Cullowhee, N.C. – Less than 100 days away from the start of the 2025 football season, Western Carolina was ranked 18th in the nation by HERO Sports this afternoon as the online publication unveiled its 2025 FCS Preseason Top 25 Media Poll. WCU is among two Southern Conference teams in today's rankings, just behind defending champion Mercer, which was picked in a tie for 12th with reclassifying Sacramento State.
 
It's the second preseason Top 25 pick for the Catamounts, as earlier this month, NCAA FCS Football pundit Craig Haley had the Catamounts slated at No. 21 in updating his "never too early" rankings that were originally published back in January. Haley added the Catamounts, who were absent from his calendar-flip outlook at the first of the year.
 
The HERO Sports FCS Preseason Top 25 Media Poll includes ballots from four individuals who predominantly cover NCAA FCS football and is published by voter Sam Herder. The preseason voters include Kevin Marshall of FCS Nation Radio, Zach McKinnell of The Bluebloods and FCS Football Central, and Jamie Williams of FCS Fans Nation. Each slot was given a point total, and the four rankings were combined and ordered by total points.
 
Though not officially listed among the first teams left out of last year's 24-team NCAA FCS playoff, the Catamounts finished second in the SoCon, one of the nation's Top Five toughest FCS leagues in 2024. WCU finished last fall among those receiving votes in the final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll released on Jan. 7, 2025.
 
During the offseason, HERO Sports additionally ranked the Catamounts' incoming high school class seventh in the nation and listed WCU as eighth-best overall at the NCAA FCS level, tops in the Southern Conference.
 
Western Carolina opens its 2025 schedule at home for the first time since 2021 when it hosts regional rival Gardner-Webb at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. The 6 p.m. kickoff also marks the return of postgame fireworks, presented by Ingles and iHeartMedia partners, 99.9 FM Kiss Country and Star 104.3. Start times and additional game day promotions for WCU's remaining five home games will be released this spring.
 
Season tickets for Western Carolina's six-game 2025 home football schedule are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office and start at just $99 for adults and $70 for youth 12 and under. A Catamount Family Four Pack that includes two adult reserved season tickets and two youth reserved season tickets is just $250 – that's less than $11 per ticket. Season ticket options include general admission, reserved bleacher bench, and chairback seats, with a Family Zone four-pack in Section FF. A $10 transaction fee will be charged for all season ticket orders, including credit card, cash, and check.
 
Fans can purchase tickets through the Catamount Athletics Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, or by phone Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
 
Catamount Nation is also encouraged to join the Catamount Club, and current Catamount Club members are also reminded to renew their memberships before the end of June.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
 
FCS Preseason Top 25:
1. North Dakota State (4 1st-place votes)
2. Montana State
3. South Dakota State
4. South Dakota
5. UIW
6. Tarleton State
t7. Illinois State
t7. Montana
9. Rhode Island
10. Idaho
11. UC Davis
t12. Mercer
t12. Sacramento State
14. Villanova
15. Jackson State
16. Southern Illinois
17. Lehigh
18. Western Carolina
19. Northern Arizona
20. Tennessee Tech
t21. Monmouth
t21. Stephen F. Austin
23. Harvard
24. Abilene Christian
25. Stony Brook
 
Received votes (ordered from most voting points to least): Richmond, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, North Dakota, Southern Utah, North Carolina Central, UT Martin