2012 FCS Coaches Poll

Defending National Champions Tabbed as Preseason No. 1

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The North Dakota State Bison finished the 2011 football season as the No. 1 team in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll, and will begin their 2012 campaign in the same spot. The defending national champions received 19 of the 26 first-place votes to earn 640 points overall.

The Bison have 13 returning starters, led by All-America cornerback Marcus Williams. On offense, quarterback Brock Jensen and 1,100-yard running back Sam Ojuri highlight the returnees. The Bison finished 14-1 last season and defeated the Sam Houston State Bearkats in the 2011 NCAA Championship game.

Sam Houston State, who also finished 2011 with a 14-1 record, received six first-place votes (623 points) and will start the 2012 season where they left off, at No. 2.

Georgia Southern received one first-place vote after advancing to the national semifinals and begins the year ranked third. Montana State was tabbed fourth, while three-time champion Appalachian State rounded out the top five.

After finishing 10th last year, Old Dominion makes its first appearance in the preseason top 10 at No. 6. Northern Iowa, James Madison, Towson and Montana complete the top 10, respectively.

Ten conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association has the most ranked teams with six, followed by the Missouri Valley with five teams. The Big Sky, Southern Conference and Southland all have three ranked teams. The MEAC, Ohio Valley, Big South, Patriot, and Ivy make up the remaining conferences.

The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.


Preseason 2012 FCS Coaches Poll (August 22, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) 2011 Record Points Final 2011 Ranking
1. North Dakota State (19) 14-1 640 1
2. Sam Houston State (6) 14-1 623 2
3. Georgia Southern (1) 11-3 592 3
4. Montana State 10-3 540 7
5. Appalachian State 8-4 504 11
6. Old Dominion 10-3 470 10
7. Northern Iowa 10-3 466 5
8. James Madison 8-5 456 14
9. Towson 9-2 454 9
10. Montana 11-3 425 4
11. Lehigh 11-2 371 6
12. New Hampshire 8-4 337 12
13. Wofford 6-2 322 13
14. Delaware 7-4 294 20
15. Eastern Washington 6-5 248 NR
16. Maine 9-4 232 8
17. Stony Brook 9-4 228 16
18. Youngstown State 6-5 184 NR
19. Central Arkansas 9-4 157 15
20. Illinois State 7-4 148 22
21. Eastern Kentucky 7-5 127 21
22. Harvard 9-1 113 17
23. Norfolk State 9-3 72 NR
24. Stephen F. Austin 6-5 69 NR
25. Indiana State 6-5 66 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Jacksonville State (54); Liberty (48); Murray State (32); Jackson State (30); Bethune-Cookman (21); Tennessee Tech (20); South Carolina State (15); Florida A&M (14); Grambling State (13); William & Mary (12); North Dakota (10); Albany (9); Northern Arizona (9); Cal Poly (8); Chattanooga (7); Portland State (7); Alabama A&M (3); Idaho State (3); Cornell (2); Pennsylvania (2); Alabama State (1); McNeese State (1); San Diego (1)

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 1 Poll (September 3, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (23) 1-0 645 1
2. Sam Houston State (2) 0-0 611 2
3. Georgia Southern 1-0 597 3
4. Montana State 1-0 518 4
5. Old Dominion 1-0 498 6
6. James Madison 1-0 469 8
7. Northern Iowa 0-1 466 7
8. Appalachian State 0-1 434 5
9. Montana 1-0 428 10
10. Youngstown State 1-0 407 18
11. Eastern Washington 1-0 348 15
12. New Hampshire 1-0 346 12
13. Wofford 1-0 336 13
14. Lehigh 1-0 328 11
15. Delaware 1-0 300 14
16. Towson 0-1 290 9
17. Stony Brook 1-0 241 17
18. Maine 0-0 212 16
19. Illinois State 1-0 157 20
20. Central Arkansas 0-1 109 19
T-21. Stephen F. Austin 1-0 102 24
T-21. McNeese State (1) 1-0 102 NR
23. Harvard 0-0 89 22
24. Norfolk State 1-0 82 23
25. Eastern Kentucky 0-1 58 21

Others Receiving Votes: Indiana State (57); Liberty (39); South Carolina State (34); Jacksonville State (32); UT Martin (25); Bethune-Cookman (17); Tennessee Tech (16); William & Mary (14); North Dakota (11); Albany (7); Cal Poly (7); Portland State (7); Alabama A&M (6); Cornell (2); Jackson State (2); Samford (2); Pennsylvania (1); Tennessee State (1).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 2 Poll (September 10, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (24) 2-0 648 1
2. Sam Houston State (2) 1-0 625 2
3. Montana State 2-0 574 4
4. Old Dominion 2-0 552 5
5. James Madison 2-0 524 6
6. Northern Iowa 1-1 503 7
7. Appalachian State 1-1 498 8
8. Youngstown State 2-0 489 10
9. Wofford 2-0 396 13
10. Georgia Southern 1-1 365 3
11. Eastern Washington 1-1 362 11
12. Montana 1-1 334 9
13. Lehigh 2-0 328 14
14. Delaware 2-0 319 15
15. Towson 0-1 259 16
16. Stony Brook 2-0 250 17
17. Illinois State 2-0 243 19
18. New Hampshire 1-1 227 12
19. McNeese State 2-0 157 T-21
20. Central Arkansas 1-1 138 20
21. Maine 1-1 108 18
22. Norfolk State 2-0 94 24
23. The Citadel 2-0 73 NR
24. Harvard 0-0 66 23
25. Eastern Kentucky 1-1 63 25

Others Receiving Votes: Stephen F. Austin (47), Indiana State (44), Jacksonville State (43), Bethune-Cookman (42), North Dakota (18), Sacramento State (18), Albany (12), Northern Arizona (10), Alabama A&M (5), Pennsylvania (4), Tennessee State (3), Samford (3), Lafayette (2), Cal Poly (1), William & Mary (1), Cornell (1), Tennessee Tech (1).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 3 Poll (September 17, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (25) 2-0 648 1
2. Montana State (1) 3-0 607 3
T-3. Sam Houston State 1-1 552 2
T-3. Youngstown State 3-0 552 8
5. Old Dominion 3-0 547 4
6. Wofford 3-0 485 9
7. James Madison 2-1 480 5
8. Northern Iowa 1-2 417 6
9. Eastern Washington 1-1 405 11
10. Georgia Southern 1-1 404 10
11. Montana 2-1 380 12
12. Delaware 3-0 333 14
13. Lehigh 3-0 309 13
14. The Citadel 3-0 305 23
15. Illinois State 3-0 276 17
16. Towson 1-1 270 15
17. McNeese State 3-0 229 19
18. Appalachian State 1-2 223 7
19. New Hampshire 2-1 209 18
20. Stony Brook 2-1 200 16
21. Central Arkansas 2-1 130 20
22. Maine 2-1 102 21
23. Eastern Kentucky 2-1 77 25
24. Harvard 1-0 68 24
25. Indiana State 2-1 42 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Jacksonville State (33), Cal Poly (25), Stephen F. Austin (21), Samford (19), Bethune-Cookman (17), Norfolk State (15), North Dakota (14), Sacramento State (13), Tennessee State (13), Northern Arizona (10), Alabama A&M (8), Albany (5), Lafayette (4), Florida A&M (1), South Dakota State (1), Tennessee Tech (1).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 4 Poll (September 24, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (25) 3-0 648 1
2. Montana State (1) 4-0 618 2
3. Youngstown State 4-0 597 T-3
4. Old Dominion 4-0 572 5
5. Wofford 3-0 522 6
6. James Madison 3-1 517 7
7. Eastern Washington 2-1 470 9
8. Delaware 4-0 429 12
9. Georgia Southern 2-1 410 10
10. Sam Houston State 1-2 360 T-3
11. Lehigh 4-0 357 13
12. Illinois State 4-0 350 15
13. Towson 2-1 298 16
14. Central Arkansas 3-1 295 21
15. The Citadel 3-1 276 14
16. Appalachian State 2-2 237 18
17. Northern Iowa 1-3 227 8
18. Stony Brook 3-1 200 20
19. Eastern Kentucky 3-1 160 23
20. Montana 2-2 135 11
21. McNeese State 3-1 121 17
22. New Hampshire 2-2 97 19
23. Cal Poly 3-0 95 NR
24. Harvard 2-0 89 24
25. Samford 4-0 69 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Northern Arizona (63), Tennessee State (60), North Dakota (48), Albany (24), South Dakota State (23), Alabama A&M (18), Lafayette (10), Indiana State (9), Jacksonville State (9), Maine (9), Florida A&M (3), Richmond (2), UT Martin (1).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 5 Poll (October 1, 2012)

Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (26) 4-0 650 1
2. Montana State 5-0 616 2
3. Youngstown State 4-0 597 3
4. Old Dominion 5-0 578 4
5. Wofford 4-0 534 5
6. James Madison 3-1 506 6
7. Eastern Washington 3-1 486 7
8. Georgia Southern 3-1 450 9
9. Sam Houston State 2-2 415 10
10. Lehigh 5-0 406 11
11. Illinois State 5-0 396 12
12. Towson 2-2 315 13
13. Stony Brook 4-1 309 18
14. Appalachian State 3-2 294 16
15. Delaware 4-1 278 8
16. Eastern Kentucky 4-1 241 19
17. New Hampshire 3-2 227 22
18. McNeese State 4-1 198 21
19. Cal Poly 4-0 167 23
20. Central Arkansas 3-2 121 14
21. Northern Arizona 4-1 117 NR
22. The Citadel 3-2 114 15
23. Harvard 3-0 108 24
24. Tennessee State 5-0 82 NR
25. Northern Iowa 1-4 60 17

Others Receiving Votes: Albany (59), Montana (35), Alabama A&M (20), South Dakota State (18), Jacksonville State (12), Indiana State (10), Stephen F. Austin (9), Samford (7), North Dakota (7), Eastern Illinois (5), Villanova (3).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 6 Poll (October 8, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (26) 5-0 650 1
2. Montana State 6-0 622 2
3. Old Dominion 5-0 594 4
4. Wofford 5-0 558 5
5. James Madison 4-1 526 6
6. Eastern Washington 4-1 524 7
7. Georgia Southern 4-1 484 8
8. Sam Houston State 3-2 449 9
9. Youngstown State 4-1 441 3
10. Lehigh 6-0 424 10
11. Stony Brook 5-1 374 13
12. Appalachian State 4-2 340 14
13. New Hampshire 4-2 304 17
14. Cal Poly 5-0 284 19
15. McNeese State 4-1 251 18
16. Illinois State 5-1 236 11
17. Central Arkansas 4-2 201 20
18. Northern Arizona 4-1 195 21
19. Towson 2-3 193 12
20. Tennessee State 6-0 170 24
21. Harvard 4-0 144 23
22. Delaware 4-2 114 15
23. Eastern Kentucky 4-2 86 16
24. Albany 5-1 73 NR
25. Alabama A&M 6-0 40 NR
Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota State (29), Samford (28), Northern Iowa (26), The Citadel (22), Montana (19), Jacksonville State (16), Indiana State (10), Maine (9), UT Martin (6), Bethune-Cookman (2), Sacramento State (2).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 7 Poll (October 15, 2012)

Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. Eastern Washington (11) 5-1 615 6
2. James Madison (7) 5-1 608 5
3. Georgia Southern (2) 5-1 573 7
4. North Dakota State (4) 5-1 556 1
5. Montana State (1) 6-1 514 2
6. Sam Houston State (1) 4-2 510 8
7. Lehigh 7-0 462 10
8. Old Dominion 5-1 447 3
9. Wofford 5-1 439 4
10. Stony Brook 6-1 422 11
11. Appalachian State 5-2 390 12
12. Cal Poly 6-0 356 14
13. Illinois State 6-1 348 16
14. New Hampshire 5-2 329 13
15. Northern Arizona 5-1 262 18
16. Youngstown State 4-2 252 9
17. Central Arkansas 5-2 237 17
18. Tennessee State 7-0 221 20
19. Towson 3-3 184 19
20. Harvard 5-0 152 21
21. McNeese State 4-2 106 15
T-22. Delaware 4-2 100 22
T-22. Albany 6-1 100 24
24. Eastern Kentucky 5-2 93 23
25. Indiana State 5-2 56 NR
Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota State (48), Villanova (25), Sacramento State (12), Alabama A&M (7), Bethune-Cookman (7), UT Martin (7), The Citadel (4), Samford (4), Eastern Illinois (4).

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Coaches Poll Week Eight Poll - October 22, 2012

1. Eastern Washington (22) 6-1 642 1
2. Georgia Southern (1) 6-1 614 3
3. North Dakota State (3) 6-1 593 4
4. Montana State 6-1 552 5
5. Sam Houston State 5-2 548 6
6. Lehigh 8-0 494 7
7. Old Dominion 6-1 493 8
8. Wofford 6-1 473 9
9. Stony Brook 7-1 439 10
10. James Madison 5-2 413 2
11. Cal Poly 7-0 398 12
12. New Hampshire 6-2 370 14
13. Northern Arizona 6-1 327 15
14. Central Arkansas 6-2 275 17
15. Appalachian State 5-3 240 11
16. Delaware 5-2 228 T-22
17. Illinois State 6-2 225 13
T-18. Eastern Kentucky 6-2 172 24
T-18. Indiana State 6-2 172 25
20. Albany 6-1 153 T-22
T-21. Tennessee State 7-1 115 18
T-21. Youngstown State 4-3 115 16
23. Villanova 6-2 111 NR
24. Harvard 5-1 56 20
25. Towson 3-4 53 19
Others Receiving Votes: Bethune-Cookman (26), McNeese State (26), UT Martin (25), Richmond (23), Alabama A&M (19), Southern Illinois (17), Sacramento State (16), Jacksonville State (14), Northern Iowa (4), South Dakota State (3), Princeton (3), Samford (2), The Citadel (1).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 9 Poll (October 29, 2012)

Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. Georgia Southern (17) 6-2 635 2
2. North Dakota State (5) 7-1 619 3
3. Montana State 7-1 586 4
4. Sam Houston State (2) 6-2 561 5
5. Old Dominion 7-1 528 7
6. Lehigh (1) 8-0 517 6
7. Wofford 7-1 486 8
8. Eastern Washington (1) 6-2 471 1
9. Stony Brook 8-1 450 9
10. James Madison 6-2 429 10
11. New Hampshire 7-2 396 12
12. Northern Arizona 7-1 363 13
13. Central Arkansas 7-2 326 14
14. Appalachian State 6-3 275 15
15. Illinois State 7-2 264 17
16. Cal Poly 7-1 256 11
17. Indiana State 6-3 249 T-18
18. Albany 7-1 188 20
19. Tennessee State 8-1 173 T-21
20. Delaware 5-3 122 16
21. Harvard 6-1 96 24
22. Towson 4-4 87 25
23. Eastern Kentucky 6-3 68 T-18
24. Bethune-Cookman 6-2 54 NR
25. South Dakota State 6-2 51 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Sacramento State (44), Richmond (27), Villanova (27), UT Martin (26), McNeese State (23), Jacksonville State (16), Youngstown State (10), Eastern Illinois (8), The Citadel (5), Samford (5), Southern Illinois (4), Northern Iowa (4), Alabama A&M (1).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 10 Poll (November 5, 2012)

Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (21) 8-1 641 2
2. Montana State (1) 8-1 614 3
3. Sam Houston State (3) 7-2 593 4
4. Old Dominion 8-1 572 5
5. Lehigh 9-0 519 6
6. Eastern Washington 7-2 498 8
7. Georgia Southern 7-2 487 1
8. Stony Brook (1) 9-1 477 9
9. James Madison 7-2 447 10
10. New Hampshire 8-2 418 11
11. Northern Arizona 8-1 404 12
12. Appalachian State 7-3 370 14
13. Central Arkansas 8-2 343 13
14. Wofford 7-2 295 7
15. Illinois State 8-2 287 15
16. Harvard 7-1 191 21
17. Towson 5-4 177 22
18. Eastern Kentucky 7-3 166 23
19. Cal Poly 7-2 146 16
20. South Dakota State 7-2 143 25
21. Indiana State 7-3 131 17
22. Bethune-Cookman 7-2 117 24
23. Richmond 6-3 75 NR
24. UT Martin 7-2 54 NR
25. Villanova 6-3 48 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Tennessee State (46), Samford (35), Albany (34), Eastern Illinois (21), McNeese State (17), Youngstown State (17), Delaware (17), Sacramento State (16), Alabama A&M (7), Northern Iowa (6), The Citadel (5), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (5), Colgate (5), Wagner (3), Southern Illinois (3).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 11 Poll (November 12, 2012)

Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (24) 9-1 646 1
2. Montana State 9-1 619 2
3. Sam Houston State (2) 8-2 597 3
4. Old Dominion 9-1 578 4
5. Eastern Washington 8-2 537 6
6. Georgia Southern 8-2 521 7
7. New Hampshire 8-2 466 10
8. Appalachian State 8-3 443 12
9. Wofford 8-2 408 14
10. Central Arkansas 8-2 397 13
11. Illinois State 8-2 343 15
12. Lehigh 9-1 327 5
13. Stony Brook 9-2 300 8
14. James Madison 7-3 293 9
15. Northern Arizona 8-2 279 11
16. Towson 6-4 257 17
17. Eastern Kentucky 8-3 246 18
18. Cal Poly 8-2 240 19
19. Indiana State 7-3 176 21
20. Richmond 7-3 152 23
21. Villanova 7-3 128 25
22. Bethune-Cookman 8-2 117 22
23. South Dakota State 7-3 98 20
24. Harvard 7-2 65 16
25. Eastern Illinois 7-3 39 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Tennessee State (35), Samford (33), Colgate (33), Albany (18), Sacramento State (8), UT Martin (8), The Citadel (7), Wagner (6), Arkansas Pine Bluff (5), Southern Illinois (4), Jackson State (2), Pennsylvania (2), Southeastern Louisiana (1), Youngstown State (1).

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2012 FCS Coaches Week 12 Poll (November 19, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (24) 10-1 647 1
2. Montana State 10-1 619 2
3. Old Dominion (1) 10-1 586 4
4. Eastern Washington 9-2 556 5
5. Sam Houston State (1) 8-3 552 3
6. Appalachian State 8-3 503 8
7. Georgia Southern 8-3 492 6
8. Central Arkansas 9-2 473 10
9. Wofford 8-3 430 9
10. Lehigh 10-1 355 12
11. Stony Brook 9-2 345 13
12. Cal Poly 9-2 324 18
13. New Hampshire 8-3 322 7
14. Towson 7-4 303 16
15. Illinois State 8-3 268 11
16. Eastern Kentucky 8-3 246 17
17. Richmond 8-3 238 20
18. Villanova 8-3 226 21
19. Northern Arizona 8-2 176 15
20. James Madison 7-4 162 14
21. South Dakota State 8-3 154 23
22. Bethune-Cookman 9-2 148 22
23. Harvard 8-2 58 24
24. Indiana State 7-4 51 19
25. Colgate 8-3 46 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Eastern Illinois (40), Albany (28), UT Martin (16), The Citadel (14), Samford (12), Youngstown State (10), Wagner (10), Tennessee State (9), Pennsylvania (4), Jackson State (2), Arkansas Pine Bluff (2), Tennessee Tech (1).