2023 Polls

[JackJD]

Here's the Stats Perform Top 25 through 11/12/23:

1	South Dakota State (56)	10-0	1,400	1
2	Furman	9-1	1,309	2
3	Montana	9-1	1,301	3
4	Montana State	8-2	1,233	5
5	South Dakota	8-2	1,1183	6
6	Idaho	7-3	1,042	4
7	Delaware	8-2	1,029	8
8	Sacramento State	7-3	957	9
9	North Dakota State	7-3	874	12
10	Villanova	8-2	792	T-13
11	Florida A&M	9-1	750	T-13
12	UAlbany	8-3	690	18
13	North Dakota	6-4	685	10
14	Western Carolina	7-3	601	17
15	Austin Peay	8-2	556	20
16	Southern Illinois	6-4	507	11
17	North Carolina Central	8-2	489	7
18	Chattanooga	7-3	481	19
19	UT Martin	8-2	475	21
20	UIW	7-2	464	16
21	Mercer	8-3	311	23
22	Northern Iowa	6-4	285	15
23	Harvard	8-1	168	24
24	Lafayette	8-2	142	25
25	Youngstown State	6-4	126	22

Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Central Arkansas 119; Tarleton State 80; Richmond 77; Nicholls 25; Holy Cross 21; Gardner-Webb 8; UC Davis 5; Drake 2

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/footba...orm-fcs-top-25

[JackJD]

Here’s the FCS Coach’s Poll as of Nov 19, 2023, posted on NCAA.COM:

1	South Dakota State	11-0	600	1
2	Montana	10-1	570	3
3	South Dakota	9-2	552	5
4	Idaho	8-3	479	8
5	Florida A&M	10-1	454	7
6	Furman	9-2	447	2
7	North Dakota State	8-3	443	9
8	Montana State	8-3	413	4
9	Villanova	9-2	399	15
10	Austin Peay	9-2	382	12
11	UIW	8-2	317	11
12	Delaware	8-3	310	6
13	North Carolina Central	9-2	290	14
14	North Dakota	7-4	260	17
15	Albany	9-3	257	23
16	Sacramento State	7-4	209	10
17	Southern Illinois	7-4	204	T-20
18	Lafayette	9-2	186	22
19	Chattanooga	7-4	182	16
20	Mercer	8-3	169	24
21	UT Martin	8-3	162	13
22	Holy Cross	7-4	75	25
23	Youngstown State	7-4	68	NR
24	Eastern Illinois	8-3	59	NR
25	Richmond	8-3	57	NR

Others Receiving Votes: Western Carolina, 46; UC Davis, 45; Harvard, 42; Central Arkansas, 32; Nicholls, 23; Illinois State, 13; Yale, 13; Gardner-Webb, 12; Tarleton State, 11; Drake, 5; William & Mary, 5; Rhode Island, 4; Duquesne, 3; Bryant, 1; Samford, 1.

ncaa.com

[JackJD]

The Stats Perform Top 25 Poll as of Nov 19, 2023, posted on ncaa.com, is:

1	South Dakota State (56)	11-0	1,400	1
2	Montana	10-1	1,344	3
3	South Dakota	9-2	1,280	5
4	Idaho	8-3	1,191	6
5	Montana State	8-3	1,088	4
6	Villanova	9-2	1,052	10
7	Furman	9-2	1,000	2
8	North Dakota State	8-3	995	9
9	UAlbany	9-3	963	12
10	Florida A&M	10-1	828	11
11	Delaware	8-3	802	7
12	North Dakota	7-4	754	13
13	Austin Peay	9-2	751	15
14	Southern Illinois	7-4	588	16
15	Sacramento State	7-4	574	8
16	North Carolina Central	9-2	547	17
17	Mercer	8-3	427	21
18	Chattanooga	7-4	410	18
19	UIW	8-2	396	20
20	Lafayette	9-2	268	24
21	Youngstown State	7-4	266	25
22	Richmond	803	263	NR
23	Western Carolina	7-4	230	14
24	UT Martin	8-3	194	19
25	UC Davis	7-4	179	NR

Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Tarleton State 83; Northern Iowa 73; Nicholls 59; Gardner-Webb 47; Drake 38; Holy Cross 38; Central Arkansas 29; Eastern Illinois 16; Duquesne 11; Harvard 11; Yale 5

[JackJD]

Here are the top 25 FCS schools in the Sagarin computer rankings following 11/18/23 games.

Columns:
Rank among just FCS teams
(Last week’s ranking among just FCS teams).
Sagarin ranking among all D1 teams.
(Last week’s Sagarin ranking among all D1 teams)
School – Conference

1. (1) 33 (26) South Dakota State – MVFC
2. (3) 71 (80) North Dakota State – MVFC
3. (2) 75 (60) Montana State – Big Sky
4. (4) 90 (97) Montana – Big Sky
5. (5) 96 (106) Idaho – Big Sky
6. (6) 109 (113) Southern Illinois – MVFC
7. (13) 115 (129) Villanova – Coastal
8. (10) 118 (123) South Dakota – MVFC
9. (12) 122 (126) North Dakota – MVFC
10. (11) 124 (124) Youngstown State – MVFC
11. (8) 126 (119) Northern Iowa – MVFC
12. (15) 128 (131) Illinois State – MVFC
13. (14) 129 (130) Sacramento State – Big Sky
14. (7) 130 (118) Furman – Southern
15. (9) 131 (122) Delaware – Coastal
16. (16) 132 (134) Austin Peay – United Atlantic
17. (20) 134 (144) UC Davis – Big Sky
18. (21) 135 (145) Albany-NY – Coastal
19. (19) 138 (143) Weber State – Big Sky
20. (17) 139 (137) Central Arkansas – United Athletic
21. (23) 142 (147) Missouri State – MVFC
22. (18) 143 (140) Southern Utah – United Athletic
23. (24) 146 (148) Tarleton State – United Athletic
24. (22) 148 (146) Yale – Ivy League
25. (---) 149 (---) Incarnate Word – Southland

Sagarin's computer supports the playoff selection committee's naming so many MVFC teams to the playoff! Sagarin's computer places nine MVFC teams in the top 25 of FCS.

Link: http://sagarin.com/sports/cfsend.htm

[jakejc795]

Here are the top 25 FCS schools in the Sagarin computer rankings following 11/18/23 games.

Columns:
Rank among just FCS teams
(Last week’s ranking among just FCS teams).
Sagarin ranking among all D1 teams.
(Last week’s Sagarin ranking among all D1 teams)
School – Conference

1. (1) 33 (26) South Dakota State – MVFC
2. (3) 71 (80) North Dakota State – MVFC
3. (2) 75 (60) Montana State – Big Sky
4. (4) 90 (97) Montana – Big Sky
5. (5) 96 (106) Idaho – Big Sky
6. (6) 109 (113) Southern Illinois – MVFC
7. (13) 115 (129) Villanova – Coastal
8. (10) 118 (123) South Dakota – MVFC
9. (12) 122 (126) North Dakota – MVFC
10. (11) 124 (124) Youngstown State – MVFC
11. (8) 126 (119) Northern Iowa – MVFC
12. (15) 128 (131) Illinois State – MVFC
13. (14) 129 (130) Sacramento State – Big Sky
14. (7) 130 (118) Furman – Southern
15. (9) 131 (122) Delaware – Coastal
16. (16) 132 (134) Austin Peay – United Atlantic
17. (20) 134 (144) UC Davis – Big Sky
18. (21) 135 (145) Albany-NY – Coastal
19. (19) 138 (143) Weber State – Big Sky
20. (17) 139 (137) Central Arkansas – United Athletic
21. (23) 142 (147) Missouri State – MVFC
22. (18) 143 (140) Southern Utah – United Athletic
23. (24) 146 (148) Tarleton State – United Athletic
24. (22) 148 (146) Yale – Ivy League
25. (---) 149 (---) Incarnate Word – Southland

Sagarin's computer supports the playoff selection committee's naming so many MVFC teams to the playoff! Sagarin's computer places nine MVFC teams in the top 25 of FCS.

Link: http://sagarin.com/sports/cfsend.htm

Some Thanksgiving "stuffing" -- Hawkeyes are two giblets above Jacks at #31, and JMU is several extra starchy mashed tater globs below Jacks at #46.

Would be interesting to see JMU versus Jacks at neutral site

[JackJD]

Some Thanksgiving "stuffing" -- Hawkeyes are two giblets above Jacks at #31, and JMU is several extra starchy mashed tater globs below Jacks at #46.

Would be interesting to see JMU versus Jacks at neutral site

The cold-hearted Sagarin analysis turns out remarkably accurate as the season winds down. A contest with JMU would be interesting.

[bigticket1]

The cold-hearted Sagarin analysis turns out remarkably accurate as the season winds down. A contest with JMU would be interesting.

The oddsmakers must rely heavily on the computer rankings. Someone published odds for every team winning the championship yesterday, and JSD was far down the line just like they are on the Sagarin.

[JackJD]

Now that the playoffs are in progress, the FCS Coaches Polls and the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll are no longer updated. The most recent FCS Coaches Poll was for games completed by Nov 19 (see this thread, post #77). Same for the State Perform FCS Top 25: the most recent Stats polls was for games completed by Nov 19 (see this thread, post #78).

Jeff Sagarin's computer-based rankings continue. The following is the Sagarin ranking for games played through Saturday, 12/2/23. The only FCS teams still playting on 11/25 and 12/2 were those in the FCS playoffs.

Keep in mind the Sagarin ratings rank 259 NCAA Division I teams, FBS and FCS. Below I have listed the top 10 FCS teams. Not surprisingly, all 10 teams were or are in the playoffs. The FCS playoff field started with 24 team so I also listed 14 FCS teams in addition to the top 10 FCS team. There are a lot of FCS teams having higher rankings according to the Sagarin computer than many of the teams in the playoffs. Also keep in mind that the Pioneer League (Drake won that conference so had the auto-entry in the FCS playoffs) and the Ivy League (refuses to participate in the playoffs) do not provide scholarship but are a part of Division I Football Championship Series. Drake was in the playoffs having a dismal Sagarin ranking of 236.

Sagarin-ranked Top 10 FCS teams – note all 10 were originally selected for the FCS playoffs. Reading from left to right: FCS rank within Sagarin; Actual Sagarin rank among all D1; Team.

1 20 SDSU *
2 54 NDSU *
3 66 Montana State
4 70 Montana *
5 88 Idaho *
6 95 Southern Illinois
7 97 USD *
8 99 Villanova *
9 113 U Albany *
10 114 Youngstown

The remaining 14 FCS schools who were included in the field of 24 in the FCS playoffs. The number is the actual Sagarin rank. The FCS rank within the Sagarin ranking is not shown for the following 14 teams because there are FCS schools with better Sagarin rank which are not in the playoffs.

120 UND
124 Sacramento State
127 Austin Peay
140 Furman *
145 Delaware
156 Lafeyette
164 Nicholls State
165 Chattanooga
167 Mercer
169 Richmond
170 Gardner Webb
187 NC Central
205 Duquesne
236 Drake

The top 10 FCS teams determined by Sagarin’s computer, made the FSC playoff field. Seven of the seeded teams in the FCS playoffs, are in the top 10 ranking by Sagarin. Teams marked above with an asterisk have advanced to the Quarterfinals set for December 8/9. Furman was not one of the top FCS teams selected by Sagarin's computer but seeded #7 for the FCS playoffs. Montana State is the only seeded team that did not advance to the Quarterfinals. NDSU is the one non-seeded team that has advanced to the Quarterfinals.

Some of the seeding is a little suspect and one has to wonder how much a team's seeding is affecting by travel considerations and achieving some goals in setting up the brakets.

There are FCS teams ranked higher by Sagarin compared to some of the group of 14 but playoff selection criteria (e.g. auto qualifier as a conference title winner) causes better-rated teams to not make the playoffs. Take seven-seed Furman’s Sagarin rank of 140 – there are three MVFC teams who did not make the playoff field but have better Sagarin rankings than Furman.

Here are the Sagarin rankings of the six MVFC teams which did not make the playoff field.

123 Illinois State
125 UNI
131 Missouri State
200 Murray State
202 Indiana State
250 Western Illinois

Sagarin’s cold-hearted computer ranking is fairly supportive of the FSC-playoff selection methodology, at least the top 10 selections closely match the work of Sagarin's computer.

Link to Sagarin's webite: http://sagarin.com/sports/cfsend.htm

[westernjack]

I wonder what was the highest NDSU has ever been ranked by Sagarin? 20 seems very high for an FCS school to be at

[Jacks-02]

Sagarin-ranked Top 10 FCS teams – note all 10 were originally selected for the FCS playoffs. Reading from left to right: FCS rank within Sagarin; Actual Sagarin rank among all D1; Team.

1 20 SDSU *
2 54 NDSU *
3 66 Montana State
4 70 Montana * (Potential Final opponent)
5 88 Idaho * (Potential Semifinal opponent)
6 95 Southern Illinois
7 97 USD *
8 99 Villanova * (Quarterfinal opponent)
9 113 U Albany * (Potential Semifinal opponent)
10 114 Youngstown

Pretty incredible that if SDSU runs the table and wins the championship, and beats Montana in the final to do so, they will have beaten all but one of the top ten-ranked teams in the subdivision.

[Jacks-02]

I wonder what was the highest NDSU has ever been ranked by Sagarin? 20 seems very high for an FCS school to be at

Not sure what year it was, but I believe NDSU ended as high as #17 in the rankings.

[JackJD]

Not sure what year it was, but I believe NDSU ended as high as #17 in the rankings.

I recall— not sure about the accuracy of the recollection— NDSU being ranked in top 25 of a final season poll...that's Top 25 in all D1 and was not Sagarin. It was an opinion poll (AP Coaches’ poll?).

[jackdaniel]

I wonder what was the highest NDSU has ever been ranked by Sagarin? 20 seems very high for an FCS school to be at

That's without the same number of scholarships FBS schools have....impressive.

[JackJD]

Stan Becton, writing on NCAA.com about FCS football, proposes a re-ranking of the top eight teams ahead of the quarterfinal games. Here's his opinion...link below.

1. SDSU
2. Montana
3. UAlbany
4. USD
5. NDSU
6. Idaho
7. Furman
8. Villanova.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/a...-quarterfinals



.

[SlapJack]

Stan Becton, writing on NCAA.com about FCS football, proposes a re-ranking of the top eight teams ahead of the quarterfinal games.

I understand that sportswriters need to find things to write about, but this is a dumb idea. If Stan Becton truly thinks they would wipe away a team's body of work over a season and replace it with one weekend of games, he is an idiot.