Jacksonville State Is Back On Top Of FCS Poll After Beating Eastern Kentucky
Special to College Sports Journal
MISSOULA, MT. — It may have taken a few weeks, but Jacksonville State is back on top of the Any Given Saturday FCS Top-25 poll for the second time this season.
Jacksonville State and Illinois State swapped spots in the ninth week of, with the Gamecocks receiving 49 of 85 first-place votes in this week’s poll.
JSU (7-1 overall, 5-0 in conference) dominated Eastern Kentucky (5-3, 4-1), ranked No. 12 in the previous week’s poll, 34-0 at home in a showdown that might have decided the Ohio Valley Conference race.
Illinois State (7-1, 5-0) survived an upset bid at home by then-No. 24 Indiana State for a tighter-than-expected Missouri Valley Football Conference win. The Redbirds pulled in 34 first-place votes.
The only other team to received first-place support was No. 7 McNeese State (8-0, 7-0), which was named No. 1 on a single ballot. The Cowboys are now one of only two perfect teams in the Football Championship Subdivision, joining No. 16 Harvard (7-0, 4-0).
McNeese State stopped Abilene Christian in Southland Conference play on the road, 15-13. Harvard defeated No. 23 Dartmouth in a battle of previously unbeaten Ivy League squads, 14-13, with two touchdowns in the final quarter.
Other teams ahead of McNeese State n the top 10 include No. 3 Portland State, followed by Chattanooga, Richmond and North Dakota State. Eastern Washington, South Dakota State and William & Mary complete the top 10.
The fan-based and moderated AGS poll has been widely recognized as the most accurate in FCS since its debut as a fan-based voting service over a decade ago.
Readers can read more about the poll and other FCS topics at www.anygivensaturday.com.
AGS Poll Results – WEEK 9 – 2015
Results for 11/02/2015 AGS Poll:
| Rank | Team: | Total Points | First Place Votes | Previous Wk. |
| 1 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 2059 | 49 | 2 |
| 2 | Illinois State Redbirds | 2049 | 34 | 1 |
| 3 | Portland State Vikings | 1807 | 5 | |
| 4 | Chattanooga Mocs | 1767 | 4 | |
| 5 | Richmond Spiders | 1724 | 8 | |
| 6 | North Dakota State Bison | 1695 | 6 | |
| 7 | McNeese State Cowboys | 1512 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | Eastern Washington Eagles | 1457 | 10 | |
| 9 | South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 1395 | 11 | |
| 10 | William & Mary Tribe | 1380 | 13 | |
| 11 | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | 1151 | 3 | |
| 12 | Sam Houston State Bearkats | 1112 | 14 | |
| 13 | James Madison Dukes | 1045 | 7 | |
| 14 | Charleston Southern Buccaneers | 1013 | 21 | |
| 15 | Southern Utah Thunderbirds | 948 | 17 | |
| 16 | Harvard Crimson | 811 | 16 | |
| 17 | Northern Iowa Panthers | 741 | 18 | |
| 18 | The Citadel Bulldogs | 643 | 22 | |
| 19 | Eastern Kentucky Colonels | 562 | 12 | |
| 20 | Fordham Rams | 411 | 15 | |
| 21 | Youngstown State Penguins | 292 | 28 | |
| 22 | Indiana State Sycamores | 241 | 24 | |
| 23 | North Carolina A&T Aggies | 240 | 27 | |
| 24 | Dartmouth Big Green | 195 | 23 | |
| 25 | Western Illinois Leathernecks | 189 | 19 | |
| Most Significant Win: | ||||
| Charleston Southern Buccaneers | ||||
| Most Significant Loss: | ||||
| Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | ||||
| ORV: | ||||
| 26 | Dayton Flyers | 154 | 30 | |
| 27 | Eastern Illinois Panthers | 119 | 34 | |
| 28 | Towson Tigers | 116 | 36 | |
| 29 | Central Arkansas Bears | 89 | NR | |
| 30 | Northern Arizona Lumberjacks | 84 | 35 | |
| 31 | Montana Grizzlies | 83 | 20 | |
| 32 | Bethune-Cookman Wildcats | 40 | 37 | |
| 33 | Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks | 39 | 32 | |
| 34 | Southern Illinois Salukis | 32 | 31 | |
| 35 | North Dakota | 31 | NR | |
| 36 | South Dakota Coyotes | 15 | 26 | |
| 37 | Western Carolina Catamounts | 12 | 29 | |
| 38 | Liberty Flames | 6 | NR |
