| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | North Dakota State | Can North Dakota State make it three in a row? The Bison just keep on winning and it will not end now. | |
| 2 |  | Montana State | The skill players Montana State has very impressive, but the defense must improve to win championships. | |
| 3 |  | Georgia Southern | GSU will be in the FBS next year, but for now they can try and win another conference title on their way out. | |
| 4 |  | South Dakota State | SDSU has a great running back in Zach Zenner and an emerging quarterback in Austin Sumner. NDSU better watch out. | |
| 5 |  | Wofford | Wofford has Appalachian State and Georgia Southern to deal with for one more year in the Southern Conference. | |
| 6 |  | Villanova | The Wildcats turned things around in 2012 and they should be in a for a great 2013 campaign. | |
| 7 |  | Central Arkansas | With quarterback Wynrick Smothers leading the way, Central Arkansas has great firepower. | |
| 8 |  | Eastern Washington | Behind a strong passing attack, Eastern Washington will again compete for a Big Sky title and a spot in the playoffs. | |
| 9 |  | Towson | The Tigers missed out on the playoffs last season, but they will be right back in the mix this year. | |
| 10 |  | Northern Iowa | Northern Iowa struggled in 2012 with injuries and a very tough schedule. This year will be much better. | |
| 11 |  | Appalachian State | Appalachian State has a new coach and is ineligible for postseason play as they keep moving towards the FBS. | |
| 12 |  | Sam Houston State | Timothy Flanders, Brian Bell, Chance Nelson and Richard Sincere are going to spend a lot of time in the end zone. | |
| 13 |  | Old Dominion | With the transition to the FBS almost complete, ODU has nothing to play for in 2013. | |
| 14 |  | Montana | Even though they won just five games last season, the expectations for Montana are still very high. | |
| 15 |  | New Hampshire | The New Hampshire offense is going to score points, but the team must player better defense to win the CAA. | |
| 16 |  | Illinois State | A tough schedule awaits Illinois State and they have a lot of talent to replace on both sides of the ball. | |
| 17 |  | Richmond | Coach Danny Rocco turned around Richmond in a hurry. Year two could be even better. | |
| 18 |  | Coastal Carolina | Quarterback Aramis Hillary is gone and so is running back Jeremy Height, but CCU is reloaded. | |
| 19 |  | Eastern Illinois | For one more year we get to see Jimmy Garoppolo hook up with receiving superstar Erik Lora. | |
| 20 |  | Bethune-Cookman | The Wildcats should again dominate the MEAC, but can this group win a playoff game? | |
| 21 |  | Northern Arizona | If NAU can get past their disappinting conclusion to the 2012 campaign, they will be right back in the playoff mix. | |
| 22 |  | Chattanooga | There may not be a better defense in all the country than the one Chattanooga is sporting in 2013. | |
| 23 |  | Youngstown State | The Penguins have had a disappointing run lately, yet quarterback Kurt Hess can change that. | |
| 24 |  | Stony Brook | Former Iowa running back Marcus Coker is ready to take the lead as Stony Brook moves into the CAA. | |
| 25 |  | Samford | Samford has offensive firepower, but is it enough to compete with the best in the Southern Conference? | |
FCS Football 2013 Preseason Top 25 Rankings
Sun, 07/28/2013
