2008 FCS Coaches Poll

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 22, 2008

 

Dukes Jump to No. 1 After Victory Over Mountaineers

 

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After overcoming a 21-0 halftime deficit to defeat previous No. 1 Appalachian State 35-32, the James Madison Dukes (3-1) have jumped from the No. 5 spot to No. 1 in the latest FCS Coaches Poll.

 

The Dukes received 672 points and 11 first-place votes to narrowly edge fellow Colonial Athletic Association foe and No. 2-ranked Richmond. The Spiders (3-1) received 665 total points and 11 first-place votes after defeating Maine 44-17 on Saturday.

 

Montana was the final team to receive first-place votes. The Grizzlies received 650 total points and six first-place votes after defeating UC Davis 29-24 to run their record to 3-0.

 

Rounding out the top 10 were Appalachian State (1-2), who fell from No. 1 after its loss to the Dukes, Northern Iowa (2-1), McNeese State (1-1), North Dakota State (2-2), New Hampshire (3-0), Cal Poly (2-1) and Massachusetts (2-2).  

 

Making the biggest moves in the poll were a pair of Southern Conference schools. Current No. 17 Furman (3-1) defeated then-No. 6 Delaware (1-2) Saturday 23-21. The Paladins moved up six spots from No. 23. No. 22 Georgia Southern (2-2) lost on a last second field goal to current No. 14 Elon (3-1) Saturday and subsequently fell eight spots from No. 14.

 

Entering the poll for the first time this season is No. 25 Tennessee State. The Tigers are 4-0 after they defeated Eastern Kentucky 34-20 on Saturday.

 

There are now four teams ranked in the top 25 that are undefeated. These teams are No. 3 Montana, No. 8 New Hampshire, No. 15 Central Arkansas (4-0) and No. 25 Tennessee State. 

 

The CAA, SoCon and Missouri Valley Football Conference still dominate the polls with six teams each although there was quite a bit of change in the positions of the teams. The CAA still boasts four in the top 10, including No. 1 and No. 2.

 

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. Two head coaches from each of the 14 FCS conferences participate in the voting.

 

The FCS Coaches Poll website can be viewed here and is updated every week after the release of the poll.  

 

 

Team (1st Votes)                       Record             Points              Previous Ranking

1. James Madison (11)               3-1                    672                                   5

2. Richmond (11)                       3-1                    665                                   3

3. Montana (6)                           3-0                    650                                   4

4. Appalachian State                  1-2                    585                                   1

5. Northern Iowa             2-1                    575                                   7

6. McNeese State                      1-1                    504                                   8

7. North Dakota State                 2-2                    490                                   2

8. New Hampshire                      3-0                    471                                 10

9. Cal Poly                                2-1                    437                                 11

10. Massachusetts                    2-2                    374                                   9

11. Wofford                                2-1                    364                                 12

12. Delaware                             1-2                    348                                   6

13. Southern Illinois                    1-1                    343                               T14

14. Elon                                    3-1                    332                                 18

15. Central Arkansas                  4-0                    313                                 16

16. Eastern Washington             1-2                    308                                 17

17. Furman                                3-1                    242                                 23

18. South Dakota State              2-2                    215                                 13

19. Villanova                              2-1                    202                                 19

20. Eastern Illinois                     2-2                    183                                 20

21. Western Illinois                    2-2                    136                                 21

22. Georgia Southern                 2-2                    131                               T14

23. Youngstown State                2-2                    113                                 24

24. The Citadel                          2-1                    111                                 22

25. Tennessee State                  4-0                      78                               NR

 

Other receiving votes (pts. in parentheses): Liberty (63), Jacksonville State (32), Northern Arizona (31), Harvard (19), Hampton (14), Prairie View A&M (14), Montana State (10), Delaware State (8), Weber State (7), Sam Houston State (7), William & Mary (6), North Dakota (4), San Diego (3), Yale (3), Holy Cross (1), UT Martin (1), South Carolina State (1), Texas State (1), Lafayette (1), Florida A&M (1).