South Dakota State capped a perfect 15-0 season with a win over No. 2 Montana in the NCAA Division I Football Championship in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 7, 2024.

SIx MVFC teams finished in the final Top 25 of both the Stats Perform poll and the AFCA Coaches poll.   The MVFC had 3 of the top 4 positions in both polls (SDSU-1; NDSU-3; USD-4).   Southern Illinois, North Dakota and Youngstown State also represented the Missouri Valley.UNI and Illinois State also were among schools receiving votes.


STATS PERFORM (Craig Haley)
Saying the South Dakota State Jackrabbits blocked out any distractions this season was an understatement.

They challenged themselves to be even better after winning the FCS national championship in the 2022 season, and were just that while going 15-0 and claiming a second consecutive title. 

SDSU was No. 1-ranked from start to finish in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, presented by FedEx Ground. The Jackrabbits’ 23-3 win over No. 2 Montana in the national championship game on Sunday was their 10th over a nationally ranked opponent – three more than any other team this season.

“It takes the leadership on this football team and the guys buying into the message of not listening to a bunch of hype,” said first-year coach Jimmy Rogers, whose team’s 29-game winning streak is the third-longest in FCS history.

The unanimous No. 1 team, led by a dominating senior class and Walter Payton Award-winning quarterback Mark Gronowski, also won its second consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference title. The strongest FCS conference had the high of six teams in the final media poll, including No. 3 North Dakota State (11-4), a national semifinalist, and No. 4 South Dakota (10-3).

Big Sky champ Montana (13-2) was one of five teams from that conference in the final rankings, while national semifinalist UAlbany (11-4) from CAA Football finished at No. 5. Ten different leagues were represented in the poll. 

A national media panel selects the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. 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.


AFCA COACHES (Vince Thompson)
No. 1 South Dakota State used a dominant defense that caused three turnovers while their offense exploded for 16 points in the third quarter to beat No. 2 Montana, 23-3, in the FCS national championship game. It was the second straight title for the Jackrabbits who are now riding a 29-game winning streak. South Dakota State was ranked No. 1 for every AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll during the 2023 season. 

     Montana finishes at No. 2 with a 13-2 record and had to survive two straight overtime games to make the championship game. The Grizz are followed by No. 3 North Dakota State, who jumped four spots in the final poll thanks to their trip to the semifinals. Idaho and South Dakota both made it to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs and end the season tied at No. 4.  

     UAlbany made the biggest jump in the final Top 25, moving up eight places to No. 7. The Great Danes made the semifinals for the first time in school history and recorded 11 wins on the season, another program best. Florida A&M dropped five spots to No. 10 despite finishing the season at 12-1 with a victory over Howard in the Celebration Bowl. 



Others Receiving Votes (Stats Perform): (schools listed on two or more ballots): Gardner-Webb 60, Tarleton 52, Nicholls 45, Northern Iowa 41, Holy Cross 35, Drake 21, Harvard 18, Central Arkansas 17, Eastern Illinois 16, Duquesne 10, Yale 4.

Others Receiving Votes (AFCA Coaches): UC Davis, 28; Harvard, 14; Gardner-Webb, 11; Tarleton, 8; Central Arkansas, 7; Nicholls, 7; Western Carolina, 7; Illinois St., 6; Yale, 4; William & Mary, 3; Rhode Island, 2; Samford, 2; Bryant, 1.