You know, I hate preseason rankings. First, they’re based way too heavily on what happened last year, instead of looking forward to what will happen this year. And at the FCS level, they’re especially volatile. Where Florida highlights are abundant on SportsCenter and the Internet, highlight from a team like, say, Tennessee-Martin, are not readily available. So trying to scrape together a true “FCS Top 25” is a difficult endeavor. Plus, in the first few weeks of the season, so many FCS teams are playing up (against FBS clubs) and down (against Division II teams) that it’s difficult to get a true read on teams. When Youngstown State beat North Dakota State last September, it was viewed as a fairly major upset in FCS circles. NDSU was ranked No. 2 in the country at that point, and Youngstown State had been shellacked in its first two games against Division I teams. Of course once the season played out, the game ended up being a fairly pedestrian matchup between a 6-5 team and a 4-8 team. Because of what North Dakota State had done in 2007, many of us had the Bison highly overrated.

My point with this rambling take is that I wanted to do something a little different this time around. We’re going to take a look at the top 40 teams in FCS football here over the next few days, but I won’t rank them in a traditional manner. Instead, we’ll separate the 40 into four 10-team tiers. Then, the week of Sept. 28, I’ll post my first FCS Top 25 of the season. By that time, most teams will have played three to four games, and we’ll have a pretty good read on whether or not the preseason prognostications were accurate. Today, the blog looks at teams 31-40, darkhorse teams that have a lot of question marks but could easily surprise and play their way into conference championship contention.

Teams presented in alphabetical order:

CAL POLY
2008 record: 8-3 (3-0 Great West/1st)
Last postseason appearance: 2008 (lost to Weber State 49-35 in first round)
Last postseason victory: 2005 (beat Montana 35-21 in first round)
Starters returning (offense/defense): 4/8
Players to watch: FS Greg Francis (65 tackles, 6 PBU, 2 INT); CB Asa Jackson (42 tackles, 10 PBU, 2 INT)
The skinny: The Mustangs earned their second playoff berth last season, beat FBS San Diego State for the second time in three years and nearly stunned FBS Wisconsin in Madison. But with QB Jonathan Dally (57.4 comp.%, 1,960 yards, 23 TD, 5 INT), WR Ramses Barden (67 rec., 1,257 yards, 18 TD) and the top three running backs gone, Cal Poly figures to be in rebuilding mode offensively. The schedule features back-to-back games against FBS teams (Ohio, San Jose State), trips to Montana and Weber State and a road game against UC Davis that could be for the Great West title. Under new coach Tim Walsh, Cal Poly will still be one of the top teams in the Great West, but repeating last year’s success will be difficult.

DELAWARE
2008 record: 4-8 (2-6 CAA/5th South)
Last postseason appearance: 2007 (lost to Appalachian State 49-21 in championship)
Last postseason victory: 2007 (beat Southern Illinois 20-17 in semifinals)
Starters returning (offense/defense): 4/6
Players to watch: QB Pat Devlin (Penn State transfer); WR Mark Duncan (39 rec., 352 yards, 0 TD); FS Charles Graves (78 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 PBU, 5 INT); LB Andrew Harrison (75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5 PBU)
The skinny: Delaware generally doesn’t string together losing seasons. Seriously. The last time the Blue Hens had back-to-back losing records came in 1938 and 1939. I’m sure you all remember those seasons fondly. Last year started off well enough for the Hens, who hung with ACC foe Maryland. But losing QB Joe Flacco and RB Omar Cuff proved to be too much for the Blue Hens to overcome last season. Devlin’s arrival has generated a lot of excitement in Newark (that’s NEW-ARK, not NEW-IRK). We’ll know early if the Hens are the Hens of old, or if the losing will continue. Richmond visits Tubby Raymond Stadium Sept. 12, and the Hens play back-to-back games at William & Mary and Maine Sept. 26 and Oct. 3. Delaware lost to all three last year.

EASTERN KENTUCKY
2008 record: 8-4 (7-1 OVC/1st)
Last postseason appearance: 2008 (lost to Richmond 38-10 in first round)
Last postseason victory: 1994 (beat Boston University 30-23 in first round)
Starters returning (offense/defense): 7/5
Players to watch: RB C.J. Walker (706 yards, 7 TDs); WR Cody Watts (23 rec., 386 yards, 5 TD); LB Jordan Dalrymple (68 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 INT)
The skinny: Eastern Kentucky stole the OVC’s automatic bid last season, beating Tennessee-Martin in the finale despite being outgained 501 yards to 172. The Colonels ended up plus-18 in the turnover column, helping EKU’s championship drive. The Colonels are 33-7 in the OVC in the last five years, so it’s wise not to count them out, despite the loss of QB Allan Holland and the top three tacklers on defense.

FLORIDA A&M
2008 record: 9-3 (5-3 MEAC/T2nd)
Last postseason appearance: 2001 (lost to Georgia Southern 60-35 in first round)
Last postseason victory: 1999 (beat Troy 17-10 in quarterfinals)
Starters returning (offense/defense): 10/9
Players to watch: QB Curtis Pulley (885 yards, 7 TD rushing; 55.1 comp%, 1,382 yards, 17 TD, 5 INT); RB Philip Sylvester (717 yards, 8 TD); WR Kevin Elliott (58 rec., 817 yards, 7 TD); LB Bryan Parker (68 tackles, 8 sackes, 4 1/2 TFL)
The skinny: Former Hampton coach Joe Taylor enters his second year in Tallahassee, and the expectations are high considering what the Rattlers return. But they haven’t beaten Delaware State since 2005 and have lost six straight against South Carolina State, with the last win coming in 2002. FAMU will have to clear those hurdles to move into the playoff conversation.

FURMAN
2008 record: 7-5 (4-4 Southern/T4th)
Last postseason appearance: 2006 (lost to Montana State 31-13 in first round)
Last postseason victory: 2005 (beat Richmond 24-20 in quarterfinals)
Starters returning (offense/defense): 7/4
Players to watch: RB Mike Brown (823 yards, 5 TD); QB Jordan Sorrells (60.9 comp%, 2,537 yards, 16 TD, 10 INT); WR Adam Mims (58 rec., 711 yards, 3 TD); ROV Max Lerner (86 tackles, 4 TFL, 4 PBU, 4 INT)
The skinny: Furman hasn’t finished on the plus side of the ledger in turnover margin in more than five years. QB Jordan Sorrells went through some bumps last season, his first as a starter, and he should be improved. It helps that nearly every skill position player that matters is coming back. The Paladins were in the playoff discussion until late-season losses to Georgia Southern and Wofford, and the schedule sets up well for a nice start (vs. Presbyterian/at Chattanooga/at Missouri/at Western Carolina). The Paladins should enter the Oct. 3 Elon game 3-1. If Furman can knock off the Phoenix at home, they could be a SoCon darkhorse. Appalachian State and Wofford both travel to Greenville.

GARDNER-WEBB
2008 record: 5-6 (2-3 Big South/4th)
Last postseason appearance: None
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 9/9
Players to watch: QB Stan Doolittle (60.9 comp%, 1,059 yards, 4 TD, 6 INT); RB Philip Peoples (602 yards, 6 TD); LB Jeffery Williams (119 tackles, 7 1/2 TFL; 5 PBU, 3 INT)
The skinny: Lots of folks seem to think the Bulldogs are the darkhorse pick to unseat Liberty as Big South champion this season. GWU placed more players than anyone on the preseason all-conference team, and LB Mario Brown—the 2008 preseason Big South defensive player of the year—returns to complement LB Jeffery Williams, who earned the honor this preseason. The Bulldogs have struggled to finish of late though, losing three straight to end 2006 and two straight to end both 2007 and 2008. Stony Brook and Liberty both visit Boiling Springs. The real question is on offense, where GWU has been mediocre for the last three seasons. QB Stan Doolittle finally gets to show what he can do without Devin Campbell hovering over his shoulder.

HARVARD
2008 record: 9-1 (6-1 Ivy League/T1st)
Last postseason appearance: None (Ivy League does not participate in the FCS playoffs)
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 6/6
Players to watch: RB Gino Gordon (578 yards, 5 TD); WR Matt Luft (53 rec., 875 yards, 5 TD); SS Collin Zych (72 tackles, 3 TFL, 6 PBU, 1 INT)
The skinny: Getting a read on the Ivy schools is difficult because they rarely play outside of the Northeast. Harvard did beat Patriot League contenders Holy Cross and Lafayette out of league last season, but Ivy League player of the year QB Chris Pizzotti is gone. The Crimson still figures to be the class of the Ivy League. The Nov. 14 game against Penn in Cambridge, Mass., could be for the league title.

LAFAYETTE
2008 record: 7-4 (3-3 Patriot/4th)
Last postseason appearance: 2006 (lost to Massachusetts 35-14 in first round)
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 5/6
Players to watch: RB Maurice White (469 yards, 2 TD); QB Rob Curley (57.1 comp%, 1,424 yards, 9 TD, 4 INT); LB Mark Leggiero (93 tackles, 2 sack, 10.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 INT)
The skinny: The Leopards struggled early with injuries and never found an offensive groove last season. They were inconsistent in Patriot play and surprisingly lost the season finale to Lehigh, which was 4-6 entering the game. Unlike last year, there’s no stretch of five straight road games, but the finish is brutal—at Holy Cross, at Lehigh. The Leopards must find a way to replace all-everything linebacker Andy Romans, and they’ll hope talented tailback Maurice White can stay healthy. He only played five games last year.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
2008 record: 7-5 (6-2 Missouri Valley/3rd)
Last postseason appearance: None
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 6/8
Players to watch: RB Kyle Minett (1,289 yards, 14 TD); WR Glen Fox (66 rec., 792 yards, 10 TD); DE Danny Batten (75 tackles, 8 sacks, 6 1/2 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 INT)
The skinny: The Jackrabbits were in the playoff conversation until the end last season thanks to a nice run through the Missouri Valley. They lost at Southern Illinois by three points in the season’s penultimate week, and that proved to be a crippling blow to SDSU’s playoff hopes. The Jackrabbits need to find an answer at quarterback, as Ryan Berry graduated after setting several school records and throwing for 3,106 yards and 30 TDs as a senior. The top eight tacklers are back on a defensive unit that needs to improve. SDSU allowed 29.0 ppg last year, nearly seven points more per game than it allowed in 2007.

TENNESSEE-MARTIN
2008 record: 8-4 (6-2 Ohio Valley/T2nd)
Last postseason appearance: 2006 (lost to Southern Illinois 36-30 in first round)
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 5/4
Players to watch: QB Cade Thompson (57.8 comp%, 2,680 yards, 24 TD, 14 INT); RB Brandyn Young (702 yards, 12 TD); WR Mike Hicks (66 rec., 894 yards, 12 TD); LB Josh Bey (88 tackles, 3 sacks, 13 1/2 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 INT)
The skinny: Martin is still trying to figure out how it lost to Eastern Kentucky in the season finale. The Skyhawks outgained the Colonels by more than 300 yards but lost on a last-minute field goal, costing them the OVC title and a second playoff berth in three seasons. The offense averaged 37.3 points per game last season, and while only five starters return, among those starters are QB Cade Thompson, top WR Mike Hicks and top RB Brandyn Young. The top two tacklers are back, too. UTM plays the other OVC contenders early, getting Jacksonville State Oct. 3 and Eastern Kentucky Oct. 17.