Nicholls 14th, Southeastern cracks top 20 in final FCS polls

North Dakota State ended the 2019 season in a familiar place, at No. 1 the FCS pollsl. The Bison defeated No. 2 James Madison, 28-20, to earn their third straight NCAA FCS National Championship.

Winners of an astounding eight of the last nine national titles, NDUS has won the most championships of any school in FCS history. The Bison also recorded the first 16-0 season in modern college football history and extended their winning streak to 37 straight games, tied for the third longest in the history of Division I football.

Southland Conference champion Nicholls finished 14th in both polls while Southeastern Louisiana was ranked 18th and 19th in the coaches and STATS rankings respectively.

AFCA FCS Coaches Poll
Team (First-place votes) Record Points Prv.
1. North Dakota State (25) 16-0 625 1
2. James Madison 14-2 600 2
3. Weber State 11-4 569 4
4. Montana State 11-4 551 5
5. Northern Iowa 10-5 505 6
6. Montana 10-4 495 8
7. Illinois State 10-5 451 14
8. Kennesaw State 11-3 405 9
9. Sacramento State 9-4 396 3
10. Austin Peay 11-4 394 17
11. Central Arkansas 9-4 363 7
12. South Dakota State 8-5 359 12
13. Monmouth 11-3 338 11
14. Nicholls 9-5 265 19
15. Villanova 9-4 256 10
16. Southeast Missouri State 9-4 244 13
17. Wofford 8-4 215 15
18. Southeastern Louisiana 8-5 183 24
19. Furman 8-5 154 16
20. Albany 9-5 137 NR
21. Dartmouth 9-1 125 20
22. Central Connecticut State 11-2 121 18
23. North Carolina A&T 9-3 119 22
24. Yale 9-1 79 23
25. Florida A&M 9-2 61 21
Others receiving votes: North Dakota 36, Southern Illinois 26, San Diego 14, South Carolina State 13, Towson 10, Holy Cross 9, Eastern Washington 4, UT Martin 3.

Stats Perform FCS Top 25
Team (First-place votes) Record Points Prv.
1. North Dakota State (153) 16-0 3,825 1
2. James Madison 14-2 3,672 2
3. Weber State 11-4 3,490 4
4. Montana State 11-4 3,366 5
5. Northern Iowa 10-5 3,101 6
6. Montana 10-4 3,006 7
7. Illinois State 10-5 2,886 13
8. Austin Peay 11-4 2,592 18
9. Sacramento State 9-4 2,589 3
10. South Dakota State 8-5 2,312 10
11. Central Arkansas 9-4 2,125 9
12. Monmouth 11-3 2,032 14
13. Kennesaw State 11-3 1,992 15
14. Nicholls 9-5 1,708 19
15. Villanova 9-4 1,580 8
16. Wofford 8-4 1,334 11
17. Southeast Missouri 9-4 1,285 12
18. Albany 9-5 1,244 25
19. Southeastern Louisiana 8-5 1,171 NR
20. North Carolina A&T 9-3 782 23
21. Furman 8-5 770 16
22. Dartmouth 9-1 607 21
23. Central Connecticut State 11-2 606 17
24. Florida A&M 9-2 528 20
25. Yale 9-1 353 25
Others receiving votes: North Dakota 257, Southern Illinois 141, San Diego 119, Towson 104, Holy Cross 29, Alcorn State 26, Princeton 22, Eastern Washington 21, UT Martin 19, New Hampshire 9, South Carolina State 9, Maine 3.