisburg (JUCO): The Hurricanes recorded the most lopsided shutout in our state this season, beating Myrtle Beach Collegiate 60-0. Jameson Prince rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown. Joanue Morten-Berry returned an interception 95 yards for a score.
Outside Looking In
- NC State (FBS): It would be a very NC State & Dave Doeren thing for the Wolfpack to beat Georgia Tech this weekend at Carter-Finley.
- Appalachian State (FBS): The Mountaineers are still at .500 for the season (4-4) but things aren’t trending in the right direction in Sun Belt East play.
✴️ NC College Football Players of the Week for Oct. 24-25 Games: Check out who won top honors for offense, defense and special teams.
🏆 Which NC college teams have the best win-loss records? View the NC Statewide Standings to see where all 33 college teams rank.
