Five MVFC Teams Ranked in Top-25 Polls
Led by North Dakota State at No. 1, the MVFC has five teams ranked in the Top 25 this week. The Bison are the top-ranked team in both the STATS FCS Top-25 poll and the AFCA Coaches Poll. South Dakota State (3/3), Illinois State (19/19), UNI (21/18) and South Dakota (23/RV) also represent the league in the STATS and AFCA rankings, respectively. Youngstown State received votes in both polls, while Western Illinois and Southern Illinois received mention in the STATS top-25 voting.
STATS FCS TOP-25 POLL
(STATS) - It's easy to see why North Carolina A&T first-year coach Sam Washington would like for his team to compete in the FCS playoffs and not just in the annual Celebration Bowl. The defending MEAC champ is off to a start like any other FCS team, already beating Top 10 and FBS opponents to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 14. The Aggies (2-0), ranked 14th in the preseason, jumped up to No. 5 in the STATS FCS Top 25 on Monday, even receiving two first-place votes.
N.C. A&T got a jump on the season in Week 0, beating then-No. 6 Jacksonville State 20-17. The MEAC champion competes in the Celebration Bowl instead of the playoffs. Washington called the playoffs "the ultimate goal of this football team" this past offseason. For now, N.C. A&T's highest national ranking since 1993 can be satisfying.
North Dakota State, the 2017 FCS champion, remained No. 1 in the national media poll following a 49-3, season-opening win over Cal Poly. The first four spots were unchanged with James Madison second followed by South Dakota State and Sam Houston State.
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.
Others: UC Davis (417), Delaware (361), Austin Peay (343), Rhode Island (178), Montana State (169), Yale (141), Sacramento State (136), San Diego (117), Grambling State (94), Southern Utah (67), Colgate (50), Richmond (44), Western Illinois (42), Butler (42), North Alabama (33), North Dakota (28), Tennessee State (22), Lehigh (21), Youngstown State (21), Western Carolina (16), Prairie View A&M (16), Southeastern Louisiana (10), Chattanooga (9), Monmouth (8), Southern Illinois (5), Howard (5), Idaho (4), Alabama State (3), Central Connecticut State (3), Fordham (2), Harvard (1), Duquesne (1).
AFCA COACHES POLL
WACO, TEX.– North Carolina A&T jumped into the Top 10 of the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll at No. 6 this week after two straight outstanding performances. The Aggies upset then-No. 6 Jacksonville State, 20-17, on August 25, then traveled to East Carolina and handed the Pirates a 28-23 loss on Sunday after sitting through a one-day weather delay.
North Dakota State still sits at No. 1 with all 26 first-place votes. The Bison are followed by James Madison, South Dakota State, Sam Houston State and Eastern Washington, who round out the Top 5.
Montana had the biggest gain in the poll, jumping from No. 25 to No. 16 after beating then-No. 11 Northern Iowa, 26-23. The biggest loser this week was New Hampshire, who fell 13 spots to No. 22 after its loss to Maine.
There are two Top 25 matchups coming up this week. In the first matchup, No. 5 Eastern Washington travels to No. 20 Northern Arizona while the second contest has No. 15 Elon hosting No. 21 Furman.
| Rank |
School (1st votes) |
Pts. |
Prev. |
| 1 |
North Dakota St. (26) |
650 |
1 |
| 2 |
James Madison |
614 |
2 |
| 3 |
South Dakota St. |
585 |
3 |
| 4 |
Sam Houston St. |
565 |
4 |
| 5 |
Eastern Washington |
524 |
7 |
| 6 |
North Carolina A&T |
479 |
14 |
| 7 |
Wofford |
461 |
11 |
| 8 |
Kennesaw St. |
447 |
5 |
| 9 |
Samford |
434 |
10 |
| 10 |
Nicholls |
392 |
17 |
| 11 |
Villanova |
368 |
19 |
| 12 |
Jacksonville St. |
348 |
6 |
| 13 |
Weber St. |
315 |
8 |
| 14 |
McNeese |
296 |
18 |
| 15 |
Elon |
250 |
13 |
| 16 |
Montana |
248 |
25 |
| 17 |
Central Arkansas |
247 |
15 |
| 18 |
Northern Iowa |
206 |
12 |
| 19 |
Illinois St. |
205 |
20 |
| 20 |
Northern Arizona |
175 |
NR |
| 21 |
Furman |
102 |
21 |
| 22 |
New Hampshire |
95 |
9 |
| 23 |
Stony Brook |
79 |
22 |
| 24 |
Austin Peay |
59 |
23 |
| 25 |
Maine |
54 |
NR |
Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota, 46; Delaware, 40; Sacramento St., 27; UC Davis, 23; Yale, 22; San Diego, 20; Colgate, 18; Montana St., 11; Rhode Island, 11; Dayton, 9; Western Carolina, 9; Youngstown St., 5; Southeastern Louisiana, 4; Alabama St., 3; Charleston Southern, 3; Grambling St., 1.