STATS FCS Top 25

Season-high 11 Conferences in the STATS FCS Top 25; four ranked from Big Sky

By

on

CHICAGO – Nov. 12, 2018 –– With the postseason nearing in FCS college football, everybody wants in.

The theme was evident Monday when a season-high 11 conferences were represented in the STATS FCS Top 25. The newcomers included Pioneer Football League champion San Diego, which was 21st in the national media rankings, while CAA Football had the most ranked teams with six.

North Dakota State, the defending national champion and winner of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title, has been No. 1 all season. The vote was unanimous (155 first-place votes) for the sixth straight week.

Kennesaw State and Weber State remained No. 2 and 3, respectively, and Eastern Washington and South Dakota State moved up one spot each to No. 4 and 5, respectively. Eastern did so on the strength of a 59-20 rout of UC Davis in the Big Sky Conference. The Aggies fell from No. 6 to No. 9 following their first Big Sky Conference loss this season.

Montana State quarterback Troy Andersen/ by Brooks Nuanez

Like San Diego, No. 25 Montana State made its first appearance in the rankings this season. At No. 24, UIW, which has won at least a share of the Southland Conference title, did so for the first time in its 10-year history.

 With one week left before Selection Sunday, the Big Sky has four teams ranked overall in the STATS FCS and American Football Coaches (AFCA) Top 25 national polls.

The Big Sky had held a steady top six spots in the FCS polls over the past three weeks, but with teams forced to play each other down the line, the makeup looks a little different this week.

Weber State leads the way at No. 3 in the STATS FCS poll for the second straight week, while Eastern Washington moved into the No. 4 spot. With a loss to the Eagles on the road, UC Davis dropped to No. 9 this week. All three teams have a chance to clinch at least a share of the Big Sky title this weekend with a win. The trio holds identical records at 8-2 overall and 6-1 in league play.

In the AFCA Coaches’ poll, the Eagles remain at No. 3, equaling their highest ranking for the second straight week, after reaching the spot previously during Week 6. The Eagles picked up a huge win this past weekend, when they defeated UC Davis, 59-20. The Aggies had entered the game ranked No. 4 in the FCS. Eastern Washington has now been ranked in the top 10 for 11 consecutive weeks. The Eagles will play at Portland State on Friday night.

Weber State picked up its fifth consecutive victory with a 31-18 win over in-state rival Southern Utah. The Wildcats were once again voted No. 4 in the AFCA Coaches’ poll – its highest ranking all season. Weber State will take on previously ranked Idaho State on Saturday.

The Aggies fell to Eastern Washington on the road. The loss dropped them from No. 7 to No. 11 in this week’s AFCA Coaches’ Poll. UC Davis has been ranked in the coaches’ poll since Week 3 of the season. The Aggies host Sacramento State this weekend.

For the first time this season, the Montana State Bobcats are ranked in the FCS Top 25 polls. The Bobcats were voted No. 25 in the FCS STATS Poll this week. Montana State is coming off a 35-7 win over Northern Colorado at home. The Bobcats (6-4, 4-3 BSC) are set to take on Montana in the Brawl of the Wild this Saturday.

This is the fifth consecutive week the Big Sky has three teams in the STATS FCS Top 10 poll. Prior to this season, the Big Sky last had three teams in the top tier in Week 1 of the 2015 season – Eastern Washington (7th), Montana (8th) and Montana State (9th) in the Coaches’ Poll.

Other Big Sky teams receiving votes were Idaho State and Montana.

Most FCS conferences are set to play their final full week of the regular season, leading to Sunday’s announcement of the 24-team playoff pairings. The Mid-Eastern Athletic and Southwestern Athletic conferences will send their champions to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl.

A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the STATS FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.

 

STATS FCS Top 25 (Nov. 12)

 

  1. North Dakota State(10-0), 3,875 points (155 first-place votes)

Previous Ranking: 1; Last Week’s Result: 48-7 win over Missouri State

 

  1. Kennesaw State(9-1), 3,677

Previous Ranking: 2; Last Week’s Result: 51-14 win over Monmouth

 

  1. Weber State(8-2), 3,502

Previous Ranking: 3; Last Week’s Result: 31-18 win over Southern Utah

 

  1. Eastern Washington(8-2), 3,415

Previous Ranking: 5; Last Week’s Result: 59-20 win over UC Davis

 

  1. South Dakota State(7-2), 3,262

Previous Ranking: 6; Last Week’s Result: 57-38 win over Southern Illinois

 

  1. Jacksonville State(8-2), 2,822

Previous Ranking: 8; Last Week’s Result: 41-14 win over Tennessee State

 

  1. James Madison(7-3), 2,806

Previous Ranking: 9; Last Week’s Result: 48-31 win over Rhode Island

 

  1. Colgate(9-0), 2,691

Previous Ranking: 10; Last Week’s Result: 48-6 win over Lehigh

 

  1. UC Davis(8-2), 2,635

Previous Ranking: 4; Last Week’s Result: 59-20 loss to Eastern Washington

 

  1. Stony Brook(7-3), 2,379

Previous Ranking: 12; Last Week’s Result: 17-3 win over Delaware

 

  1. Princeton(9-0), 2,099

Previous Ranking: 13; Last Week’s Result: 59-43 win over Yale

 

  1. North Carolina A&T(8-2), 1,989

Previous Ranking: 14; Last Week’s Result: 28-12 win over Savannah State

 

  1. Wofford(7-3), 1,838

Previous Ranking: 15; Last Week’s Result: 38-23 win over Western Carolina

 

  1. Elon(6-3), 1,794

Previous Ranking: 7; Last Week’s Result: 41-10 loss to Towson

 

  1. Towson(7-3), 1,784

Previous Ranking: 20; Last Week’s Result: 41-10 win over Elon

 

  1. Maine(7-3), 1,728

Previous Ranking: 16; Last Week’s Result: 28-9 win over Richmond

 

  1. Delaware(7-3), 1,572

Previous Ranking: 11; Last Week’s Result: 17-3 loss to Stony Brook

 

  1. Nicholls(7-3), 1,528

Previous Ranking: 17; Last Week’s Result: 47-14 win over Stephen F. Austin

 

  1. ETSU(8-2), 1,315

Previous Ranking: 19; Last Week’s Result:

 

  1. Dartmouth(8-1), 776

Previous Ranking: 25; Last Week’s Result: 35-24 win over Cornell

 

  1. San Diego(8-2), 495

Previous Ranking: NR; Last Week’s Result: 56-53 win over Davidson

 

  1. McNeese(6-4), 447

Previous Ranking: 18; Last Week’s Result: 37-34 2-OT loss to Northwestern State

 

  1. Southeast Missouri State(7-3), 412

Previous Ranking: 21; Last Week’s Result: 40-38 loss to Murray State

 

  1. UIW(6-4), 378

Previous Ranking: NR; Last Week’s Result: 40-27 win over Central Arkansas

 

  1. Montana State(6-4), 152

Previous Ranking: NR; Last Week’s Result: 35-7 win over Northern Colorado

 

Dropped Out: UNI, Illinois State, Idaho State

 

Others Receiving Votes: Indiana State 124, Idaho State 112, Lamar 99, Alcorn State 90, Montana 89, UNI 81, Furman 74, North Dakota 72, Monmouth 56, Abilene Christian 47, Illinois State 37, Duquesne 34, Chattanooga 25, Western Illinois 16, Sam Houston State 13, Rhode Island 12, Central Arkansas 10, Murray State 6, Southern 4, Florida A&M 3

Related Items

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

Recommended for you