Final Regular Season FCS Power Rankings

November 22, 2021 · Jason Groomes
 
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 38.28 10 1 1 1 MISSOURI VALLEY 21.72
2 Sam Houston State 37.08 10 0 2 2 AQ7 20.61
3 North Dakota State 34.64 10 1 3 3t COLONIAL 19.60
4 Eastern Washington 32.56 9 2 4 3t SOUTHERN 19.60
5 Villanova 30.85 9 2 5 5 BIG SKY 18.88
6 East Tennessee State 30.33 10 1 9 6 SOUTHLAND 17.26
7 Montana 29.99 9 2 14 7 BIG SOUTH 17.10
8 Missouri State 29.00 8 3 7 8 OHIO VALLEY 16.00
9 Holy Cross 28.79 9 2 8 9 IVY LEAGUE 15.50
10 Incarnate Word 28.50 9 2 10 10 PATRIOT 12.79
11 Montana State 28.37 9 2 6 11 PIONEER 10.22
12 Southeastern Louisiana 27.84 8 3 12 12 NORTHEAST 8.91
13 South Dakota State 27.63 8 3 15 13 SOUTHWESTERN 8.88
14 Northern Iowa 25.51 6 5 19 14 MID-EASTERN 7.23
15 Monmouth 25.45 7 4 16 15 WESTERN 4.62
16 Southern Illinois 25.43 7 4 11      
17 Sacramento State 25.05 9 2 28      
18 Princeton 24.98 9 1 17      
19 Stephen F. Austin 24.96 8 3 20      
20 Tennessee-Martin 24.92 9 2 13      
21 UC-Davis 24.87 8 3 18      
22 Kennesaw State 24.55 10 1 31  
23 Dartmouth 24.50 9 1 21  
24 Mercer 24.24 7 3 25  
25 Austin Peay 24.22 6 5 26      
26 Harvard 24.02 8 2 22  
27 South Dakota 23.57 7 4 24      
28 Eastern Kentucky 23.36 7 4 32  
29 Weber State 23.18 6 5 30  
30 Nicholls 23.15 6 5 35  
31 Jacksonville State 22.54 5 6 27  
32 Chattanooga 22.53 6 5 23  
33 Virginia Military 20.51 6 5 29      
34 Davidson 20.22 8 2 43  
35 Maine 20.20 6 5 39  
36 Richmond 20.04 6 5 41  
37 Samford 19.90 4 7 33      
38 Rhode Island 19.77 7 4 37      
39 Elon 19.77 6 5 44  
40 William & Mary 19.65 6 5 36      
41 Furman 19.41 6 5 42      
42 North Dakota 19.28 5 6 38      
43 Central Arkansas 19.20 5 6 34      
44 Northern Arizona 18.83 5 6 45  
45 Southeast Missouri State 18.45 4 7 52  
46 Jackson State 18.22 10 1 46  
47 Western Carolina 17.84 4 7 59  
48 Fordham 17.81 6 5 40  
49 Stony Brook 17.42 5 6 47  
50 Youngstown State 16.72 3 7 65      
51 Charleston Southern 16.35 4 6 51      
52 Portland State 16.16 5 6 56  
53 Delaware 16.13 5 6 48  
54 Yale 15.90 5 5 53  
55 North Carolina A&T 15.87 5 6 49  
56 Murray State 15.74 6 5 54  
57 Columbia 15.71 7 3 55  
58 Florida A&M 15.70 9 2 62  
59 Morehead State 15.66 7 4 70  
60 North Alabama 15.60 3 8 61  
61 Duquesne 15.59 7 3 63  
62 Abilene Christian 15.50 3 6 57      
63 Bryant 15.48 7 4 71  
64 Campbell 15.37 3 8 50      
65 San Diego 14.76 7 4 74  
66 Gardner-Webb 14.63 4 7 73  
67 Towson 14.60 4 7 60      
68 Idaho 14.43 4 7 66  
69 Illinois State 14.27 4 7 58      
70 Hampton 13.85 5 6 64  
71 Alabama A&M 13.55 7 3 79  
72 Tennessee State 13.49 5 6 67  
73 Dayton 13.41 6 4 72  
74 Sacred Heart 13.40 8 3 80  
75 The Citadel 13.09 4 7 87  
76 Robert Morris 12.84 4 6 82  
77 Indiana State 12.74 5 6 85  
78 Western Illinois 12.55 2 9 68  
79 Colgate 12.02 5 6 92  
80 Prairie View A&M 12.00 7 3 69  
81 New Hampshire 12.00 3 8 78  
82 McNeese 11.84 4 7 76  
83 Albany 11.60 2 9 75      
84 St. Francis 11.53 5 6 77  
85 Marist 11.36 5 5 83  
86 Norfolk State 11.26 6 5 86  
87 Lafayette 11.08 3 8 81      
88 Merrimack 10.96 5 6 84  
89 Wofford 10.87 1 10 88  
90 Northwestern State 10.71 3 8 93  
91 St. Thomas 10.57 7 3 100  
92 Alcorn State 10.43 6 5 89  
93 Tennessee Tech 10.19 3 8 91  
94 South Carolina State 10.16 6 5 99  
95 Northern Colorado 10.05 3 8 90  
96 Lehigh 9.33 3 8 103  
97 Georgetown 9.28 2 8 94  
98 Southern Utah 9.22 1 10 98  
99 Brown 9.03 2 8 97  
100 Cal Poly 8.93 2 9 96  
101 Idaho State 8.88 1 10 95  
102 North Carolina Central 8.43 6 5 106  
103 Eastern Illinois 8.26 1 10 102  
104 Penn 8.22 3 7 101  
105 Southern 7.76 4 6 104  
106 Stetson 7.59 3 7 105  
107 Valparaiso 7.28 4 7 107  
108 Tarleton State 7.26 6 5 113  
109 Cornell 6.97 2 8 108  
110 Bethune-Cookman 6.53 2 9 110  
111 Texas Southern 6.47 2 8 109  
112 Delaware State 6.45 5 6 111  
113 Howard 6.29 3 8 120  
114 Houston Baptist 5.99 0 11 114  
115 Presbyterian 5.92 2 9 112  
116 Butler 5.70 3 8 121  
117 Mississippi Valley State 5.52 3 7 116  
118 Alabama State 5.41 4 6 118  
119 Lamar 5.29 1 9 115  
120 Central Connecticut State 4.80 4 7 123  
121 Grambling State 4.72 3 7 117  
122 Drake 4.39 2 8 119  
123 Bucknell 4.31 1 10 122  
124 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2.76 2 9 124  
125 Long Island 2.19 2 8 125  
126 Morgan State 2.01 2 9 127  
127 Wagner 1.10 0 11 126  
128 Dixie State 0.76 1 10 128