During the lead up to the 2024 college football season, we earnestly believed that as many as four or five North Carolina FCS teams could contend for postseason berths.
It turns out, that number was zero.
Not that 2024 was a washout by any means, but none of our seven schools were able to beat down the door leading past the regular season. That ended a decade-long streak of at least one FCS school from the Old North State earning a playoff berth or bowl invite. The last “0-fer” came in 2014.
Can a North Carolina FCS team beat an FBS opponent in 2025? Check out the match-ups HERE.
Western Carolina finished second a year ago in what – somewhat surprisingly – turned out to be a one-bid Southern Conference (champion Mercer grabbed the bid). North Carolina Central saw hopes for a return trip to the Celebration Bowl dashed by South Carolina State – and eight overall wins wasn’t enough to swipe a bid in the 24-team FCS bracket.
Elon surged over the final month of the season, winning four straight in impressive fashion. But the Phoenix needed all four wins just to get back to 6-6 for the year. Davidson stayed in the Pioneer Football League hunt until the latter part of the fall, but stumbles in three of the final four games knocked them out of the running.
So what does 2025 hold in store? Can North Carolina’s FCS contingent start a new streak of playoff appearances? Will one or more of our FCS teams hoist conference championship hardware again? More importantly, who will rule the FCS subdivision in our state in ’25?
With those questions lingering in the background, we offer a way-too-early look at 2025 FCS Power Rankings for the Old North State:
𝐂𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭.#LOTE pic.twitter.com/mS60Qf8qBt — Western Carolina Football (@CatamountsFB) January 14, 2025
North Carolina FCS Power Rankings | Early Spring Edition
1. Western Carolina Catamounts (7-5 in 2024 | 6-2 SoCon)
It would seem counterintuitive to put a team that just lost a healthy contingent of players to the FBS transfer portal at the top of our list. But we considered where players like quarterback Cole Gonzales (Oklahoma), O-lineman Derek Simmons (Oklahoma), linebacker Antarron Turner (Wisconsin) and O-lineman Caleb Carter (Michigan State) are heading.
We see the exodus not as a bad sign but pointing to the fact coach Kerwin Bell and company know how to identify and develop talent. They certainly have known how to produce prolific offenses, leading much of the FCS the past two seasons.
Bell said recently in a WCU press release that “we’re a lot bigger, but we’re also a lot younger with guys that don’t know our system.” But we’re still bullish on the Catamounts, that high-powered offense and an underrated defense in 2025.
Early games against Gardner-Webb, Elon and Campbell should help us figure out FCS pecking order in our state quickly.
2. Elon Phoenix (6-6 | 5-3 CAA)
We could write similar things about Elon that we did of Western Carolina. While more of a ball control and defensively dominant program, Elon under Tony Trisciani also recruits and develops players at a high level. The Phoenix have a knack for playing their best when the stakes are high, as evidenced by multiple upsets of nationally ranked teams in recent years.
Elon will have some big holes to fill on both sides of the ball, but Trisciani and staff have shown us enough for us to be upbeat about Phoenix football’s upper-crust status in our state.
Offseason? More like hustle season. 💪 🏈 The grind never stops and neither do we. #AED #PhoenixRising pic.twitter.com/FvEZ0vyOJl — Elon Football (@ElonFootball) February 28, 2025
3. North Carolina Central Eagles (8-3 | 4-1 MEAC)
It was once said of legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler: “He never rebuilds, he just reloads.” That seems to be the case at North Carolina Central during the Trei Oliver coaching era. The Eagles captured the Celebration Bowl title in 2022, made the FCS playoffs after winning nine games in ‘23 and earned eight victories last season. We expect Oliver’s NCCU squad to be in the thick of the MEAC race again this fall.
As a side note, the MEAC could be one of the most entertaining leagues in FCS. Oliver and South Carolina State coach Chennis Berry already have a corner on charisma and great quotes (and fun football). The league will add new coaches Michael Vick (Norfolk State) and DeSean Jackson (Delaware State) to the mix this year. Get your popcorn ready for the action on the field and in the press conferences afterward.
4. Campbell Camels (3-9 | 1-7 CAA)
The Camels have recruited well under Mike Minter and current coach Braxton Harris. But the school, which transitioned from the Big South to the more competitive CAA in 2023, is still waiting for the big payoff on the field. That could come this season.
Harris has stocked the roster with high school and transfer talent yet again. Returning wide receiver Sincere Brown could be one of the most exciting players to watch in the state at any level this fall.
5. Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (4-8 | 3-5 Big South/OVC)
The Runnin’ Bulldogs very easily could have opened last season 4-0. Wofford escaped by a point in game one, as did Charlotte a few weeks later. James Madison needed a late push to win 13-6. Instead, GWU started 1-3 and suffered two other one-score losses in the back portion of the schedule.
Second-year coach Cris Reisert has worked the transfer portal harder than any other FCS team, scoring signees from multiple FBS programs. Early games against WCU, Georgia Tech and Ohio will be challenging, but this will be a team to keep an eye on when OVC/Big South play begins in October.
𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐫-𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐛 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 🧨#EDGE | #skodawgs pic.twitter.com/UXI1KvsN2S — Gardner-Webb Football (@GWUFootball) February 20, 2025
6. North Carolina A&T Aggies (1-11 | 0-8 CAA)
Hope springs eternal among sports enthusiasts, and plenty seems to be flowing out of Aggieland these days. There is a sense that NC A&T football got the right man to lead their program into the future in Shawn Gibbs, a former assistant during the team’s glory years in the 2010s (see below). Not that former coach Vincent Brown isn’t a good coach or a good man. There just didn’t seem to be a fit between coach and school the past two seasons. These things happen.
In addition to the rigors of the CAA, A&T must play the 2024 champion and runner-up from the MEAC (South Carolina State and North Carolina Central) as well as Tennessee State (9-4) and FBS Central Florida. We expect the program to take a big leap forward in 2025 in terms of competitiveness, even if the win-loss column doesn’t necessarily reflect that.
7. Davidson Wildcats (6-5 | 4-4)
There is seventh place in a list of seven, and there is last place. They are not always the same thing. We don’t expect Davidson to be bad in 2025. New coach Saj Thakkar has built an impressive resume so far in his young career and did a solid job locking up the Wildcats’ 2025 recruiting class in the midst of transition.
But moving to a completely new offensive approach, combined with a tough schedule, could be daunting. Thus, we why have Davidson here for now. It will be intriguing to watch how the shift from Scott Abell’s patented shotgun triple option offense to a more traditional, up-tempo attack will go.
🏈 What are your thoughts on North Carolina FCS Football heading into 2025? Sound off, whether you agree or disagree with our spring power rankings, on our Twitter/X channel HERE.
NC FCS Football | Recent Post-Season History
2024 Season
No teams advanced to the post-season
2023 Season
Gardner-Webb won the Big South/OVC championship and lost a first-round playoff game to Mercer, 17-7.
North Carolina Central finished second in the MEAC behind Howard and advanced to the FCS playoffs, falling to Richmond in the opening round.
2022 Season
North Carolina Central won the MEAC title and knocked off Deion Sanders-led Jackson State 41-34 to win the Celebration Bowl, earning the mantle of HBCU national champions
Gardner-Webb won the Big South Conference and went 1-1 in the FCS playoffs, beating Eastern Kentucky 52-41 before falling to No. 5 William & Mary 54-14.
Elon posted a 6-2 record in the CAA and earned an at-large spot in the FCS playoffs, falling to No. 11 Furman 31-6 in the opening round.
Davidson earned the Pioneer Football League’s berth into the FCS playoffs, losing to Richmond 41-0 in the first round.
2021 Season
Davidson captured the Pioneer Football League championship, collecting the league’s automatic bid to the playoffs. The Wildcats lost 48-21 to Kennesaw State in round one.
2020 Season
Davidson claimed the Pioneer Football League title during a COVID-altered season. The Wildcats made the FCS playoffs, falling to Jacksonville State 49-14.
2019 Season
North Carolina A&T, still a member of the MEAC, earned the league’s Celebration Bowl berth and galloped past Alcorn State 64-44 in the HBCU showcase game.
2018 Season
North Carolina A&T once again returned to the Celebration Bowl, capping off a 10-2 season with a 24-22 nailbiter over Alcorn State
Elon squeezed into the FCS playoffs with a 6-5 overall, 4-3 conference record. Wofford knocked the Phoenix out in the opening round 19-7.
2017 Season
North Carolina A&T, in what would be Rod Broadway’s final season as head coach, polished off a perfect 12-0 campaign with a 21-14 triumph over Grambling in the Celebration Bowl.
Elon made the FCS playoffs for the first of two years in a row under then-coach Curt Cignetti (now at Indiana). Furman edged the Phoenix 28-27 in round one action.
2016 Season
North Carolina Central posted a perfect MEAC record (8-0) under coach Jerry Mack and claimed the conference’s Celebration Bowl bid. The Eagles lost to Grambling State 10-9, marking the only time a North Carolina team playing in the Celebration Bowl has lost in that game.
North Carolina A&T did not make the Celebration Bowl with its 9-3 overall, 7-1 MEAC record, but the Aggies still qualified for the FCS playoffs. Richmond, which has been a nemesis to North Carolina teams in the playoffs, knocked A&T out in the opening round 39-10.
2015 Season
North Carolina A&T earned the first of what would be five straight years of postseason berths, claiming a MEAC championship and a 41-34 Celebration Bowl victory over Alcorn State.
2014 Season
No postseason for North Carolina teams.
North Carolina FCS | 2025 Head-To-Head Showdowns
Aug. 30: Gardner-Webb at Western Carolina
Sept. 6: Davidson at Elon
Sept. 13: Elon at Western Carolina
Sept. 20: North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T
Sept. 27: Western Carolina at Campbell
Oct. 25: Campbell at North Carolina A&T
Nov. 15: Elon at Campbell
Nov. 22: North Carolina A&T at Elon
Check out who your favorite FCS football team is playing this fall at our NC Football News Schedules page.
Which FCS teams finished in the NC Football News “Fabulous 15” in 2024? Read more HERE.
