CHICAGO – Sept. 16, 2019 – To the winners go the … national ranking.
Two days after there were a number of high-profile matchups, some of the winning teams were rewarded Monday in the STATS FCS Top 25, the national media poll.
Towson (3-0), which beat defending CAA champion Maine on the road, jumped three spots to No. 5 – its highest ranking since finishing second as the 2013 national runner-up. Jacksonville State (2-1) beat last year’s national runner-up, Eastern Washington, and soared seven spots to No. 10.
EWU fell out of the top 10 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 11. UC Davis moved up one spot to No. 4 after a 41-13 win over Lehigh. Weber State held steady at No. 6 despite a 19-13 loss to Nevada. WSU has lost two FBS games by a combined total of 25-13 this season.
Montana State is up two spots to No. 8 following a messy 23-14 win over Western Illinois. The victory is the first non-conference road win under head coach Jeff Choate.
Montana moved up one spot to No. 19 following its 35-3 loss at FBS No. 15 Oregon.
Youngstown State and The Citadel followed key wins with their first Top 25 appearances this season. Youngstown (3-0), which handled Northeast Conference power Duquesne, was No. 24. The Citadel (1-2), which had lost close games to Towson and Elon (also ranked), earned the season’s third FCS win over the FBS – an overtime triumph at Georgia Tech – and was No. 25.
The biggest matchup ahead in Week 4 of the season features No. 1 North Dakota State hosting No. 4 UC Davis. The top-ranked Bison collected 150 of the 158 first-place votes, with the other eight going to No. 2 James Madison.
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the STATS FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.
STATS FCS Top 25 (Sept. 16)
1. North Dakota State (3-0), 3,941 points (150 first-place votes)
Previous Ranking: 1; Last Week’s Result: 47-22 win over Delaware
2. James Madison (2-1), 3,747 (8)
Previous Ranking: 2; Last Week’s Result: 63-12 win over Morgan State
3. South Dakota State (2-1), 3,653
Previous Ranking: 3; Last Week’s Result: 38-10 win over Drake
4. UC Davis (2-1), 3,352
Previous Ranking: 5; Last Week’s Result: 41-13 win over Lehigh
5. Towson (3-0, 1-0 CAA), 3,296
Previous Ranking: 8; Last Week’s Result: 45-23 win over Maine
6. Weber State (1-2), 2,848
Previous Ranking: 6; Last Week’s Result: 19-13 loss to Nevada
7. Kennesaw State (2-1), 2,757
Previous Ranking: 9; Last Week’s Result: 42-7 win over Alabama State
8. Montana State (2-1), 2,536
Previous Ranking: 10; Last Week’s Result: 23-14 win over Western Illinois
9. Northern Iowa (1-1), 2,287
Previous Ranking: 11; Last Week’s Result: Bye
10. Jacksonville State (2-1), 2,285
Previous Ranking: 17; Last Week’s Result: 49-45 win over Eastern Washington
11. Eastern Washington (1-2), 2,284
Previous Ranking: 4; Last Week’s Result: 49-45 loss to Jacksonville State
12. Maine (1-2, 0-1 CAA),2,083
Previous Ranking: 7; Last Week’s Result: 45-23 loss to Towson
13. Nicholls (1-1), 2,070
Previous Ranking: 12; Last Week’s Result: 42-35 win over Prairie View A&M
14. Central Arkansas (3-0, 1-0 Southland), 1,960
Previous Ranking: 14; Last Week’s Result: 31-30 win over Abilene Christian
15. Illinois State (2-1), 1,950
Previous Ranking: 13; Last Week’s Result: 21-3 win over Eastern Illinois
16. North Carolina A&T (2-1), 1,540
Previous Ranking: 15; Last Week’s Result: 27-21 win over Charleston Southern
17. Furman (1-2), 1,464
Previous Ranking: 16; Last Week’s Result: 24-17 loss to Virginia Tech
18. Villanova (3-0), 1,293
Previous Ranking: 22; Last Week’s Result: 45-10 win over Bucknell
19. Montana (2-1), 983
Previous Ranking: 20; Last Week’s Result: 35-3 loss to Oregon
20. Delaware (2-1, 1-0 CAA), 912
Previous Ranking: 18; Last Week’s Result: 47-22 loss to North Dakota State
21. Southeastern Louisiana (1-1), 882
Previous Ranking: 23; Last Week’s Result: 40-29 loss to Ole Miss
22. Elon (2-1, 1-0 CAA), 689
Previous Ranking: 25; Last Week’s Result: 42-20 win over Richmond
23. Southeast Missouri (1-2), 570
Previous Ranking: 19; Last Week’s Result: 50-0 loss to Missouri
24. Youngstown State (3-0), 497
Previous Ranking: N/R; Last Week’s Result: 34-14 win over Duquesne
25. The Citadel (1-2), 221
Previous Ranking: N/R; Last Week’s Result: 27-24 OT win over Georgia Tech
Dropped Out: Wofford, Sam Houston State
Others Receiving Votes: Princeton 220, Stony Brook 154, South Carolina State 118, Indiana State 110, Dartmouth 74, McNeese 67, Wofford 67, Sam Houston State 61, North Dakota 56, Northern Arizona 53, Southern Illinois 49, Yale 39, Dayton 38, Sacramento State 33, Monmouth 33, Lamar 16, Duquesne 12, Chattanooga 11, Austin Peay 8, Cal Poly 7, Alcorn State 4, Eastern Kentucky 4, Houston Baptist 4, ETSU 3, Mercer 3, William & Mary 3, UIW 1, Holy Cross 1, Idaho State 1
