Six MVFC Teams Ranked in Final AFCA Top-25 FCS Poll
WACO, TEX.– For the first time in FCS championship history, it took overtime to decide a winner. Illinois State scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to force the extra period, and the Redbirds scored a touchdown on their possession, but Montana State blocked the extra point attempt. Facing a 4th and 10 on their possession, the Bobcats connected on a touchdown pass and converted the extra point to win, 35-34. Montana State wins their second national title in program history and ends the season at No. 1 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl. Despite the loss, Illinois State jumped 15 spots to finish at No. 2.
Montana and Villanova’s semifinal appearances allowed them to finish 3rd and 4th in the final poll, respectively, while North Dakota State dropped four spots to finish at No. 5 after its second-round playoff loss to Illinois State.
South Dakota made the biggest move in the final poll, jumping nine spots to No. 11 after making a run to the quarterfinals which started with a 47-0 domination over Mercer in the second round. The loss dropped the Bears 10 places to No. 18. Yale moved up eight spots to No. 13 after making an appearance in the second round. South Carolina State entered the AFCA Top 25 for the first time this season thanks to their four overtime Celebration Bowl victory over Prairie View A&M. The Bulldogs come in at No. 25 and finished with a 10-3 overall record.
| Rank |
School (1st votes) |
Pts. |
Prev. |
Post-season |
| 1 |
Montana St. (21) |
525 |
2 |
D. No. 17 Illinois St., 35-34 OT, in national championship |
| 2 |
Illinois St. |
504 |
17 |
Lost to No. 2 Montana St., 35-34 OT, in national championship |
| 3 |
Montana |
472 |
4 |
Lost to No. 2 Montana St., 48-23, in semifinals |
| 4 |
Villanova |
427 |
6 |
Lost to No. 17 Illinois St., 30-14, in semifinals |
| 5 |
North Dakota St. |
426 |
1 |
Lost to No. 17 Illinois St., 29-28, in second round |
| 6 |
Tarleton St. |
419 |
5 |
Lost to No. 6 Villanova, 26-21, in quarterfinals |
| 7 |
Stephen F. Austin |
369 |
10 |
Lost to No. 2 Montana St., 44-28, in quarterfinals |
| 8 |
UC Davis |
359 |
11 |
Lost to No. 17 Illinois St., 42-31, in quarterfinals |
| 9 |
Lehigh |
358 |
3 |
Lost to No. 6 Villanova, 14-7, in second round |
| 10 |
Rhode Island |
304 |
9 |
Lost to No. 11 UC Davis, 47-26, in second round |
| 11 |
South Dakota |
295 |
20 |
Lost to No. 4 Montana, 52-22, in quarterfinals |
| 12 |
ACU |
257 |
14 |
Lost to No. 10 Stephen F. Austin, 41-34, in second round |
| 13 |
Yale |
235 |
21 |
Lost to No. 2 Montana St., 21-13, in second round |
| 14 |
South Dakota St. |
209 |
18 |
Lost to No. 4 Montana, 50-29, in second round |
| 15 |
Tennessee Tech |
206 |
7 |
Lost to No. 23 North Dakota, 31-6, in first round |
| 16 |
North Dakota |
192 |
23 |
Lost to No. 5 Tarleton St., 31-13, in second round |
| 17 |
Youngstown St. |
190 |
13 |
Lost to No. 21 Yale, 43-42, in first round |
| 18 |
Mercer |
186 |
8 |
Lost to No. 20 South Dakota, 47-0, in second round |
| 19 |
SE Louisiana |
172 |
15 |
Lost to No. 17 Illinois St., 21-3, in first round |
| 20 |
Monmouth (N.J.) |
112 |
16 |
DNQ Playoffs |
| 21 |
Lamar |
105 |
24 |
Lost to No. 14 ACU, 38-20, in first round |
| 22 |
Jackson St. |
103 |
12 |
Lost to Prairie View A&M, 23-21, in SWAC title game |
| 23 |
Harvard |
78 |
19 |
Lost to No. 6 Villanova, 52-7, in first round |
| 24 |
West Georgia |
68 |
22 |
DNQ Playoffs |
| 25 |
South Carolina St. |
59 |
NR |
D. Prairie View A&M, 40-38 4OT, in Celebration Bowl |
Others Receiving Votes: New Hampshire, 35; Lafayette, 30; Southern Illinois, 29; Drake, 20; UT Rio Grande Valley, 20; Prairie View A&M, 16; Central Connecticut St., 15; Richmond, 15; Alabama St., 10; Presbyterian, 10; Southern Utah, 5; Austin Peay, 2.