CHICAGO – Oct. 28, 2019 – Heading into the final month of the regular season, the STATS FCS Top 25 has its most-widespread representation of teams.
With North Dakota entering at No. 24 on Monday, 10 different conferences and the independent Fighting Hawks are included in the national media poll.
The Missouri Valley, CAA and Big Sky conferences lead the way with four teams each and they’re 1, 2 and 3, respectively, with North Dakota State (8-0), James Madison (8-1) and Weber State (6-2), which moved up one spot after South Dakota State fell to the top-ranked Bison 23-16 on Saturday in the biggest game of the regular season to date.
North Dakota (5-3), which is playing a second consecutive season as an independent before it joins the MVFC next year, moved into the rankings after posting a 16-12 win over then-No. 9 Montana State. Stony Brook (5-3) and Wofford (5-2) returned at No. 20 and 23, respectively.
No. 3 Weber State, No. 6 Sacramento State, No. 8 Montana and No. 14 Montana State gives the Big Sky Conference four teams in the Big Sky. UC Davis fell out of the Top 25 for the first time this season.
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 (Oct. 28)
1. North Dakota State (8-0), 3,874 points (154 first-place votes)
Previous Ranking: 1; Last Week’s Result: 23-16 win over South Dakota State
2. James Madison (8-1), 3,711 (1 first-place vote)
Previous Ranking: 2; Last Week’s Result: 27-10 win over Towson
3. Weber State (6-2), 3,458
Previous Ranking: 4; Last Week’s Result: 36-20 win over UC Davis
4. South Dakota State (6-2), 3,381
Previous Ranking: 3; Last Week’s Result: 23-16 loss to North Dakota State
5. Kennesaw State (7-1), 3,117
Previous Ranking: 6; Last Week’s Result: 41-17 win over North Alabama
6. Sacramento State (6-2), 3,110
Previous Ranking: 7; Last Week’s Result: 38-14 win over Cal Poly
7. Illinois State (6-2), 2,869
Previous Ranking: 8; Last Week’s Result: 24-7 win over Indiana State
8. Montana (6-2), 2,689
Previous Ranking: 10; Last Week’s Result: 34-17 win over Eastern Washington
9. Northern Iowa (5-3), 2,488
Previous Ranking: 11; Last Week’s Result: 29-6 win over Missouri State
10. Central Arkansas (6-2), 2,425
Previous Ranking: 12; Last Week’s Result: 29-25 win over Sam Houston State
11. Villanova (6-2), 2,301
Previous Ranking: 5; Last Week’s Result: 36-35 loss to Stony Brook
12. Princeton (6-0), 1,965
Previous Ranking: 13; Last Week’s Result: 30-24 win over Harvard
13. Furman (5-3), 1,930
Previous Ranking: 14; Last Week’s Result: 28-7 win over Western Carolina
14. Montana State (5-3), 1,579
Previous Ranking: 9; Last Week’s Result: 16-12 loss to North Dakota
15. Dartmouth (6-0), 1,522
Previous Ranking: 17; Last Week’s Result: 59-24 win over Columbia
16. North Carolina A&T (5-2), 1,345
Previous Ranking: 18; Last Week’s Result: 64-6 win over Howard
17. Florida A&M (7-1), 1,174
Previous Ranking: 20; Last Week’s Result: 24-12 win over Morgan State
18. Southeast Missouri (5-3), 932
Previous Ranking: 24; Last Week’s Result: 17-10 win over UT Martin
19. Central Connecticut State (7-1), 917
Previous Ranking: 23; Last Week’s Result: 28-0 win over Long Island
20. Stony Brook (5-3), 823
Previous Ranking: N/R; Last Week’s Result: 36-35 win over Villanova
21. Towson (4-4), 686
Previous Ranking: 16; Last Week’s Result: 27-10 loss to James Madison
22. Jacksonville State (6-3), 568
Previous Ranking: 25; Last Week’s Result: 14-12 win over Murray State
23. Wofford (5-2), 557
Previous Ranking: N/R; Last Week’s Result: 35-34 OT win over Chattanooga
24. North Dakota (5-3), 539
Previous Ranking: N/R; Last Week’s Result: 16-12 win over Montana State
25. Nicholls (4-4), 508
Previous Ranking: 15; Last Week’s Result: 37-31 OT loss to Abilene Christian
Dropped Out: Delaware (19), Sam Houston State (21), UC Davis (22)
Others Receiving Votes: Sam Houston State 303, Austin Peay 212, Alcorn State 208, UC Davis 131, New Hampshire 128, UAlbany 125, The Citadel 108, Monmouth 107, Delaware 96, Elon 94, UT Martin 77, Youngstown State 70, Southeastern Louisiana 57, Yale 49, Southern Illinois 33, Richmond 31, Northern Arizona 21, South Carolina State 21, Campbell 15, UIW 6, Eastern Kentucky 5, Portland State 5, Abilene Christian 3, McNeese 2
