North Dakota State was the unanimous No. 1 in the final STATS FCS Top 25 poll released Monday, Jan. 8, following NDSU's 17-13 victory over previously unbeaten James Madison in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.
North Dakota State (14-1), previously ranked fourth but the No. 2 overall seed for the FCS playoffs, earned all 158 first-place votes and finished ahead of second-place James Madison (14-1).
South Dakota State (11-3), Sam Houston State (12-2) and Weber State (11-3) rounded out the top five followed by Wofford (10-3), North Carolina A&T (12-0), Kennesaw State (12-2), Jacksonville State (10-2) and Central Arkansas (10-2).
The Missouri Valley Football Conference had five teams in the final media poll including No. 13 Western Illinois (8-4), No. 15 South Dakota (8-5) and No. 17 Northern Iowa (8-5).
Full story: STATS FCS Top 25: Once again, North Dakota State is No. 1
STATS FCS Top 25 – Final (Jan. 8, 2018) | ||||
| Team (First-Place Votes) | W-L | Pts | Prev |
1 | North Dakota State (158) | 14-1 | 3950 | 4 |
2 | James Madison | 14-1 | 3788 | 1 |
3 | South Dakota State | 11-3 | 3512 | 6 |
4 | Sam Houston State | 12-2 | 3508 | 5 |
5 | Weber State | 11-3 | 3045 | 11 |
6 | Wofford | 10-3 | 2964 | 8 |
7 | North Carolina A&T | 12-0 | 2830 | 7 |
8 | Kennesaw State | 12-2 | 2748 | 18 |
9 | Jacksonville State | 10-2 | 2700 | 2 |
10 | Central Arkansas | 10-2 | 2560 | 3 |
11 | Stony Brook | 10-3 | 2155 | 10 |
12 | New Hampshire | 9-5 | 2141 | 21 |
13 | Western Illinois | 8-4 | 1857 | 9 |
14 | Southern Utah | 9-3 | 1831 | 12 |
15 | South Dakota | 8-5 | 1765 | 16 |
16 | Grambling State | 11-2 | 1451 | 13 |
17 | Northern Iowa | 8-5 | 1365 | 20 |
18 | Samford | 8-4 | 1302 | 14 |
19 | Furman | 8-5 | 1297 | 22 |
20 | Elon | 8-4 | 1117 | 15 |
21 | Eastern Washington | 7-4 | 693 | 17 |
22 | McNeese State | 9-2 | 675 | 19 |
23 | San Diego | 10-3 | 552 | NR |
24 | Yale | 9-1 | 299 | 24 |
25 | Nicholls State | 8-4 | 293 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Illinois State (220), Austin Peay (215), Northern Arizona (163), Monmouth (132), Delaware (53), Central Connecticut State (37), Columbia (27), Sacramento State (26), Richmond (22), Montana (16), Youngstown State (14), Alcorn State (8), Western Carolina (6), Southeastern Louisiana (6), Lehigh (3), Bethune-Cookman (2), Dartmouth (1), North Carolina Central (1).