North Dakota State holds strong at top spot in FCS Coaches’ Poll

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – North Dakota State maintained its No. 1 ranking in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll after a 38-20 victory against then-No. 11 Illinois State on Saturday. The Bison received 24 first-place votes and 647 total points.

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Montana State also maintained its No. 2 ranking after a 16-7 victory against Montana. The Bobcats are one of four teams in this week’s poll to reach the 10-win mark this season. Old Dominion rose one spot to No. 3 (586 points, one first-place vote) after a 38-23 victory against then-No. 14 James Madison, while Eastern Washington also rose one spot to No. 4 (556 points). Sam Houston State received one first-place vote and 552 total points to round out the top five.

Appalachian State rose two spots to No. 6 after being idle last week, while Georgia Southern dropped one spot to No. 7 after falling to in-state FBS-foe Georgia. Central Arkansas used a 48-30 victory against then-No. 25 Eastern Illinois to climb two spots to No. 8, while Wofford fell to in-state FBS-foe South Carolina and maintained its No. 9 ranking. Lehigh, the final 10-win team in this week’s poll, rounds out the top 10.

Previously unranked Colgate entered this week’s poll at No. 25 after a 41-39 victory against Fordham on Saturday, finishing out the regular season at 8-3.

Ten conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association has the most teams in the top 25 with six. The Big Sky and Missouri Valley are represented by four teams each, while the Southern Conference has three teams. The Patriot League and Southland Conference are represented by two teams each, and the Big South, Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic, and Ohio Valley have one team apiece.