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After six FCS teams stunned FBS opponents last season, what could be in store for 2025? Here are the games that could join the list next and should be on your radar.

Week 1

• South Dakota over Iowa State
• Tarleton State at Army

South Dakota knocking off a Big 12 school in its first game with a new head coach would be an amazing feat. The Coyotes gave Big Ten school Wisconsin all it could handle in 2024, and pieces from that team return this fall. With quarterback Aidan Bouman leading the way, South Dakota could potentially land a ranked upset in Ames.

Army will have a new look in 2025 after quarterback and sixth-place Heisman finisher Bryson Daily left. That means a team that finished 12-2 last year could be a prime candidate for an FCS-over-FBS upset when Tarleton State comes to town. Tarleton State does return its quarterback Victor Gabalis after an FCS playoff run and opens the season ranked No. 10 in the STATS Perform Poll. An FBS win would solidify the Texans as an emerging power in the FCS.

SCHEDULE: Every FCS vs FBS game scheduled for the 2025 college football season

Week 2

• UT Martin over UTEP
• Jackson State over Southern Miss
• Sacramento State over Nevada

UT Martin will play its second FBS opponent of the season when it visits UTEP. UT Martin is one of the top teams in the OVC-Big South and won an FBS game as recently as last year (24-13 win against Kennesaw State). The Skyhawks could land an upset in Week 2.

Sacramento State brought one of the top transfer recruiting classes in the FCS — meaning plenty of talent from the FBS transferred in. Nevada was one of worst teams in the FBS last year, finishing at just 3-10, and the Wolf Pack were predicted to finish last in the Mountain West again this fall. If Sacramento State’s talent meshes quickly, this game could be an upset.

A SWAC school has never defeated an FBS opponent, and an HBCU hasn’t defeated an FBS opponent since North Carolina A&T did so in 2018. Could Jackson State shift the tide? The Tigers are the most talented team in HBCU football entering the year, and they’ll play Southern Miss out of the Sun Belt. JSU will have to stop preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Braylon Braxton, but it’ll still face a Southern Miss team predicted to finish in the bottom half of the Sun Belt West division. An upset can happen.

HISTORY: See every FCS-over-FBS upset all-time

Week 3

• Monmouth over Charlotte
• UIW over UTSA

Monmouth picked up its first FBS win in program history last year with a win over FIU. It returns elite quarterback Derek Robertson, who can light up the scoreboard. Charlotte finished 11th in the American last year in yards allowed. This game is screaming a high-scoring upset.

UIW opened as a top-five team in the preseason STATS Perform Poll. The Cardinals are fresh off an FCS quarterfinals appearance and have six preseason FCS All-Americans. UTSA won’t be an easy win, as the Roadrunners are one of the teams projected to contend in the American, but top teams in the FCS should always have FBS teams on notice.

HOW TO DO IT: Here's the FCS blueprint to beating a ranked FBS team

Week 4

• UT Martin over Missouri State

UT Martin defeated Kennesaw State in its first year of FBS play. The Skyhawks could feel a sense of déjà vu in 2025 when they play Missouri State in its first year of FBS play. UT Marin has been an annual contender for the FCS Playoffs under head coach Jason Simpson and were one vote away from being predicted to win the OVC-Big South in 2025. This is a team with the talent to land another FCS-over-FBS upset

MORE FCS: Preseason HBCU power rankings | Top 25 nonconference games | Transfers to watch

Week 5

• Rhode Island over Western Michigan

Rhode Island was an FCS playoff team last year and is predicted to win the CAA in 2025. Meanwhile, Western Michigan has finished with a losing record in back-to-back seasons and lost most of its returning starters on offense from last year. With this game happening in Week 5, Rhode Island could be rolling and ready to land an FBS upset.