James Madison won the 2016 FCS title.
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee revealed the first of two top 10 rankings this evening with defending national champion and undefeated James Madison leading the way as the top-ranked team.
Right behind the Dukes at No. 2 is North Dakota State (8-0) followed by Jacksonville State (7-1), Central Arkansas (7-1) and South Dakota (7-1).
RELATED: Reactions to the first Top 10 release
Rounding out the top 10 are Sam Houston State (7-1) at sixth, Elon (7-1) at seventh, Wofford (7-1) at eighth, Northern Arizona (6-2) at ninth and South Dakota State (6-2) at 10th.
For the second straight year, the November announcements are an effort to build excitement around the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and may have some bearing on the final bracket that will be revealed at 11 a.m. Eastern time on Selection Sunday, Nov. 19, on ESPNU.
FCS Championship Committee Chair, Richard Johnson, discusses tonight's rankings reveal #FCSPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/tiWCyJ8lpL
— FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 3, 2017
The 2017 championship field consists of 10 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large qualifiers. The top eight teams will be seeded, receive first-round byes and host second-round games. The 16 other teams will bid to host first-round games. First-round games will take place Saturday, Nov. 25, and the championship will conclude with the national championship game, Saturday, Jan. 6, at noon Eastern time in Frisco, Texas. The national championship game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Tickets for the Division I championship game are available at ncaa.com/fcs.
NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee Top 10
(records through Oct. 28)
- James Madison (8-0)
- North Dakota State (8-0)
- Jacksonville State (7-1)
- Central Arkansas (7-1)
- South Dakota (7-1)
- Sam Houston State (7-1)
- Elon (7-1)
- Wofford (7-1)
- Northern Arizona (6-2)
- South Dakota State (6-2)
