(STATS) - The numbers that count the most in sports are the ones on the scoreboard.
But the telling numbers representing FCS teams offer promise for a highly anticipated season that embarks this weekend in, of all things, the so-called Week 0:
Following are some key numbers to know heading into the new campaign:
0 - The amount of 2017 wins by Indiana State, Portland State and VMI programs that seek improvement this season.
1 - It's the first season on the FCS level for former Division II program North Alabama, which will play as an independent before joining the Big South Conference in 2019.
1-2 - Defending champ Central Connecticut and Duquesne, picked 1-2 in the Northeast Conference, will meet - conveniently - on the final day of the regular season Nov. 17. No other conference has that scenario.
3.3 - Coach Mike Houston's average finish in Eddie Robinson Award voting the last three years - fifth at The Citadel in 2015 and third and second at James Madison the last two seasons.
4 - Kennesaw State is only in its fourth season, returning a highly experienced team that won the Big South title and reached the FCS quarterfinals last year.
5 - The number of SWAC programs - half of them - that have a different head coach since the start of last season: Alabama A&M's Connell Maynor, Alabama State's Donald Hill-Eley, Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Cedric Thomas, Mississippi Valley State's Vincent Dancy and Prairie View A&M's Eric Dooley.
6 - The FCS-leading number of CAA Football teams in the STATS FCS Preseason Top 25: No. 2 James Madison, No. 7 New Hampshire, No. 12 Elon, No. 15 Delaware, No. 19 Villanova and No. 20 Stony Brook.
7 - Defending FCS champion and preseason No. 1 North Dakota State is seeking its seventh title in eight seasons, which would break the Bison's tie with Georgia Southern for the most all-time.
8 - The number of FCS teams that open with a conference matchup in the first week of the season: Rhode Island faces Delaware and New Hampshire takes on Maine in the CAA, Holy Cross travels to Colgate in the Patriot League and The Citadel meets Wofford in the Southern Conference.
9 - The preseason ranking of Big Sky favorite Eastern Washington, the highest for any team that didn't qualify for the 2017 playoffs.
10 - The number of times Ivy and Patriot League teams will square off this season - the most between FCS conferences.
12 - North Carolina A&T's winning streak entering the season - the longest in the FCS.
14 - The number of consecutive FCS playoff appearances by New Hampshire under coach Sean McDonnell.
20 - The year of the SWAC championship game when it returns to Birmingham, Alabama, in December.
21 - The home winning streak of Southland Conference power Sam Houston State - the longest active run in the FCS.
22 - The number of seasons Big Sky founding member Idaho spent on the FBS level before dropping back to the conference this year.
24 - The number of teams that qualify for the FCS playoffs.
25 - The number of FCS teams - one in five - that have a different head coach since the start of the 2017 season.
32 - Jacksonville State's winning streak in Ohio Valley Conference games since 2013.
48 - The FCS career record for wins by a quarterback, held by North Dakota State's Brock Jensen from 2010-13). Bison senior Easton Stick has 34 wins - a 15-0 season by the Bison away from surpassing the subdivision, and program, mark.
81 - The number of touchdown passes thrown by San Diego senior quarterback Anthony Lawrence - the most among active players.
111 - The number of 2018 matchups between FCS and FBS programs.
125 - The number of FCS teams that are spread across 13 conferences with three independents.
154 - What college football's most-played rivalry (Lafayette vs. Lehigh) turns on Nov. 17.
245 - The number of wins for William & Mary's Jimmye Laycock, the longest-tenured Division I head coach who heads into his 39th and final season.
3,120 - The miles between the Brown and Cal Poly campuses. They meet in California on Sept. 14.
11,005 - The yards of total offense that Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges brings into his senior season. He is on a pace to finish second in FCS history.
