2008 FCS Coaches Poll

Appalachian State Tabbed as Unanimous Preseason No. 1 by Coaches

Spartanburg, S.C. -- Three-time defending FCS national champion Appalachian State received more preseason praise Thursday as the Mountaineers were selected the unanimous number one team in the country in the FCS Coaches Preseason Poll. ASU received all 24 first-place votes in collecting 600 total points.

After a 10-1 record in their final season in the Great West Conference, North Dakota State, now in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, came in at No. 2. Rounding out the top 10 were James Madison, Northern Iowa, Massachusetts, 2007 FCS semifinalist Richmond, Montana, 2007 FCS Championship runner-up Delaware, Eastern Washington and McNeese State.

Three conferences dominated the polls as the newly renamed Missouri Valley Football Conference, formerly Gateway, and the Colonial Athletic Association each had six teams. The Southern Conference was close behind with five teams.

The MVC football teams ranked were North Dakota State (2), Northern Iowa (4), 2007 FCS semifinalist Southern Illinois (11), Youngstown State (12), South Dakota State (20) and Western Illinois (22).

The CAA had four teams in the top 10 with James Madison leading the way at No. 3, with Massachusetts (5), Richmond (6) and Delaware (8) also in the top 10. New Hampshire was ranked at No. 16 and Villanova came in at No. 19.

The SoCon was led by Appalachian State at No. 1, with Wofford (13), Elon (15), Georgia Southern (17) and The Citadel (23) also ranked.

The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.

2008 FCS Coaches Preseason Poll (August 21, 2008)

Team (1^st votes) 2007 Record Points 2007 Final Ranking

1. Appalachian State (24) 13-2 600 1

2. North Dakota State 10-1 527 9

3. James Madison 8-4 513 7

4. Northern Iowa 12-1 508 5

5. Massachusetts 10-3 488 6

6. Richmond 11-3 456 4

7. Montana 11-1 444 12

8. Delaware 11-4 419 2

9. Eastern Washington 9-4 393 8

10. McNeese State 11-1 366 11

11. Southern Illinois 12-2 329 3

12. Youngstown State 7-4 320 17

13. Wofford 9-4 316 10

14. Cal Poly 7-4 275 NR

15. Elon 7-4 247 23

16. New Hampshire 7-5 231 14

17. Georgia Southern 7-4 185 18

18. Eastern Illinois 8-4 182 15

19. Villanova 7-4 148 NR

20. South Dakota State 7-4 135 22

21. Eastern Kentucky 9-3 105 13

22. Western Illinois 6-5 67 NR

23. The Citadel 7-4 60 NR

24. Harvard 8-2 42 20

25. Central Arkansas 6-5 41 NR

Other receiving votes (points in parentheses): Fordham (40), Northern Arizona (40), Delaware State (36), Liberty (33), Yale (32), Jacksonville State (30), South Carolina State (27), Sam Houston State (24), Montana State (23), Hampton (22), Hofstra (18), Furman (13), Holy Cross (9), San Diego (8), Grambling State (7), UT Martin (6), Towson (5), Coastal Carolina (5), North Dakota (5), Maine (4), Weber State (4), Jackson State (4), UC Davis (3), Dayton (2), Florida A&M (1), Prairie View A&M (1), Missouri State (1).