Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
1 | ![]() | James Madison | JMU (14-1) won the FCS National Championship, ending with a 12 game win streak. Now work begins to repeat. Congrats! | 5 |
2 | ![]() | Youngstown State | YSU (12-4) won four games en route to the title game, but fell short in the end. Still, the Penguins are back to prominence. | 9 |
3 | ![]() | North Dakota State | NDSU's (12-2) roll toward a sixth championship was stopped by JMU. Don't think they won't be a major player in 2017. | 3 |
4 | ![]() | Eastern Washington | EWU (12-2) looked invincible when they shutout Richmond in the quarters, but Youngstown State had different plans in semis. | 4 |
5 | ![]() | South Dakota State | SDSU (9-4) won a war against Villanova before falling to MVFC nemesis, NDSU. Watch out for these guys next year. | 8 |
6 | ![]() | Richmond | Richmond (10-4) beat NC A&T then won a roadie at North Dakota. But the roadie to EWU was too much. | 17 |
7 | ![]() | Sam Houston State | SHSU (12-1) was able to dispatch of Chattanooga before a blowout loss to JMU in the quarters. | 2 |
8 | ![]() | Wofford | Wofford (10-4) became kings of South Carolina, beating Charleston South and The Citadel before losing to Youngstown State. | 15 |
9 | ![]() | Jacksonville State | JSU (10-2) were given the #3 seed and lost out immediately to Youngstown State. | 1 |
10 | ![]() | Coastal Carolina | Coastal (10-2) didn't participate in the playoffs because they're going to the FBS Sun Belt Conference. Good luck! | 10 |
11 | ![]() | North Dakota | UND (9-3) shared the Big Sky title and took a #7 seed into the playoffs, but were edged by Richmond in Round 2. | 6 |
12 | ![]() | Citadel | The Citadel (10-2) were undefeated, but lost their finale, still earning a #6 seed. But they couldn't beat Wofford when it counted. | 7 |
13 | ![]() | Central Arkansas | UCA (10-3) roared back to beat Illinois State, but were slowed down condierably by EWU in Round 2. | 11 |
14 | ![]() | Villanova | Nova (9-4) got by St. Francis in Round 1, but lost a Round 2 war at SDSU, 10-7. Enjoy retirement coach Talley! | 12 |
15 | ![]() | Chattanooga | The Mocs (9-4) annihilated Weber State then lost a close one at SHSU. Would they have faired better against JMU? | 16 |
16 | ![]() | New Hampshire | UNH (8-5) crushed Lehigh, then got crushed in a rematch with James Madison. Still, 13-year playoff streak remains intact. | 19 |
17 | ![]() | Charleston Southern | CSU (7-4) lost a dogfight to Wofford in Round 1, 15-14. How far would they have gone had they pulled that one out? | 14 |
18 | ![]() | Lehigh | Lehigh (9-3) ends their season getting throttled by UNH, 64-21 in Round 1...ouch! | 13 |
19 | ![]() | San Diego | USD (10-2) beat Cal Poly in Round 1 before losing to NDSU. That win was the Pioneer's first ever in the FCS Playoffs. | NR |
20 | ![]() | Samford | Samford (7-5) lost in Round 1 to Youngstown State, but made it a fight. | 24 |
21 | ![]() | Cal Poly | CP (7-5) was shocked in Round 1 by non-scholarship San Diego. They beat the Toreros in Week 2, but not when it counted. | 21 |
22 | ![]() | Weber State | WSU (7-5) was blitzed by Chattanooga in Round 1, 45-14. It was a tough game, but still a bad showing. | 22 |
23 | ![]() | Grambling State | Grambling (12-1) rolled through the SWAC, then squeaked out a 10-9 Celebrations Bowl win over NC Central. | NR |
24 | ![]() | Fordham | Fordham (8-3) did not participate in the playoffs despite winning 6 of their last 7. The Committee thought differently. | 20 |
25 | ![]() | North Carolina A&T | NC A&T (9-3) lost to rival NC Central, ironically putting them in the playoffs. But the Richmond buzzsaw chewed them up. | 23 |
Final FCS Football Power Rankings