FCS Rankings 2014: Week 13 Coaches Poll Standings Revealed
A day after earning the No. 1 seed for the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS Football Championship, New Hampshire topped the FCS Coaches Poll for the first time all season.
Coastal Carolina, the previous No. 1 team in the FCS, dropped its first game of the season to Liberty. As a result, the Chanticleers fell outside the Top Five and behind a pair of two-loss teams in Eastern Washington and Villanova.
Despite earning the second-most first-place votes with four, North Dakota State only moved up one spot to No. 3 in the rankings. Harvard's huge win over Yale wasn't enough to move it up in the standings at a perfect 10-0 this season.
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Here's a look at the full rankings and analysis ahead of the playoffs. A full breakdown of the rankings is located at NCAA.com. A full look at the bracket can also be found at NCAA.com.
| 1 | New Hampshire (20) | 10-1 | 644 |
| 2 | Jacksonville State (1) | 10-1 | 610 |
| 3 | North Dakota State (4) | 11-1 | 605 |
| 4 | Eastern Washington | 10-2 | 569 |
| 5 | Villanova | 10-2 | 528 |
| 6 | Coastal Carolina (1) | 11-1 | 519 |
| 7 | Illinois State | 10-1 | 486 |
| 8 | Chattanooga | 9-3 | 462 |
| 9 | Southeastern Louisiana | 9-3 | 448 |
| 10 | UNI | 8-4 | 419 |
| 11 | Montana | 8-4 | 371 |
| 12 | Fordham | 10-2 | 359 |
| 13 | South Dakota State | 8-4 | 317 |
| 14 | Harvard | 10-0 | 309 |
| 15 | James Madison | 9-3 | 248 |
| 16 | Richmond | 8-4 | 244 |
| 17 | Montana State | 8-4 | 238 |
| 18 | Eastern Kentucky | 9-3 | 217 |
| 19 | Sam Houston State | 8-4 | 126 |
| 20 | Bethune-Cookman | 9-3 | 122 |
| 21 | Indiana State | 7-5 | 108 |
| 22 | Sacred Heart | 9-2 | 91 |
| 23 | Liberty | 8-4 | 82 |
| 24 | William & Mary | 7-5 | 66 |
| 25 | Youngstown State | 7-5 | 56 |
Analysis
New Hampshire has been one of the best programs in the country all season but certainly benefited from a loss by Coastal in the final weekend.
The Wildcats topped the Coaches Poll and are guaranteed to host any opponent they face in the playoffs thanks to holding the No. 1 seed. Defensive end Cody Muller noted how the team has accomplished its mission this season, per Mark Emmert of the Portland Press Herald:
"Before the season starts we set our goals and one of them was a CAA championship, beat Maine, get that Brice-Cowell Musket back. And to achieve both of them in the same night, it was tremendous.
I don’t think (playing poorly) really matters right now. I think we’re going to enjoy what we did, what we accomplished.
"
It wasn't a pretty victory for the Wildcats due to six turnovers, but they finished 8-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association and won the conference title. The program's official account passed along a photo following the win:
Meanwhile, the Chants had to settle for narrowly missing out on an undefeated regular season. Coastal still makes the playoffs and comes in as one of the top seeds, but the loss to Liberty dropped it from the top of the rankings.
Chants coach Joe Moglia spoke about the season as a whole, per FCS Football:
What the win meant for Liberty was so much more than squashing an undefeated season for Coastal. The Flames secured a spot in the postseason bracket and have to travel to No. 15 James Madison to continue their season.
The team's official account provides a look at the celebration for the team after the announcement:
Though it might seem like a long shot to knock off the Dukes on the road, the Flames are coming off one of the biggest wins of the year. Led by former Kansas coach Turner Gill, the program is heading in the right direction entering the playoffs.
North Dakota State and Jacksonville State secured spots in the Top Three thanks to wins for both teams. With the playoffs set to kick off Saturday, it will be a melee for the entire FCS leading up to the National Championship on Jan. 10.
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