CHICAGO – North Dakota State was ranked No. 5 in the final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 media poll issued Monday, May 17, following the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.
A day after Sam Houston beat South Dakota State 23-21 in the title game, SHSU was the unanimous No. 1 pick ahead of No. 2 SDSU. They were followed by the two national semifinalists with James Madison ranked third and Delaware fourth.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference had five teams in the final poll including No. 6 North Dakota, No. 8 Southern Illinois and No. 13 Missouri State.
North Dakota State finished the 2020-21 season with a 7-3 overall record and placed fourth in the MVFC with a 5-2 record. The Bison advanced to the FCS quarterfinals for the 11th consecutive season.
Final 2020-21 Stats Perform FCS Top 25 | ||||
Team (First-Place Votes) | W-L | Pts | Prev | |
1. | Sam Houston (40) | 10-0 | 1,000 | 4 |
2. | South Dakota State | 8-2 | 958 | 2 |
3. | James Madison | 7-1 | 918 | 1 |
4. | Delaware | 7-1 | 859 | 5 |
5. | North Dakota State | 7-3 | 827 | 6 |
6. | North Dakota | 5-2 | 783 | 7 |
7. | Jacksonville State | 10-3 | 732 | 8 |
8. | Southern Illinois | 6-4 | 706 | 14 |
9. | Weber State | 5-1 | 705 | 3 |
10. | Eastern Washington | 5-2 | 630 | 9 |
11. | Monmouth | 3-1 | 606 | 10 |
12. | VMI | 6-2 | 572 | 11 |
13. | Missouri State | 5-5 | 503 | 12 |
14. | UC Davis | 3-2 | 405 | 13 |
15. | Richmond | 3-1 | 402 | 15 |
16. | Villanova | 2-2 | 356 | 16 |
17. | Kennesaw State | 4-1 | 345 | 17 |
18. | Murray State | 5-2 | 247 | 19 |
Rhode Island | 2-1 | 247 | 18 | |
20. | Southeastern Louisiana | 4-3 | 223 | 20 |
21. | East Tennessee State | 4-2 | 155 | 22 |
22. | Sacred Heart | 3-2 | 154 | NR |
23. | Austin Peay | 4-5 | 153 | 21 |
24. | Alabama A&M | 5-0 | 152 | NR |
25. | Nicholls | 4-3 | 110 | 23 |
Dropped out: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (24), Northern Iowa (25)
Others receiving votes: Holy Cross 64, Northern Iowa 59, Davidson 31, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 30, Southern 19, Samford 16, Maine 12, Duquesne 8, Incarnate Word 3