FBS Wins Vault NDSU, EWU To Top Of The CSJ Poll
College Sports Journal
News Release
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — The crazy first week of the Football Championship Subdivision season had its impact on the College Sports Journal/Game Worn Uniforms.com Top-25 poll, with North Dakota State remaining at No. 1 and Eastern Washington vaulting to No. 2 after historical victories over ranked Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
North Dakota State, the two-time defending FCS champion, was ranked No. 1 in the CSJ preseason poll and stayed at No. 1 with its 24-21 victory over Kansas State, which was voted 26th in the Associated Press preseason rankings.
Eastern Washington moved from No. 4 to No. 2 with a 49-46 win over the AP’s No. 25 ranked team, Oregon State.
The Eagles changed spots with Montana State, which ironically set the stage for NDSU’s game at Kansas State by backing out of a trip to North Dakota State.
The Eagles changed spots with Montana State, which ironically set the stage for NDSU’s game at Kansas State by backing out of a trip to North Dakota State.
Montana State wasn’t challenged in a 42-24 victory against Monmouth.
Towson also jumped a couple of spots to No. 5 after beating Connecticut 33-18 in one of the eight FCS-over-FBS wins last week.
McNeese State was just 33rd in the preseason poll, but soared to No. 14 with the most lopsided win over a Bowl Championship Series opponent, clobbering South Florida 41-7.
Eastern Illinois jumped from No. 20 to 11 by claiming its FBS scalp with its 40-19 thrashing of San Diego State.
Samford stopped recently departed FCS school Georgia State 31-21 to break into the poll at No. 22 after being 30th in the preseason voting.
Montana’s 30-6 triumph at home against departing FCS powerhouse Appalachian State (like Georgia Southern and Old Dominion, ineligible for being ranked, because of its transition to FBS) allowed the Grizzlies to rise from 17 to 12.
In the only battle of ranked opponents in week one, Bethune-Cookman held off Tennessee State 12-9 when James Godfrey of the Tigers missed a 49-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game on the final play.
Bethune-Cookman moved to No. 21, while Tennessee State fell from No. 25 out of the poll.
Chattanooga, which lost 31-21 to Tennessee-Martin, and The Citadel, which fell 32-29 to Charleston Southern, also dropped out of the poll.
Wagner used a fourth-quarter, 28-21 win over Georgetown to move into the poll at No. 25. The Seahawks were 27th in the preseason voting.
Southern Utah, which pulled out a 22-21 win over FBS foe South Alabama with a last-second, 28-yard field goal by Colton Cook, got enough support from the win to finish 29th in the voting.
College Sports Journal/GameWorn Uniforms.com FCS Top-25 Poll
Week One
Rank Team Record Points Previous
1. North Dakota State 1-0 (14) 350 1
2. Eastern Washington 1-0 306 4
3. Sam Houston State 1-0 297 3
4. Montana State 1-0 289 2
5. Towson 1-0 286 7
6. South Dakota State 1-0248 6
7. Northern Iowa 1-0 245 13
8. Villanova 0-1 237 5
9. Central Arkansas 1-0 225 8
10. Cal Poly 1-0 200 9
11. Eastern Illinois 1-0 188 20
12. Montana 1-0 94 185 17
13. New Hampshire 0-0 180 10
14. McNeese State 1-0 163 NR/33
15. Richmond 1-0 157 14
16. Stony Brook 0-0 110 15
17. James Madison 1-0 98 16
18. Wofford 0-1 89 11
19. Illinois State 0-1 88 12
20. Coastal Carolina 1-0 60 24
21. Bethune-Cookman 1-0 53
22. Samford 1-0 47 NR/30
23. Lehigh 0-0 43 57
24. Northern Arizona 0-1 42 30
25. Wagner 1-0 29 NR/27
New To The Top-25:
15. McNeese State
20. Samford
25. Wagner
Falling Out Of The Top-25:
19. Chattanooga 0-1
21. The Citadel 0-1
25. Tennessee State 0-1
Others Receiving Votes:
Youngstown State 24
Delaware 23
Tennessee-Martin 20
Southern Utah 16
Colgate 15
Southern Illinois 12
Liberty 10
William & Mary 10
Chattanooga 8
Harvard 8
Howard 8
Tennessee State 7
Eastern Kentucky 6
Penn 6
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
North Carolina A&T 3
Morgan State 2
San Diego 1
