SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After being voted the preseason favorite, North Dakota State maintained its No. 1 ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ Poll. The Bison, who won the 2011 National Championship game, received 23 out of 26 first-place votes.
North Dakota State opened the 2012 season at home, where they shut out Robert Morris 52-0. The NDSU defense held Robert Morris to 88 yards of total offense, the lowest total since 2001 when the Bison allowed 80 (-9 rushing, 89 passing) against Angelo State.
Sam Houston State maintained its No. 2 spot, although they do not play their first contest of the 2012 season until Saturday, September 8. The Bearkats tallied 611 points and two first-place votes.
Georgia Southern remained at No. 3 after sophomore quarterback Ezayi Youyoute rushed for a career-high 164 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, and sophomore running back Dominique Swope ran for 104 yards with three scores to lead the third-ranked Eagles to a 58-0 football victory against Jacksonville Saturday. Montana State also maintained its No. 4 ranking, after defeating Chadron State 33-6.
Old Dominion, which defeated Duquesne 57-23, moved up one spot to No. 5, while James Madison jumped two spots to No. 6 after their 55-7 victory on Saturday.
Northern Iowa stayed at No. 7, Appalachian State fell to No. 8, and Montana climbed to No. 9.
The biggest jump in the rankings was made by Youngstown State. The Penguins began the season at No. 18, but jumped eight spots to No. 10 after a dominating performance against Pittsburgh (31-17). Andre Stubbs ran for 71 yards and a score, and also added 61 yards receiving and another touchdown as the Penguins beat a Football Bowl Subdivision team for the first time in 12 years. It was the team’s first win against a Bowl Championship Series opponent in history.
New to the poll this week is McNeese State (t-No.21). The Cowboys defeated FBS-opponent Middle Tennessee State on the road Thursday night 27-21. McNeese fell behind early 6-0 but rolled off 24 unanswered points in large part to a running game that racked up 298 yards on the ground.
Nine conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association leads the way with six teams, followed by the Southland and Missouri Valley with four ranked teams. The Southern Conference and Big Sky have three teams in the Top 25. The Patriot League, Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic, and Ohio Valley are all represented with one team in this week’s poll.
FCS COACHES’ POLL
1 North Dakota State (23) 1-0 645 1
2 Sam Houston State (2) 0-0 611 2
3 Georgia Southern 1-0 597 3
4 Montana State 1-0 518 4
5 Old Dominion 1-0 498 6
6 James Madison 1-0 469 8
7 Northern Iowa 0-1 466 7
8 Appalachian State 0-1 434 5
9 Montana 1-0 428 10
10 Youngstown State 1-0 407 18
11 Eastern Washington 1-0 348 15
12 New Hampshire 1-0 346 12
13 Wofford 1-0 336 13
14 Lehigh 1-0 328 11
15 Delaware 1-0 300 14
16 Towson 0-1 290 9
17 Stony Brook 1-0 241 17
18 Maine 0-0 212 16
19 Illinois State 1-0 157 20
20 Central Arkansas 0-1 109 19
T21 Stephen F. Austin 1-0 102 24
T21 McNeese State (1) 1-0 102 NR
23 Harvard 0-0 89 22
24 Norfolk State 1-0 82 23
25 Eastern Kentucky 0-1 58 21
Dropped out: No. 25 Indiana State.
Others receiving votes: Indiana State (57); Liberty (39); South Carolina State (34); Jacksonville State (32); UT Martin (25); Bethune-Cookman (17); Tennessee Tech (16); William & Mary (14); North Dakota (11); Albany (7); Cal Poly (7); Portland State (7); Alabama A&M (6); Cornell (2); Jackson State (2); Samford (2); Pennsylvania (1); Tennessee State (1).
