The Madness FCS Power Rankings
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 128 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’. These have been backed by historical data, but can and will be adjusted, if an obvious error has been identified. 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.
Teams will also gain bonuses for beating FCS 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 4, September 25. These will be available on the Madness no later than Monday every week. 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. There’s no bias involved in the ratings and no human factors whatsoever.
| RANK | TEAM | RATING | Won | Lost | Prev | RANK | CONFERENCE | RATING | |
| 1 | James Madison | 36.21 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MISSOURI VALLEY | 22.43 | |
| 2 | Sam Houston State | 35.32 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | SOUTHERN | 20.40 | |
| 3 | North Dakota State | 32.09 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3 | AQ7 | 20.01 | |
| 4 | Southern Illinois | 30.42 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 4 | COLONIAL | 18.53 | |
| 5 | Princeton | 30.04 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 5 | BIG SKY | 18.18 | |
| 6 | Villanova | 29.99 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 6 | SOUTHLAND | 15.76 | |
| 7 | Northern Iowa | 29.66 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 7 | IVY LEAGUE | 15.59 | |
| 8 | Montana State | 28.58 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 8 | BIG SOUTH | 15.51 | |
| 9 | Missouri State | 28.17 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 9 | OHIO VALLEY | 14.53 | |
| 10 | Eastern Washington | 26.99 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 10 | PATRIOT | 11.56 | |
| 11 | East Tennessee State | 26.82 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 11 | PIONEER | 8.35 | |
| 12 | Incarnate Word | 26.68 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 12 | SOUTHWESTERN | 7.51 | |
| 13 | Chattanooga | 26.52 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 13 | NORTHEAST | 7.39 | |
| 14 | Southeastern Louisiana | 26.23 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 14 | MID-EASTERN | 5.26 | |
| 15 | Holy Cross | 25.76 | 5 | 2 | 18 | 15 | WESTERN | 2.02 | |
| 16 | Montana | 25.76 | 5 | 2 | 16 | ||||
| 17 | South Dakota State | 25.68 | 5 | 2 | 9 | ||||
| 18 | Harvard | 25.63 | 5 | 1 | 14 | ||||
| 19 | Monmouth | 24.53 | 4 | 3 | 22 | ||||
| 20 | Virginia Military | 23.87 | 5 | 2 | 23 | ||||
| 21 | UC-Davis | 23.77 | 7 | 1 | 19 | ||||
| 22 | Mercer | 23.14 | 5 | 2 | 25 | ||||
| 23 | Eastern Kentucky | 22.85 | 5 | 2 | 33 | ||||
| 24 | Tennessee-Martin | 22.79 | 6 | 1 | 21 | ||||
| 25 | Austin Peay | 22.58 | 3 | 4 | 40 | ||||
| 26 | Weber State | 22.13 | 3 | 4 | 39 | ||||
| 27 | South Dakota | 21.88 | 5 | 3 | 17 | ||||
| 28 | Kennesaw State | 21.38 | 6 | 1 | 34 | ||||
| 29 | Jacksonville State | 21.16 | 3 | 4 | 27 | ||||
| 30 | Dartmouth | 21.12 | 5 | 1 | 15 | ||||
| 31 | Campbell | 20.89 | 3 | 4 | 30 | ||||
| 32 | Samford | 20.71 | 3 | 4 | 24 | ||||
| 33 | North Dakota | 20.46 | 3 | 4 | 32 | ||||
| 34 | William & Mary | 20.41 | 5 | 2 | 46 | ||||
| 35 | Furman | 20.09 | 4 | 3 | 29 | ||||
| 36 | Rhode Island | 19.63 | 5 | 2 | 28 | ||||
| 37 | Stephen F. Austin | 19.58 | 4 | 3 | 31 | ||||
| 38 | Columbia | 19.46 | 5 | 1 | 45 | ||||
| 39 | Central Arkansas | 19.45 | 3 | 4 | 37 | ||||
| 40 | Nicholls | 19.44 | 3 | 4 | 38 | ||||
| 41 | Sacramento State | 19.21 | 5 | 2 | 61 | ||||
| 42 | Elon | 18.02 | 4 | 3 | 54 | ||||
| 43 | Fordham | 17.59 | 5 | 3 | 43 | ||||
| 44 | Towson | 17.51 | 3 | 4 | 36 | ||||
| 45 | Davidson | 17.31 | 5 | 1 | 49 | ||||
| 46 | Jackson State | 17.24 | 6 | 1 | 47 | ||||
| 47 | Illinois State | 17.15 | 3 | 4 | 52 | ||||
| 48 | Southeast Missouri State | 16.86 | 2 | 6 | 55 | ||||
| 49 | Youngstown State | 16.63 | 2 | 4 | 35 | ||||
| 50 | New Hampshire | 15.96 | 3 | 4 | 42 | ||||
| 51 | Northern Arizona | 15.86 | 3 | 4 | 41 | ||||
| 52 | Maine | 15.64 | 3 | 4 | 57 | ||||
| 53 | Abilene Christian | 15.61 | 3 | 3 | 56 | ||||
| 54 | Stony Brook | 15.29 | 3 | 5 | 58 | ||||
| 55 | Duquesne | 14.84 | 4 | 2 | 44 | ||||
| 56 | Merrimack | 14.82 | 4 | 3 | 65 | ||||
| 57 | North Carolina A&T | 14.70 | 3 | 4 | 53 | ||||
| 58 | Morehead State | 14.60 | 5 | 2 | 68 | ||||
| 59 | Western Carolina | 14.44 | 1 | 6 | 88 | ||||
| 60 | Delaware | 13.99 | 3 | 4 | 67 | ||||
| 61 | Idaho | 13.90 | 2 | 5 | 60 | ||||
| 62 | Lafayette | 13.72 | 2 | 5 | 63 | ||||
| 63 | Bryant | 13.55 | 5 | 3 | 66 | ||||
| 64 | Norfolk State | 13.52 | 5 | 2 | 73 | ||||
| 65 | Western Illinois | 13.48 | 1 | 7 | 50 | ||||
| 66 | Prairie View A&M | 13.31 | 6 | 1 | 71 | ||||
| 67 | North Alabama | 13.26 | 2 | 6 | 80 | ||||
| 68 | Indiana State | 13.20 | 4 | 4 | 70 | ||||
| 69 | Wofford | 13.17 | 1 | 6 | 64 | ||||
| 70 | Portland State | 13.11 | 3 | 4 | 69 | ||||
| 71 | Richmond | 13.06 | 2 | 5 | 62 | ||||
| 72 | Murray State | 12.88 | 3 | 4 | 51 | ||||
| 73 | Tennessee State | 12.83 | 4 | 3 | 81 | ||||
| 74 | Charleston Southern | 12.66 | 2 | 4 | 48 | ||||
| 75 | Gardner-Webb | 12.48 | 3 | 4 | 82 | ||||
| 76 | Florida A&M | 12.40 | 5 | 2 | 77 | ||||
| 77 | The Citadel | 12.20 | 2 | 5 | 59 | ||||
| 78 | Marist | 11.80 | 3 | 3 | 76 | ||||
| 79 | Brown | 11.79 | 2 | 4 | 83 | ||||
| 80 | Hampton | 11.75 | 3 | 4 | 89 | ||||
| 81 | Alcorn State | 11.67 | 5 | 2 | 85 | ||||
| 82 | Georgetown | 11.44 | 2 | 4 | 86 | ||||
| 83 | McNeese | 11.43 | 3 | 4 | 87 | ||||
| 84 | Dayton | 11.01 | 3 | 3 | 74 | ||||
| 85 | Albany | 10.74 | 0 | 7 | 79 | ||||
| 86 | Sacred Heart | 10.74 | 5 | 3 | 90 | ||||
| 87 | Idaho State | 10.70 | 1 | 6 | 84 | ||||
| 88 | Yale | 10.59 | 3 | 3 | 92 | ||||
| 89 | Southern Utah | 10.59 | 1 | 7 | 72 | ||||
| 90 | Northern Colorado | 10.41 | 2 | 5 | 75 | ||||
| 91 | St. Francis | 9.85 | 3 | 4 | 91 | ||||
| 92 | Robert Morris | 9.55 | 2 | 4 | 78 | ||||
| 93 | Tennessee Tech | 9.06 | 3 | 5 | 98 | ||||
| 94 | San Diego | 8.92 | 4 | 4 | 94 | ||||
| 95 | Eastern Illinois | 8.60 | 1 | 7 | 93 | ||||
| 96 | Northwestern State | 8.48 | 1 | 6 | 96 | ||||
| 97 | Cal Poly | 7.86 | 1 | 6 | 101 | ||||
| 98 | Presbyterian | 7.66 | 2 | 5 | 95 | ||||
| 99 | Alabama A&M | 7.46 | 3 | 3 | 99 | ||||
| 100 | Colgate | 7.42 | 2 | 6 | 103 | ||||
| 101 | Penn | 7.29 | 2 | 4 | 97 | ||||
| 102 | St. Thomas | 7.27 | 4 | 2 | 100 | ||||
| 103 | Grambling State | 6.78 | 3 | 4 | 105 | ||||
| 104 | Cornell | 6.43 | 1 | 5 | 102 | ||||
| 105 | Lamar | 6.42 | 1 | 5 | 111 | ||||
| 106 | Southern | 6.35 | 3 | 4 | 104 | ||||
| 107 | South Carolina State | 6.30 | 3 | 4 | 110 | ||||
| 108 | Houston Baptist | 5.78 | 0 | 7 | 109 | ||||
| 109 | Tarleton State | 5.75 | 4 | 3 | 107 | ||||
| 110 | Stetson | 5.40 | 2 | 4 | 108 | ||||
| 111 | Delaware State | 5.38 | 3 | 4 | 106 | ||||
| 112 | Bucknell | 5.13 | 1 | 6 | 113 | ||||
| 113 | Butler | 4.94 | 2 | 6 | 115 | ||||
| 114 | North Carolina Central | 4.74 | 3 | 4 | 119 | ||||
| 115 | Howard | 4.56 | 2 | 5 | 114 | ||||
| 116 | Drake | 4.24 | 2 | 5 | 117 | ||||
| 117 | Alabama State | 4.16 | 3 | 3 | 116 | ||||
| 118 | Bethune-Cookman | 3.77 | 0 | 8 | 118 | ||||
| 119 | Texas Southern | 3.73 | 1 | 5 | 112 | ||||
| 120 | Mississippi Valley State | 3.37 | 2 | 5 | 121 | ||||
| 121 | Lehigh | 3.14 | 0 | 7 | 122 | ||||
| 122 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 2.78 | 1 | 6 | 120 | ||||
| 123 | Valparaiso | 2.76 | 1 | 5 | 123 | ||||
| 124 | Wagner | 1.07 | 0 | 7 | 124 | ||||
| 125 | Central Connecticut State | 0.16 | 1 | 6 | 125 | ||||
| 126 | Long Island | 0.07 | 1 | 5 | 127 | ||||
| 127 | Morgan State | -0.08 | 0 | 7 | 126 | ||||
| 128 | Dixie State | -1.92 | 0 | 7 | 128 |
