Last year, instead of trying to come up with a preseason Top 25 of the nation’s FCS teams, I instead chose to with an “FCS 40,“ giving a quick-hit preview of the top 40 teams in the country in no particular order. The teams are divided into sub-sets. Today, for instance, we’ll break down the teams that fall into the No. 31-40 range, then 21-30 and 11-20 before unveiling the top 10. The reason for this was simple. A true preseason Top 25 is very difficult to compile in any sport, much less one that receives a fraction of the national media attention as its FBS brethren does. So why bother? The FCS crowns its national champion through a tournament, anyway, so a true Top 25—while a nice conversation piece—is essentially useless. It is, however, easy enough to discern between the top 10 teams and the teams barely cracking the top 40.

Here’s a quick look back to last year edition:

* I correctly predicted 15 of the 16 playoff teams, and admittedly, that’s not a terribly difficult thing to do, as it isn’t often at this level that teams come out of nowhere to make the postseason. Stephen F. Austin was the one team that fit that profile, as I had them nowhere near my Top 40.

* Of the teams I ranked 31-40, one made the field—South Dakota State.

* Of the teams I ranked 21-30, one made the field—Eastern Washington (and only after a late-season NCAA appeal made the Eagles playoff eligible).

* Of the teams ranked 11-20, five made the field—Holy Cross, McNeese State, New Hampshire, South Carolina State, William & Mary and Eastern Illinois.

* Seven of my top 10 teams made the field. The misses were James Madison, Northern Iowa and Wofford, and the Terriers were so ravaged by injuries last season that it was going to be difficult for them to compete in the tough Southern Conference.

Moving on to this season’s look at FCS football around the country, so local readers can get accustomed to some of the teams that will be showing up in the national polls as the season goes on. Today, we’ll tackle teams 31-40, in alphabetical order.

CHATTANOOGA
2009 record: 6-5, 4-4 Southern Conference, t4th
Last postseason appearance: 1984
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 9/7
Players to watch: QB B.J. Coleman (56.6 comp%, 2,348 yards, 17 TD, 9 INT), RB Chris Awuah (153 carries, 459 yards, 4 TD), WR Chris Pitchford (44 rec., 582 yards, 5 TD), LB Ryan Consiglio (86 tackles, 1 sack, 8 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 INT).
The skinny: The Mocs had gone 6-28 in the three years following their last winning season in 2005, and the poor run cost coach Rodney Allison his job. Russ Huesman turned things around quickly in his first year, leading the Mocs to a 4-1 start that included a blowout win over Wofford. They stumbled down the stretch but were competitive in most SoCon games, save for a 45-10 loss at Elon. The key was revamping a defense that allowed 37.9 points per game in 2008. The Mocs allowed just 25.7 ppg last season and improved by nearly 10 points per game on offense as well. Chattanooga plays a brutal schedule, opening with SoCon favorite Appalachian State at home before heading on the road to meet Jacksonville State. Another traditional Ohio Valley power, Eastern Kentucky, visits Chattanooga a week later before the Mocs get a breather with a game at Western Carolina. The closing stretch of at Furman-vs. Elon-at Auburn-vs. Samford-at Wofford won’t be fun, either. Expect the Mocs to dwell in the middle of the SoCon pack.

DAYTON
2009 record: 9-2, 7-1 Pioneer, t1st
Last postseason appearance: 2007 (Gridiron Classic)
Last postseason victory: 2007
Starters returning (offense/defense): 9/3
Players to watch: QB Steve Valentino (59.4 comp%, 2,376 yards, 14 TD, 8 INT, 722 rush yards, 10 TD), RB Brian Mack (485 yards, 4 TD), WR Justin Watkins (47 rec., 927 yards, 7 TD); DB James Vercammen (134 tackles, 6 sacks, 11 TFL, 3 PBU).
The skinny: I’ve been hesitant in the past to include teams from the non-scholarship Pioneer League on this list, but there’s no harm in rewarding the best of the bunch. The Flyers lost a huge chunk of what was the best pass efficiency defense in the nation, but the best player of that bunch, Vercammen, is back. As a whole, Dayton allowed 13.6 points per game last season. There is a lot of talk about how the Pioneer champion deserves an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, but until the teams in the league stop losing to Division II and III teams, it’s going to be tough to convince anybody that the teams in the league are on a level playing field with scholarship teams. Dayton, for instance, lost to Division II Urbana last season. The Flyers rebounded, though, to beat Northeast Conference teams Robert Morris and Duquesne. The only way the Flyers will get any playoff consideration is if they go unbeaten.

EASTERN KENTUCKY
2009 record: 5-6, 5-3 Ohio Valley, t3rd
Last postseason appearance: 2008
Last postseason victory: 1994
Starters returning (offense/defense): 5/9
Players to watch: QB T.J. Pryor (56.1 comp%, 2,153 yards, 6 TD, 8 INT), RB Bruce Frieson (280 yards, 3 TD); WR Cody Watts (41 rec., 483 yards, 0 TD), LB Jordan Dalrymple (85 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks, 4 1/2 TFL, 3 PBU)
The skinny: The Colonels struggled through their first losing season since 1972 and lost to Austin Peay for the first time in 23 games against the Governors. Two of the losses came to FBS teams (Indiana and Kentucky). Despite all of this, had the Colonels won their season finale against Jacksonville State, they would have advanced to the FCS playoffs as Ohio Valley Conference champion. One of the biggest problems last season was turnovers. EKU was -4 in the category last season after being +18 the year before. Having an experienced quarterback in Pryor back will help the Colonels in their quest to avoid back-to-back losing seasons, and the OVC schedule is favorable, as Jacksonville State and Eastern Illinois both visit Richmond. The opening stretch is a bear, though, as EKU travels to Missouri State, Louisville and Chattanooga in successive weeks.

EASTERN WASHINGTON
2009 record: 8-4, 6-2 Big Sky, t2nd
Last postseason appearance: 2009
Last postseason victory: 2007
Starters returning (offense/defense): 5/5
Players to watch: RB Taiwan Jones (1,213 yards, 15 TD, 561 rec. yards, 4 TD), LB J.C. Sherritt (170 tackles, 14 TFL, 4 PBU, 1 INT), SS Matt Johnson (102 tackles, 1 sack, 6 TFL, 4 PBU, 6 INT).
The skinny: The Eagles got a late reprieve from the NCAA last season to become playoff eligible, and they took advantage, pulling out tough road wins at Southern Utah and Northern Arizona to make the field. The talk of the campus now isn’t NCAA infractions, it’s turf. As in the red FieldTurf the school is installing at Woodward Stadium. Eastern was +15 in turnovers last season and has an experienced back in Jones to carry the load offensively while it breaks in a new quarterback. SMU transfer Bo Levi Mitchell is likely to shoulder the QB load. Matt Nichols was one of the best passers in the country last season, finishing with 3,830 yards, 33 TDs and just 6 INTs. The Eagles host both Montana and Northern Arizona, and if they can get through a rough early stretch, the schedule is soft at the end.

MAINE
2009 record: 5-6, 4-4 CAA, 2nd North
Last postseason appearance: 2008
Last postseason victory: 2002
Starters returning (offense/defense): 9/8
Players to watch: RB Derek Session (497 yards, 3 TD), QB Warren Smith (61.2 comp%, 1,695 yards, 12 TD, 13 INT), WR Tyrell Jones (48 rec., 547 yards, 6 TD), LB Donte Dennis (106 tackles, 1 sack, 8 TFL, 3 PBU, 4 INT)
The skinny: The Black Bears were a playoff team in 2008 but struggled out of the gate last season, nearly losing to Division II St. Cloud State, barely beating now-defunct Northeastern and losing at Albany. The run game should get a boost this year with the return of All-American fullback Jared Turcotte, who missed last season due to injury. Maine misses Richmond on the modified CAA schedule, but the Black Bears’ home games are difficult—William & Mary, New Hampshire, Villanova and James Madison all visit Orono. Despite returning 17 starters, a return to the playoffs is a tall order for Maine.

PENNSYLVANIA
2009 record: 8-2, 7-0 Ivy League, 1st
Last postseason appearance: None (Ivy League does not participate in the playoffs)
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 8/5
Players to watch: RB Lyle Marsh (526 yards, 2 TD); WR Matt Tuten (29 rec., 379 yards, 2 TD), LB Zach Heller (55 tackles, 5 1/2 sacks, 3 1/2 TFL, 1 PBU), DB Josh Powers (52 tackles, 1 1/2 TFL, 4 PBU, 1 INT)
The skinny: The Quakers have won eight straight conference games since losing to Harvard in the penultimate game of the 2008 season. This is a smart, disciplined team, especially on defense. The Quakers had the fewest penalties and penalty yards in all of Division I (including FBS). The defense was outstanding last season, holding opponents to 9.5 points per game. Their last five opponents scored a combined 14 points. Even national champion Villanova struggled against Penn in a 14-3 victory. The Quakers will get a chance to prove themselves early as they host Lafayette before traveling to Villanova.

PRAIRIE VIEW
2009 record: 9-1, 7-0 SWAC West, 1st
Last postseason appearance: 2009 (SWAC championship game)
Last postseason victory: 2009
Starters returning (offense/defense): 7/7
Players to watch: RB Donald Babers (919 yards, 9 TD), QB K.J. Black (70.4 comp%, 2,033 yards, 22 TD, 4 INT), WR Shaun Stephens (36 rec., 404 yards, 3 TD); FS Chris Adingupu (68 tackles, 2 1/2 TFL, 8 PBU, 4 INT).
The skinny: Remember back in the 1980s when Prairie View was the laughingstock of all of college football, riding an 80-game losing streak at one point? Coach Henry Frazier has completely changed the culture at PVAM, and the Panthers have put together back-to-back 9-1 seasons. They nearly beat FBS New Mexico State last season, falling three points short, and they beat Grambling 35-32 in a game that catapulted them on their SWAC-winning run. Adingupu is an NFL prospect at safety, and Black was remarkably efficient last season at quarterback. Prairie View will get another chance against an FBS team, traveling to Southern Miss on Sept. 11.

ROBERT MORRIS
2009 record: 5-6, 5-3 Northeast, t3rd
Last postseason appearance: None
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 10/7
Players to watch: RB Myles Russ (1,059 yards, 2 TD), QB Jeff Sinclair (53.8 comp%, 828 yards, 9 TD, 6 INT), WR Shadrae King (34 rec., 369 yards, 4 TD), LB Alex DiMichele (109 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 TFL, 4 PBU, 2 INT).
The skinny: Could the Sept. 18 Liberty-Robert Morris game in suburban Pittsburgh be a battle of two potential playoff teams? If you believe Phil Steele’s preview magazine, yes. Robert Morris is the publication’s darkhorse pick to win the Northeast and claim the league’s first automatic playoff bid. Along with having 17 returning starters, the schedule is favorable as Albany and Central Connecticut State both travel to Moon Township. Robert Morris does travel to Wagner, though. The Colonials finished last season with five straight victories after starting the year 0-6, including a startling win at Albany, the preseason league favorite.

STONY BROOK
2009 record: 6-5, 5-1 Big South, t1st
Last postseason appearance: None
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 6/4
Players to watch: RB Eddie Gowins (890 yards, 9 TD), QB Michael Coulter (54.8 comp%, 2,060 yards, 15 TD, 10 INT), K Wesley Skiffington (15-17 FG); DB Arin West (80 tackles, 6 PBU, 3 INT).
The skinny: The Seawolves ended Liberty’s 16-game Big South win streak with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory on Long Island in the season finale last year. In just their second year in the league, they shared the conference championship. Stony Brook has some big holes to fill on defense, most notably LB Tyler Santucci, last year’s Big South defensive player of the year who is now on staff as an assistant coach. The Seawolves benefited from Hofstra’s demise, as several former members of the Pride joined Stony Brook’s roster. Gowins is healthy and enters the season as the top tailback in the conference. Stony Brook only plays four home games and travels to Liberty to end the season, potentially with a playoff berth on the line.

UC DAVIS
2009 record: 6-5, 3-1 Great West, 1st
Last postseason appearance: None
Last postseason victory: None
Starters returning (offense/defense): 8/6
Players to watch: RB Joe Trombetta (395 yards, 4 TD), WR Sean Creadick (39 rec., 5 TD), CB Danny Hart (53 tackles, 4 PBU)
The skinny: The Aggies finally broke through and beat Cal Poly last season and claimed the Great West title despite a three-touchdown loss at Southern Utah. There’s no automatic bid for this league, which has been a home for programs transitioning from Division II. North Dakota State and South Dakota State have already come and gone, and North Dakota and South Dakota probably won’t stick around long either. The Aggies must replace QB Greg Denham. Repeating as league champions won’t be easy, as Davis travels to North Dakota and Cal Poly in back-to-back weeks to end the conference season.