| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | North Dakota State | North Dakota State's will to win is second to none. Can you say five-peat? | |
| 2 |  | Illinois State | Despite the heartbreaking loss in the championship game, the Redbirds made a big statement with their playoff run. | |
| 3 |  | New Hampshire | The Wildcats had to be disappointed in not making the finals, but they have been a model of FCS consistency. | |
| 4 |  | Eastern Washington | Speaking of consistency, EWU has firmly established itself among the FCS elite. | |
| 5 |  | Coastal Carolina | A few years ago, the Chanticleers couldn't compete with the big boys of the FCS. Now, they've shown they can. | |
| 6 |  | Sam Houston State | K.C. Keeler's team ran out of gas in the Fargodome, but the Bearkats had quite a playoff run. They will be a factor in 2015. | |
| 7 |  | Villanova | The Wildcats fell just short of making the semifinals, but they had an outstanding season. | |
| 8 |  | Jacksonville State | Not sure if Jax State overlooked Sam Houston State, but you can bet the OVC champs didn't expect to get ousted so early. | |
| 9 |  | Chattanooga | The Mocs had a banner season after an 0-2 start and just fell short at New Hampshire. | |
| 10 |  | Northern Iowa | The Panthers had the distinction of being the only team to beat North Dakota State and Illinois State this season. | |
| 11 |  | Fordham | Another solid season for the Rams, whose program should only get better and better. | |
| 12 |  | South Dakota State | The Jackrabbits almost, almost had the upset of the playoffs when they had North Dakota State on the ropes. | |
| 13 |  | Montana | The Grizzlies made it to the second round of the playoffs before losing to Eastern Washington. | |
| 14 |  | Liberty | The Flames showed they're for real with a playoff victory over the CAA's James Madison. | |
| 15 |  | Montana State | Montana State got a playoff bid but lost a wild one to South Dakota State, 47-40, in the opening round. | |
| 16 |  | Southeastern Louisiana | SE Louisiana received a playoff spot but fell short against Sam Houston State in the opening round. | |
| 17 |  | James Madison | James Madison was one of the hottest teams in the FCS late in the season but fell to Liberty in the first round. | |
| 18 |  | Richmond | The Spiders took care of Morgan State in the first round, but then ran up against a solid CCU in the second round. | |
| 19 |  | Harvard | It would be interesting to see how Harvard would fare in the playoffs. | |
| 20 |  | Indiana State | Indiana State showed what the MVFC is all about as it took care of Eastern Kentucky in the first round. | |
| 21 |  | Idaho State | A bubble team, Idaho State just missed out on making the playoffs. | |
| 22 |  | Youngstown State | Three straight losses down the stretch killed any hopes of YSU making the playoffs. | |
| 23 |  | William & Mary | The Tribe's season-ending loss to rival Richmond at the end of the season kept William & Mary out of the playoffs. | |
| 24 |  | Eastern Kentucky | Eastern Kentucky had a fine season, but the playoff loss to Indiana State had to hurt. | |
| 25 |  | South Carolina State | The Bulldogs enjoyed a share of the MEAC title, but Morgan State got the auto bid. | |
Final 2014 FCS Football Top 25 Rankings
Mon, 01/12/2015
