College Football Focus 2017 FCS Preview

 You can bet that North Dakota State has been seething, wondering what it could have done differently to reverse the outcome of its 27-17 semifinal loss to eventual national champion James Madison. The Bison had won five straight national titles and were looking to once again assert their dominance over the rest of FCS football.

 But the Dukes had other ideas, and went on to beat unlikely finalist Youngstown State 28-14, winning its first national title since 2004.

 Both NDSU and James Madison will be squarely in the mix in 2017, but the loss by the Bison shows that maybe the gap between the best and "the others" isn't quite as large as perceived.

 Here is College Football Focus' 2017 FCS top 10:

NDSU's Tre Dempsey

 1. North Dakota State (12-2 in 2016) -- The Bison welcome back 16 starters, including a host of defensive stars, notably safety Tre Dempsey, linebacker Nick DeLuca and end Greg Menard, which means they once again should be lethal. Quarterback Easton Stick is back, as is wideout Darius Shepherd, which makes NDSU the favorite a seventh consecutive Missouri Valley title -- and maybe to begin a new national championship streak.

 2. James Madison (14-1) -- As long as the Dukes have quarterback Bryan Schor -- and they will through this, his senior, year -- they have a shot to repeat. The backfield is deep, and gains the services of former Georgia Tech runner Marcus Marshall. The Dukes will be challenged with a season opening trip to East Carolina, but that's a winnable game. The best CAA teams must venture to Harrisonburg.

 3. Sam Houston State (12-1) -- The Bearkats were another team knocked off by James Madison in the playoffs, to the tune of 65-7. The sting of that loss has driven quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe (57 TD passes in 2016) to be even better this year, which is a frightening thought. He has a strong group of receivers, led by Yedidiah Louis, and a nice ground attack. The defense is rebuilding, but the Bearkats are still the class of the Southland.

 4. South Dakota State (9-4) -- Look for footballs to be flying around Brookings, S.D., as the Jackrabbits possess a wealth of pass-catching talent. Quarterback Taryn Christian was MVC player of the year, and he has NFL prospects in tight end Dallas Goedert and wideout Jake Wieneke, who combined for 170 catches and 27 scores a year ago. The defense has a few holes, but South Dakota State may just take the "let's outscore everyone" approach on the road to success.

 5. Richmond (10-4) -- The Spiders have reached back into their history books to grab first year coach Russ Huesman, the defensive coordinator on their last national title team in 2008, from Chattanooga. Quarterback Kyle Lauletta returns, as does running back Deontez Thompson, who gained over 1,000 yards last season as a redshirt freshman. The defense is rebuilding, but Richmond should be the primary obstacle to James Madison in the CAA.

 6. Villanova (9-4) -- The Wildcats also have a new coach, bumping up longtime assistant Mark Ferrante. Villanova does it with defense (nation's-best 15 ppg) and returns safety Rob Rolle, who pilfered seven passes a year ago. Aaron Forbes and Matt Gudzyk could be the best 1-2 running punch in FCS.

 7. Eastern Washington (12-2) --The Eagles return 14 starters from last year, most notably quarterback Gage Gubrud, who set a single-season FCS record by throwing for 5,160 yards, with 48 TD. Jay-Tee Tiuli provides some bulk (6-4, 315) up front for the defense.

EWU's Gage Gubrud (Getty Images)

 8. Jacksonville State (10-2) -- The Gamecocks return a wealth of talent -- nine first- or second-team all-conference players -- but one who is gone is quarterback Eli Jenkins, the OVC offensive player of the year. Look for running back Roc Thomas (formerly Auburn) to become more of a focal point. The defense allowed just 18.3 ppg and returns NFL prospect Darius Jackson at end. He netted 10 sacks and 15.5 TFL last year.

 9. Chattanooga (9-4) -- The Mocs went to Division III and nabbed uber-successful John Carroll boss Tom Arth to run the show, and he gets back exciting quarterback Alejandro Bennifield, who threw 26 TD passes last season. Chattanooga loses 13 starters, but one of the returnees is senior defensive back Lucas Webb, who had nine pass break ups and has been all-conference in each of his first three seasons.

10. Wofford (10-4) -- Defense will be the buzzword in Spartanburg, S.C. as the Terriers bring back eight starters from a crew that allowed just 17.1. ppg and just over 101 yards rushing per game a year ago. Tyler Vaughn had eight sacks and 17.5 TFL, while offensively, senior quarterback Brandon Goodson is one of six starters returning.

Look Out For -- North Dakota (9-3); Lehigh (9-3); New Hampshire (8-5); Penn (7-3); Weber State (7-5); Charleston Southern (7-4); North Carolina A&T (9-3); Youngstown State (12-4); Fordham (8-3); San Diego (10-2)

FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM
OFFENSE
QB Jeremiah Briscoe/Sam Houston State
RB Chase Edmonds/Fordham
RB Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks/Albany
FB Joe Protheroe/Cal Poly
WR Jake Wieneke/South Dakota State
WR Justin Watson/Penn
TE Dallas Goedert/South Dakota State
OL Ben Huss/Duquesne
OL Justin Lea/Jacksonville State
OL Timon Parris/Stony Brook
OL Aaron Stinnie/James Madison
OL Stockton Mallet/Central Arkansas

DEFENSE
DL P.J. Hall/Sam Houston State
DL Darius Jackson/Jacksonville State
DL Pat Afriyie/Colgate
DL Miles Brown/Wofford
LB Dale Warren/Chattanooga
LB Darius Leonard/South Carolina State
LB Brett Taylor/Western Illinois
DB Mike Basile/Monmouth
DB Cole Reyes/North Dakota
DB Tre Dempsey/North Dakota State
DB Davontae Harris/Illinois State

SPECIALISTS
 K   Griffin Trau/Richmond
 P    Ian Berryman/Western Carolina
KR  Shane Simpson/Towson
PR  Terry Wallen/Drake