Final 2021-2022 FCS Power Rankings

January 9, 2022 · 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 North Dakota State 45.68 14 1 3 1 MISSOURI VALLEY 24.00
2 James Madison 44.06 12 2 1 2 AQ7 20.98
3 Sam Houston State 39.13 11 1 2 3 COLONIAL 20.69
4 Montana State 37.30 12 3 11 4 BIG SKY 20.42
5 South Dakota State 35.15 11 4 13 5 SOUTHERN 20.20
6 Montana 34.12 10 3 7 6 SOUTHLAND 18.64
7 East Tennessee State 33.98 11 2 6 7 BIG SOUTH 17.67
8 Eastern Washington 33.14 10 3 4 8 OHIO VALLEY 16.43
9 Villanova 32.89 10 3 5 9 IVY LEAGUE 15.47
10 Incarnate Word 31.28 10 3 10 10 PATRIOT 13.18
11 Southeastern Louisiana 30.66 9 4 12 11 PIONEER 9.91
12 Holy Cross 29.07 10 3 9 12 SOUTHWESTERN 8.94
13 Missouri State 28.12 8 4 8 13 NORTHEAST 8.78
14 Kennesaw State 27.77 11 2 22 14 MID-EASTERN 7.44
15 Tennessee-Martin 26.64 10 3 20 15 WESTERN 4.18
16 Southern Illinois 26.36 8 5 16      
17 Sacramento State 25.74 9 3 17      
18 Monmouth 25.67 7 4 15      
19 Stephen F. Austin 25.08 8 4 19      
20 Princeton 24.98 9 1 18      
21 Mercer 24.77 7 3 24      
22 UC-Davis 24.44 8 4 21      
23 Dartmouth 24.35 9 1 23      
24 Austin Peay 24.19 6 5 25      
25 Northern Iowa 24.10 6 6 14      
26 Harvard 24.02 8 2 26  
27 Nicholls 23.71 6 5 30  
28 Weber State 23.71 6 5 29  
29 Eastern Kentucky 22.90 7 4 28  
30 Chattanooga 22.82 6 5 32  
31 South Dakota 22.49 7 5 27      
32 Jacksonville State 22.28 5 6 31  
33 Virginia Military 20.26 6 5 33      
34 Richmond 20.18 6 5 36  
35 Maine 20.10 6 5 35  
36 North Dakota 20.09 5 6 42      
37 Samford 19.89 4 7 37      
38 Elon 19.72 6 5 39  
39 Rhode Island 19.71 7 4 38      
40 William & Mary 19.61 6 5 40      
41 Furman 19.55 6 5 41      
42 Davidson 18.66 8 3 34  
43 Central Arkansas 18.49 5 6 43      
44 Northern Arizona 18.40 5 6 44  
45 Southeast Missouri State 18.07 4 7 45  
46 Western Carolina 17.80 4 7 47  
47 Fordham 17.69 6 5 48  
48 Stony Brook 17.29 5 6 49  
49 Jackson State 17.22 11 2 46  
50 Youngstown State 16.89 3 7 50      
51 Portland State 16.68 5 6 52  
52 Charleston Southern 16.36 4 6 51      
53 Murray State 16.21 6 5 56  
54 Delaware 16.03 5 6 53  
55 North Carolina A&T 15.90 5 6 55  
56 Yale 15.79 5 5 54  
57 Columbia 15.71 7 3 57  
58 North Alabama 15.59 3 8 60  
59 Campbell 15.47 3 8 64      
60 Abilene Christian 15.38 3 6 62      
61 Duquesne 15.35 7 3 61  
62 Bryant 15.31 7 4 63  
63 Morehead State 15.09 7 4 59  
64 Towson 15.06 4 7 67      
65 Florida A&M 14.95 9 3 58  
66 Illinois State 14.59 4 7 69      
67 Gardner-Webb 14.50 4 7 66  
68 Idaho 14.37 4 7 68  
69 San Diego 14.20 7 4 65  
70 Alabama A&M 14.07 7 3 71  
71 Hampton 13.97 5 6 70  
72 Tennessee State 13.50 5 6 72  
73 Dayton 13.38 6 4 73  
74 The Citadel 13.32 4 7 75  
75 Robert Morris 13.04 4 6 76  
76 Indiana State 12.97 5 6 77  
77 Sacred Heart 12.46 8 4 74  
78 Western Illinois 12.43 2 9 78  
79 New Hampshire 12.11 3 8 81  
80 South Carolina State 12.09 7 5 94  
81 Colgate 12.00 5 6 79  
82 McNeese 11.90 4 7 82  
83 Albany 11.88 2 9 83      
84 Norfolk State 11.47 6 5 86  
85 St. Francis 11.33 5 6 84  
86 Lafayette 11.30 3 8 87      
87 Merrimack 10.93 5 6 88  
88 Marist 10.80 5 5 85  
89 Northwestern State 10.76 3 8 90  
90 Wofford 10.66 1 10 89  
91 Prairie View A&M 10.60 7 5 80  
92 Alcorn State 10.34 6 5 92  
93 Tennessee Tech 10.24 3 8 93  
94 Northern Colorado 9.98 3 8 95  
95 St. Thomas 9.93 7 3 91  
96 Lehigh 9.34 3 8 96  
97 Georgetown 9.31 2 8 97  
98 Brown 9.03 2 8 99  
99 Southern Utah 9.02 1 10 98  
100 Cal Poly 8.87 2 9 100  
101 Idaho State 8.81 1 10 101  
102 Eastern Illinois 8.27 1 10 103  
103 Penn 8.22 3 7 104  
104 North Carolina Central 8.14 6 5 102  
105 Stetson 7.32 3 7 106  
106 Valparaiso 7.31 4 7 107  
107 Southern 7.25 4 7 105  
108 Cornell 6.97 2 8 109  
109 Tarleton State 6.94 6 5 108  
110 Texas Southern 6.73 2 8 111  
111 Bethune-Cookman 6.55 2 9 110  
112 Mississippi Valley State 6.44 4 7 117  
113 Delaware State 6.26 5 6 112  
114 Howard 6.08 3 8 113  
115 Alabama State 6.04 5 6 118  
116 Houston Baptist 5.86 0 11 114  
117 Presbyterian 5.76 2 9 115  
118 Grambling State 5.60 4 7 121  
119 Butler 5.48 3 8 116  
120 Lamar 5.21 1 9 119  
121 Central Connecticut State 4.82 4 7 120  
122 Drake 4.38 2 8 122  
123 Bucknell 4.34 1 10 123  
124 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2.80 2 9 124  
125 Long Island 2.17 2 8 125  
126 Morgan State 2.01 2 9 126  
127 Wagner 1.08 0 11 127  
128 Dixie State 0.29 1 10 128