The Madness FCS Power Rankings - Final
The Madness FCS Power Rankings are a relatively basic power rating system when compared to the highly complex systems involving comparative scoring formulas. This system uses no comparative scoring, so any parallel between this and other ranking systems is purely coincidental. There is also no momentum involved in these rankings, so “What have you done for me lately?” does not apply. Everything is valued as a whole. The objective remains the same though; to create an unbiased mechanism to sort the general strength of the 126 teams within the Football Championship Subdivision.
Teams are awarded for Wins and Points Scored, then penalized for Losses and Points Allowed. Teams also receive a ‘Stature Constant’. Teams from the full-scholarship automatic qualifying FCS conferences get the highest value. Non- or less than full-scholarship FCS conference teams get a middle value. And those from non-automatic leagues get the lowest value. This is done to lessen the effects of a superior team in a weak conference from building huge point margins and manipulating the system. This constant has been tweaked since last season.
Teams will also gain bonuses for beating FBS teams. This has also been tweaked, giving a little more weight to those who beat Power Five teams as opposed to Group of Five teams. Also, a team will be penalized for losing to a school from a class below FCS (Division II, Division III, NAIA, NCCAA). The final piece of the puzzle is an RPI-style Strength of Schedule multiplier, where teams get bonuses and demerits just for playing teams listed previously in this paragraph.
The first rankings will appear after Week 5, September 29. These will be available on the Madness no later than Monday every week from now on. There will also be a final edition released after the FCS Championship game in January. Like most ranking systems, a very strong or weak schedule or huge upsets, one way or the other, can have a drastic impact early on. As the season progresses the numbers, and teams, will sort themselves out and be much truer towards the end. So if the rankings appear a little skewed early on, give it a little time.
| RANK | TEAM | RATING | Won | Lost | Prev | RANK | CONFERENCE | RATING | |
| 1 | North Dakota State | 55.58 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | MISSOURI VALLEY | 32.71 | |
| 2 | James Madison | 53.06 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 2 | COLONIAL | 31.52 | |
| 3 | Montana | 44.19 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | BIG SKY | 28.18 | |
| 4 | Weber State | 42.83 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 4 | OHIO VALLEY | 26.79 | |
| 5 | South Dakota State | 40.40 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | SOUTHERN | 26.03 | |
| 6 | Montana State | 39.95 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 6 | BIG SOUTH | 25.96 | |
| 7 | Austin Peay | 39.00 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 7 | SOUTHLAND | 25.39 | |
| 8 | Northern Iowa | 38.00 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 8 | IVY LEAGUE | 24.65 | |
| 9 | Monmouth | 37.85 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 9 | PATRIOT | 23.13 | |
| 10 | Illinois State | 37.63 | 10 | 5 | 28 | 10 | NORTHEAST | 20.37 | |
| 11 | Central Arkansas | 37.38 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 11 | MID-EASTERN | 16.31 | |
| 12 | Sacramento State | 37.30 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 12 | SOUTHWESTERN | 15.36 | |
| 13 | Wofford | 36.63 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 13 | PIONEER | 15.17 | |
| 14 | Towson | 35.81 | 7 | 5 | 10 | ||||
| 15 | Kennesaw State | 35.32 | 11 | 3 | 22 | ||||
| 16 | Dartmouth | 35.24 | 9 | 1 | 12 | ||||
| 17 | Albany | 34.98 | 9 | 5 | 21 | ||||
| 18 | Villanova | 34.08 | 9 | 4 | 15 | ||||
| 19 | Nicholls | 33.80 | 9 | 5 | 26 | ||||
| 20 | Southeastern Louisiana | 33.33 | 8 | 5 | 16 | ||||
| 21 | Furman | 33.17 | 8 | 5 | 13 | ||||
| 22 | Southern Illinois | 32.90 | 7 | 5 | 23 | ||||
| 23 | UC-Davis | 32.80 | 5 | 7 | 20 | ||||
| 24 | Yale | 32.42 | 9 | 1 | 19 | ||||
| 25 | New Hampshire | 32.23 | 6 | 5 | 18 | ||||
| 26 | Southeast Missouri State | 31.65 | 9 | 4 | 24 | ||||
| 27 | Youngstown State | 31.19 | 6 | 6 | 31 | ||||
| 28 | Tennessee-Martin | 31.11 | 7 | 5 | 30 | ||||
| 29 | McNeese | 30.86 | 7 | 5 | 25 | ||||
| 30 | North Dakota | 30.84 | 7 | 5 | 27 | ||||
| 31 | Princeton | 30.29 | 8 | 2 | 32 | ||||
| 32 | Sam Houston State | 30.05 | 7 | 5 | 29 | ||||
| 33 | North Carolina A&T | 29.65 | 9 | 3 | 41 | ||||
| 34 | San Diego | 29.15 | 9 | 3 | 33 | ||||
| 35 | Elon | 29.13 | 5 | 6 | 36 | ||||
| 36 | The Citadel | 29.13 | 6 | 6 | 35 | ||||
| 37 | Eastern Kentucky | 28.94 | 7 | 5 | 37 | ||||
| 38 | Maine | 28.86 | 6 | 6 | 38 | ||||
| 39 | Holy Cross | 28.69 | 7 | 6 | 42 | ||||
| 40 | Jacksonville State | 28.12 | 6 | 6 | 39 | ||||
| 41 | South Dakota | 28.00 | 5 | 7 | 44 | ||||
| 42 | William & Mary | 27.53 | 5 | 7 | 40 | ||||
| 43 | Richmond | 27.43 | 5 | 7 | 43 | ||||
| 44 | Central Connecticut State | 27.03 | 11 | 2 | 34 | ||||
| 45 | Eastern Washington | 26.85 | 7 | 5 | 45 | ||||
| 46 | Delaware | 26.70 | 5 | 7 | 46 | ||||
| 47 | Chattanooga | 26.01 | 6 | 6 | 47 | ||||
| 48 | Stony Brook | 25.53 | 5 | 7 | 49 | ||||
| 49 | Harvard | 25.19 | 4 | 6 | 48 | ||||
| 50 | Campbell | 24.71 | 6 | 5 | 50 | ||||
| 51 | Indiana State | 24.50 | 5 | 7 | 52 | ||||
| 52 | Abilene Christian | 24.22 | 5 | 7 | 51 | ||||
| 53 | Alcorn State | 23.86 | 9 | 4 | 53 | ||||
| 54 | Florida A&M | 23.40 | 9 | 2 | 64 | ||||
| 55 | Samford | 23.32 | 5 | 7 | 54 | ||||
| 56 | Dayton | 23.31 | 8 | 3 | 55 | ||||
| 57 | South Carolina State | 23.27 | 8 | 3 | 58 | ||||
| 58 | Lafayette | 23.21 | 4 | 8 | 56 | ||||
| 59 | Charleston Southern | 23.05 | 6 | 6 | 60 | ||||
| 60 | Murray State | 23.01 | 4 | 8 | 61 | ||||
| 61 | Grambling State | 22.97 | 6 | 5 | 59 | ||||
| 62 | Cal Poly | 22.92 | 3 | 8 | 57 | ||||
| 63 | Idaho | 22.87 | 5 | 7 | 66 | ||||
| 64 | Southern | 22.73 | 8 | 5 | 67 | ||||
| 65 | Georgetown | 22.69 | 5 | 6 | 62 | ||||
| 66 | North Alabama | 22.66 | 4 | 7 | 65 | ||||
| 67 | Lehigh | 22.51 | 4 | 7 | 63 | ||||
| 68 | Colgate | 22.17 | 4 | 8 | 68 | ||||
| 69 | St. Francis | 21.83 | 6 | 6 | 72 | ||||
| 70 | Cornell | 21.82 | 4 | 6 | 69 | ||||
| 71 | East Tennessee State | 21.69 | 3 | 9 | 74 | ||||
| 72 | Davidson | 21.49 | 8 | 4 | 70 | ||||
| 73 | Fordham | 21.47 | 4 | 8 | 71 | ||||
| 74 | Sacred Heart | 21.31 | 7 | 5 | 73 | ||||
| 75 | Tennessee Tech | 21.16 | 6 | 6 | 75 | ||||
| 76 | Mercer | 21.09 | 4 | 8 | 76 | ||||
| 77 | Portland State | 20.70 | 5 | 7 | 81 | ||||
| 78 | Penn | 20.65 | 5 | 5 | 79 | ||||
| 79 | Incarnate Word | 20.49 | 5 | 7 | 78 | ||||
| 80 | Virginia Military | 20.35 | 5 | 7 | 77 | ||||
| 81 | Rhode Island | 20.33 | 2 | 10 | 82 | ||||
| 82 | Northern Arizona | 20.27 | 4 | 8 | 84 | ||||
| 83 | Idaho State | 20.00 | 3 | 9 | 80 | ||||
| 84 | Duquesne | 19.78 | 6 | 5 | 83 | ||||
| 85 | Bucknell | 19.51 | 3 | 8 | 85 | ||||
| 86 | Gardner-Webb | 19.28 | 3 | 9 | 86 | ||||
| 87 | Columbia | 19.19 | 3 | 7 | 87 | ||||
| 88 | Houston Baptist | 19.18 | 5 | 7 | 88 | ||||
| 89 | Tennessee State | 18.96 | 3 | 9 | 89 | ||||
| 90 | Eastern Illinois | 18.89 | 1 | 11 | 90 | ||||
| 91 | Southern Utah | 18.86 | 3 | 9 | 92 | ||||
| 92 | Lamar | 18.55 | 4 | 8 | 91 | ||||
| 93 | Bethune-Cookman | 18.33 | 7 | 4 | 93 | ||||
| 94 | Prairie View A&M | 18.20 | 6 | 5 | 95 | ||||
| 95 | Missouri State | 17.74 | 1 | 10 | 94 | ||||
| 96 | Western Illinois | 17.49 | 1 | 11 | 96 | ||||
| 97 | Robert Morris | 17.00 | 7 | 5 | 97 | ||||
| 98 | Northwestern State | 16.72 | 3 | 9 | 99 | ||||
| 99 | Alabama State | 16.35 | 5 | 6 | 98 | ||||
| 100 | Northern Colorado | 16.29 | 2 | 10 | 100 | ||||
| 101 | Norfolk State | 16.29 | 5 | 7 | 102 | ||||
| 102 | Stephen F. Austin | 16.03 | 3 | 9 | 101 | ||||
| 103 | Drake | 15.41 | 6 | 5 | 103 | ||||
| 104 | Presbyterian | 15.12 | 2 | 10 | 104 | ||||
| 105 | Bryant | 14.96 | 4 | 8 | 105 | ||||
| 106 | Alabama A&M | 14.85 | 7 | 5 | 106 | ||||
| 107 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 14.79 | 6 | 5 | 107 | ||||
| 108 | Brown | 14.10 | 2 | 8 | 108 | ||||
| 109 | Stetson | 13.99 | 7 | 4 | 109 | ||||
| 110 | Marist | 13.93 | 4 | 7 | 110 | ||||
| 111 | Hampton | 13.90 | 5 | 7 | 112 | ||||
| 112 | Morehead State | 13.53 | 5 | 7 | 111 | ||||
| 113 | North Carolina Central | 13.27 | 4 | 8 | 113 | ||||
| 114 | Merrimack | 12.50 | 6 | 5 | 115 | ||||
| 115 | Jacksonville | 12.43 | 3 | 9 | 116 | ||||
| 116 | Western Carolina | 12.31 | 3 | 9 | 114 | ||||
| 117 | Morgan State | 11.90 | 3 | 9 | 117 | ||||
| 118 | Long Island | 11.02 | 0 | 10 | 118 | ||||
| 119 | Delaware State | 10.72 | 2 | 10 | 119 | ||||
| 120 | Wagner | 10.26 | 1 | 11 | 120 | ||||
| 121 | Jackson State | 9.47 | 4 | 8 | 122 | ||||
| 122 | Mississippi Valley State | 9.30 | 2 | 9 | 121 | ||||
| 123 | Butler | 7.69 | 3 | 9 | 123 | ||||
| 124 | Howard | 5.63 | 2 | 10 | 124 | ||||
| 125 | Valparaiso | 4.44 | 1 | 11 | 125 | ||||
| 126 | Texas Southern | 3.42 | 0 | 11 | 126 | ||||
