Seven Missouri Valley Football Conference schools are ranked in the FCS coaches poll this week, which is a league record.
The MVFC has had six teams ranked in a poll five previous occasions. All 10 schools are receiving votes.
Missouri State is ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since the 1997 pre-season poll had the Bears at No. 21 (ESPN USA Today Coaches poll). The last regular-season top-25 ranking for MSU was the final poll of 1996 (No. 23 by The Sports Network).
Illinois State, ranked last week in the coaches poll, is also in the Sports Network Top-25 poll this week.
North Dakota State was the unanimous No. 1 pick in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll this week. The Bison totaled a perfect 650 points after receiving all 26 first-place votes for the first time this season.
NDSU extended its FCS-record winning streak to 28 games after topping then No. 3 Montana, 22-10, on Saturday in a matchup of top-five teams. The Bison totaled 447 yards of offense, including 280 rushing yards, and possessed the ball for 39:08 to earn their 16th straight home win. Kicker Adam Keller kicked a school-record five field goals, including a season-long 47-yard field goal, and added one extra point to score 16 of the Bison’s 22 points in the win.
Nine conferences were represented among the 25 teams. The Missouri Valley Football Conference led all conferences with seven teams in the top 25. The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) was second with four schools while the Big Sky, Big South and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) each placed three.
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.
FCS Coaches Poll – Week 4 (September 22, 2014)
Team (First-Place Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (26) 4-0 650 1
2. Eastern Washington 3-1 623 2
3. Coastal Carolina 4-0 578 5
4. McNeese State 1-1 545 6
5. Villanova 2-1 526 7
6. Montana 2-2 505 3
7. New Hampshire 2-1 494 9
8. Jacksonville State 2-1 492 8
9. South Dakota State 3-1 449 10
10. Northern Iowa 1-2 408 11
11. Southeastern Louisiana 2-2 368 4
12. Youngstown State 3-1 303 15
13. William & Mary 3-1 301 17
14. Bethune-Cookman 2-1 273 12
15. Chattanooga 1-2 271 14
16. Southern Illinois 3-1 269 13
17. Montana State 2-2 241 16
18. Eastern Kentucky 4-0 210 22
19. Fordham 3-1 188 19
20. Tennessee State 3-1 154 20
21. Richmond 2-2 141 18
22. Illinois State 2-0 101 24
23. Liberty 3-1 80 NR
24. Missouri State 3-1 65 NR
25. Charleston Southern 4-0 39 NR
Dropped From Rankings: Bryant, Furman, Northern Arizona, Sam Houston State
Others Receiving Votes: Sam Houston State 26, Towson 22, Furman 18, Alcorn State 16, Samford 16, Harvard 13, Northern Arizona 13, Sacramento State 12, Stephen F. Austin 9, Indiana State 7, North Carolina A&T 7, Albany 5, Alabama State 3, South Dakota 3, Bryant 2, Cal Poly 2, Northwestern State 1, Southeast Missouri State 1
