FCS Rankings 2015: Week 12 Coaches Poll Standings Revealed

While everyone is obsessed with the four teams that will reach the College Football Playoff in the FBS, the FCS postseason is just around the corner as well, with a number of playoff berths still up for grabs.

Let's take a look at the latest Coaches Poll and break down the rankings.

Poll

Rank	School	Record	Points	Previous
1	Jacksonville State (25)	8-1	649	1
2	McNeese State (1)	9-0	617	5
3	North Dakota State	7-2	598	5
4	Coastal Carolina	8-1	556	8
5	South Dakota State	7-2	543	11
6	Illinois State	7-2	499	2
7	William & Mary	7-2	473	12
8	Charleston Southern	8-1	433	13
9	Chattanooga	7-2	401	3
10	Eastern Washington	6-3	373	4
11	James Madison	7-2	352	14
12	Richmond	72	339	7
13	Harvard	8-0	308	15
14	North Carolina A&T	8-1	282	16
15	Southern Utah	7-2	281	18
16	Portland State	7-2	266	9
17	Fordham	8-2	253	17
18	Sam Houston State	6-3	250	9
19	Northern Iowa	5-4	212	20
20	The Citadel	7-2	168	22
21	Youngstown State	5-4	138	21
22	Montana	5-4	83	22
23	Bethune-Cookman	8-2	80	25
24	Dartmouth	7-1	49	NR
25	Northern Arizona	6-3	44	NR

Analysis

Jacksonville State needed a strong second half to get past a resolute Eastern Illinois side on Saturday, scoring 21 unanswered points to earn a 24-3 win and remain atop the Coaches Poll.

Quarterback Eli Jenkins led the way, throwing for 149 yards and a score while also rushing for 93 yards. Troymaine Pope also had an excellent contest, rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown, as Jacksonville State's strong rushing attack (236 yards on the ground) was too much for Eastern Illinois to overcome. 

It was the team's 15th straight win in the Ohio Valley Conference. 

“This is probably the No. 2 team in the conference,” Jacksonville State coach John Grass said of Eastern Illinois, per Dave Hyatt of the Gadsden Times. “It’s a big win. It takes a little bit of pressure off, but we want to win out.”

Jacksonville State's only loss on the season came to Auburn, 27-20, earlier in the season. While Auburn is 5-4 and isn't having its finest year, it's a reminder that Jacksonville State is a very, very good football team and remains the favorite to win the national championship. 

One of the teams thought to be a contender in that race, Illinois State, suffered a setback against Taryn Christion and South Dakota State, losing 25-20. Christion was excellent, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 65 yards and a score. 

It was a fitting send-off for Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, which served as South Dakota State's stadium for 54 years and is being replaced next year. 

As Matt Zimmer of the Argus Leader noted, however, the loss shouldn't be a crippling one for Illinois State.

"

The loss shouldn’t deal a huge blow to Illinois State’s postseason goals. If anything, SDSU’s win seemed somewhat appropriate. This league is too good for some team to make it through the conference slate unbeaten. Previously, ISU’s only loss was to Iowa in the season opener.

“This is the best league in the nation and we know we’re going to get a dogfight every time we come out,” said [wide receiver Anthony Warrum], who had a monster game with eight catches for 241 yards and three scores. “We knew we were getting into the center of the ring tonight. South Dakota State played a great game. They were ready, they played better.”

"

Indeed, Illinois State will remain one of the favorites in the FCS playoffs. No loss is a good loss, but for Illinois State, losing now is better than losing in the postseason and may be the sort of motivation it'll need to ramp up its play down the stretch.

Meanwhile, undefeated McNeese State continues to climb up the rankings. The Cowboys moved to 9-0 with a 27-10 win over Sam Houston State and clinched the Southland conference. The team will certainly be a tough out when the FCS playoffs begin.