North Dakota State returns to No. 1 spot in latest FCS Coaches’ Poll

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – North Dakota State regained the No. 1 ranking in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll after a 21-17 victory against Missouri State on Saturday. The Bison received 21 first-places votes and 641 total points.

FCS COACHES POLL
Check out the full rankings.

Montana State received one first-place vote (614 points) and rose one spot to No. 2, while Sam Houston State received three first-place votes (593) and climbed to No. 3. Old Dominion (No. 4) and Lehigh (No. 5), the only undefeated team in the top 25, each moved up one spot after wins last weekend.

Eastern Washington jumped two spots to No. 6 after a 34-17 win against then-No. 16 Cal Poly. Last week’s No. 1, Georgia Southern, fell to No. 7 after a 31-28 loss against then-No. 14 Appalachian State. Stony Brook received the final first-place vote and rose one spot to No. 8, while James Madison (No. 9) and New Hampshire (No. 10) each climbed one spot to round out the top ten.

Previously-unranked Richmond (No. 23) and UT Martin (No. 24) each entered this week’s poll after picking up wins during the weekend, while Villanova (No. 25) entered this week’s poll after being idle Saturday.

Ten conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association has the most teams with six. The Big Sky and Missouri Valley are represented by four teams each, while the Southern Conference has three teams. The Ohio Valley and Southland conferences are represented by two teams, and the Big South, Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic and Patriot League have one team.