The Dukes defeated Rhode Island 38-3 to retain the top spot in the FCS Committee's Top 10.
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee revealed the final top 10 rankings Thursday evening with defending national champion and undefeated James Madison (9-0) leading the way for the second straight week as the top-ranked team.
Right behind the Dukes at No. 2 is Jacksonville State (8-1) followed by Central Arkansas (8-1), North Dakota State (8-1) and Sam Houston State (8-1).
Rounding out the top 10 are Elon (8-1) at sixth, South Dakota State (7-2) at seventh, Wofford (8-1) at eighth, South Dakota (7-2) at ninth and the week’s only newcomer North Carolina A&T (9-0) at 10th.
RELATED: Last week's Top 10
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.
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.
For more information on the committee’s top 10 rankings for this week, please go to @NCAA_FCS. Tickets for the Division I championship game are also available at ncaa.com/fcs.
Here is the committee's Top 10 with records through Nov. 4:
| Rank | School | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Madison | 9-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Jacksonville State | 8-1 | 3 |
| 3 | Central Arkansas | 8-1 | 4 |
| 4 | North Dakota State | 8-1 | 2 |
| 5 | Sam Houston State | 8-1 | 6 |
| 6 | Elon | 8-1 | 7 |
| 7 | South Dakota State | 7-2 | 10 |
| 8 | Wofford | 8-1 | 8 |
| 9 | South Dakota | 7-2 | 5 |
| 10 | North Carolina A&T | 9-0 | NR |
