In what was an otherwise uneventful week for the top nine teams in the FCS Coaches Poll, Portland State and Sam Houston State saw the biggest gains, climbing to No. 11 and No. 12, respectively.
PSU topped Southern Utah 24-23 Saturday on the strength of its defense, which recorded three interceptions and snuffed out the Thunderbirds’ potential game-winning two-point try with 1:18 remaining in the contest. Sam Houston State, on the other hand, earned a 59-21 blowout win over Northwestern State.
Jacksonville State collected 24 first-place votes and 648 points from the coaches to stay at No.
1. The Ohio Valley Conference champion cruised past Southeast Missouri State on Saturday, 56-28, to improve to 9-1. JSU wide receiver Josh Barge had seven receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns in the win to become the Gamecocks’ all-time receptions leader.
McNeese State and North Dakota State kept their No. 2 and No. 3 rankings by garnering 648 points and 616 points, respectively. The Cowboys, who were idle, took two first-place votes. NDSU beat Youngstown State on Saturday by a field goal to move to 8-2 on the year.
Coastal Carolina grabbed 559 points to hold steady at fourth in the poll. The Chanticleers rolled Kennesaw State 45-13 and now sit at 9-1. South Dakota State rounds out the top five with 544 points and an 8-2 record. The Jackrabbits earned a 30-23 win over South Dakota on Saturday.
Illinois State, William & Mary, Charleston Southern and Chattanooga are all unchanged from last week and lay claim to the No. 6 through No.9 spots in the poll. UTC claimed a share of the Southern Conference crown on Saturday with a 31-23 triumph over The Citadel, and Charleston Southern fought off Liberty, 31-24, to earn the Big South title outright.
James Madison received a small bump up to No. 10 in the wake of Eastern Washington’s 57-16 loss at the hands of Montana. The Eagles fell nine spots and sit at No. 19 in this week’s poll, while Montana moved up five spots to No. 17.
North Carolina A&T, Fordham and Northern Iowa claim the No. 13-No. 15 slots, in that order.
Richmond, Southern Utah, Harvard and The Citadel all dropped at least three spots following defeats on Saturday.
Youngstown State dropped out of the poll this week, while Central Arkansas joined the rankings at No. 25.
FCS Coaches Poll (Nov. 16, 2015)
Team (First-Place Votes) Record Points Last
1. Jacksonville State (24) 9-1 648 1
2. McNeese State (2) 9-0 616 2
3. North Dakota State 8-2 592 3
4. Coastal Carolina 9-1 559 4
5. South Dakota State 8-2 544 5
6. Illinois State 8-2 531 6
7. William & Mary 8-2 486 7
8. Charleston Southern 9-1 464 8
9. Chattanooga 8-2 440 9
10. James Madison 8-2 408 11
11. Portland State 8-2 368 16
12. Sam Houston State 7-3 327 18
13. North Carolina A&T 9-1 312 14
14. Fordham 9-2 295 17
15. Northern Iowa 6-4 256 19
16. Richmond 7-3 229 12
17. Montana 6-4 188 22
18. Southern Utah 7-3 185 15
19. Eastern Washington 6-4 184 10
20. Northern Arizona 7-3 138 25
21. Harvard 8-1 114 13
22. Bethune-Cookman 8-2 111 23
23. Dartmouth 8-1 93 24
24. The Citadel 7-3 92 20
25. Central Arkansas 7-3 70 NR
Dropped from rankings: Youngstown State
Others receiving votes: Grambling State 59, Dayton 29 , Villanova 20, Youngstown State 19, Eastern Kentucky 16, North Dakota 15, Eastern Illinois 13, Alcorn State 7, Towson 5, New Hampshire 5, Penn 4, UT Martin 2, Western Carolina 2, Western Illinois 2, South Dakota 1, Cal Poly 1