The Madness FCS Power Rankings
The Madness FCS Power Rankings is 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 125 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.’ The strongest FCS conferences get a higher value than the weaker conferences. This is done to lessen the effects of a superior team in a weak conference from building huge point margins and manipulating the system. This constant has been tweaked since last season also, to include each individual conference’s overall success in FCS vs. FCS games.
Teams will also gain bonuses for beating FBS 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 5, September 29th. These will be available on the Madness no later than Monday every week from then on. 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.
RANK | TEAM | RATING | W | L | Prev | RANK | CONFERENCE | RATING | |
1 | North Dakota State | 54.74 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | COLONIAL | 30.90 | |
2 | James Madison | 46.46 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | MISSOURI VALLEY | 30.48 | |
3 | Dartmouth | 44.86 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 3 | IVY LEAGUE | 28.35 | |
4 | Princeton | 42.85 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | SOUTHERN | 26.35 | |
5 | South Dakota State | 41.31 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | BIG SKY | 24.89 | |
6 | Northern Iowa | 41.26 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 6 | SOUTHLAND | 24.26 | |
7 | Elon | 39.30 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | BIG SOUTH | 23.30 | |
8 | UC Davis | 38.83 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 8 | OHIO VALLEY | 22.86 | |
9 | Delaware | 38.52 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 9 | PATRIOT | 20.42 | |
10 | Towson | 36.09 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 10 | PIONEER | 15.08 | |
11 | Stony Brook | 35.66 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 11 | NORTHEAST | 14.99 | |
12 | Jacksonville State | 34.21 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 12 | MID-EASTERN | 14.80 | |
13 | Illinois State | 34.05 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 13 | SOUTHWESTERN | 11.91 | |
14 | Colgate | 33.89 | 6 | 0 | 23 | ||||
15 | Weber State | 33.18 | 5 | 2 | 20 | ||||
16 | North Dakota | 33.12 | 5 | 2 | 21 | ||||
17 | Eastern Washington | 32.71 | 5 | 2 | 12 | ||||
18 | Villanova | 32.63 | 3 | 4 | 15 | ||||
19 | Nicholls | 32.29 | 4 | 3 | 11 | ||||
20 | Monmouth | 31.94 | 5 | 2 | 40 | ||||
21 | Chattanooga | 31.85 | 5 | 2 | 18 | ||||
22 | Western Illinois | 31.16 | 3 | 4 | 27 | ||||
23 | Wofford | 30.64 | 5 | 2 | 43 | ||||
24 | Idaho State | 30.22 | 4 | 3 | 24 | ||||
25 | Montana | 29.94 | 4 | 3 | 29 | ||||
26 | Montana State | 29.74 | 4 | 3 | 25 | ||||
27 | Incarnate Word | 29.66 | 4 | 3 | 44 | ||||
28 | Yale | 29.30 | 4 | 2 | 42 | ||||
29 | Sam Houston State | 29.23 | 4 | 3 | 19 | ||||
30 | Furman | 29.19 | 2 | 4 | 13 | ||||
31 | Rhode Island | 28.59 | 4 | 3 | 16 | ||||
32 | The Citadel | 28.47 | 2 | 4 | 26 | ||||
33 | Samford | 28.45 | 4 | 4 | 33 | ||||
34 | Kennesaw State | 28.41 | 6 | 1 | 28 | ||||
35 | Southeast Missouri State | 27.92 | 5 | 2 | 49 | ||||
36 | Austin Peay | 27.51 | 3 | 4 | 31 | ||||
37 | Central Arkansas | 27.42 | 5 | 2 | 37 | ||||
38 | Columbia | 26.78 | 3 | 3 | 34 | ||||
39 | McNeese | 26.74 | 5 | 2 | 35 | ||||
40 | Campbell | 26.47 | 5 | 2 | 41 | ||||
41 | Cornell | 25.35 | 3 | 3 | 45 | ||||
42 | Murray State | 24.92 | 4 | 3 | 70 | ||||
43 | William & Mary | 24.75 | 3 | 4 | 57 | ||||
44 | Penn | 24.74 | 4 | 2 | 36 | ||||
45 | North Carolina A&T | 24.63 | 6 | 2 | 52 | ||||
46 | Richmond | 24.20 | 3 | 5 | 47 | ||||
47 | Missouri State | 24.06 | 4 | 3 | 32 | ||||
48 | New Hampshire | 24.00 | 1 | 6 | 39 | ||||
49 | Charleston Southern | 23.96 | 3 | 3 | 71 | ||||
50 | Harvard | 23.94 | 3 | 3 | 59 | ||||
51 | Southeastern Louisiana | 23.87 | 3 | 5 | 46 | ||||
52 | East Tennessee State | 23.49 | 6 | 2 | 50 | ||||
53 | Maine | 23.44 | 4 | 3 | 38 | ||||
54 | Abilene Christian | 23.23 | 4 | 4 | 61 | ||||
55 | South Dakota | 22.73 | 3 | 4 | 51 | ||||
56 | Eastern Kentucky | 22.62 | 3 | 4 | 48 | ||||
57 | Georgetown | 22.49 | 4 | 4 | 55 | ||||
58 | Mercer | 22.40 | 4 | 3 | 73 | ||||
59 | Florida A&M | 22.37 | 5 | 2 | 58 | ||||
60 | Youngstown State | 22.33 | 3 | 4 | 60 | ||||
61 | Sacred Heart | 22.00 | 4 | 3 | 72 | ||||
62 | Northern Colorado | 21.76 | 1 | 7 | 74 | ||||
63 | Southern Illinois | 21.75 | 1 | 6 | 53 | ||||
64 | Drake | 21.66 | 4 | 2 | 63 | ||||
65 | Idaho | 21.57 | 3 | 4 | 64 | ||||
66 | Stephen F. Austin | 21.55 | 2 | 5 | 67 | ||||
67 | Cal Poly | 21.43 | 2 | 5 | 54 | ||||
68 | Lafayette | 21.34 | 2 | 5 | 66 | ||||
69 | Tennessee State | 21.28 | 3 | 3 | 65 | ||||
70 | Northwestern State | 21.25 | 2 | 5 | 56 | ||||
71 | Northern Arizona | 21.07 | 3 | 4 | 30 | ||||
72 | San Diego | 20.73 | 5 | 2 | 76 | ||||
73 | Lamar | 20.59 | 3 | 4 | 83 | ||||
74 | Dayton | 20.42 | 3 | 5 | 69 | ||||
75 | Tennessee-Martin | 19.86 | 1 | 6 | 62 | ||||
76 | Alcorn State | 19.47 | 6 | 2 | 77 | ||||
77 | Holy Cross | 19.30 | 1 | 6 | 68 | ||||
78 | Marist | 18.64 | 3 | 4 | 87 | ||||
79 | Albany | 18.56 | 2 | 5 | 75 | ||||
80 | Portland State | 18.06 | 3 | 4 | 79 | ||||
81 | Indiana State | 17.87 | 3 | 4 | 81 | ||||
82 | Stetson | 17.85 | 5 | 1 | 84 | ||||
83 | Fordham | 17.68 | 1 | 6 | 80 | ||||
84 | Duquesne | 17.42 | 5 | 3 | 82 | ||||
85 | Bucknell | 17.41 | 1 | 7 | 78 | ||||
86 | Central Connecticut State | 17.37 | 4 | 4 | 85 | ||||
87 | Bryant | 17.12 | 5 | 2 | 89 | ||||
88 | Alabama A&M | 16.43 | 3 | 4 | 86 | ||||
89 | Sacramento State | 15.67 | 2 | 5 | 95 | ||||
90 | Southern | 15.62 | 4 | 3 | 92 | ||||
91 | South Carolina State | 15.40 | 2 | 5 | 91 | ||||
92 | Eastern Illinois | 14.92 | 2 | 6 | 99 | ||||
93 | North Carolina Central | 14.44 | 3 | 3 | 112 | ||||
94 | Jackson State | 14.40 | 3 | 3 | 94 | ||||
95 | Western Carolina | 14.21 | 3 | 4 | 97 | ||||
96 | Norfolk State | 13.95 | 3 | 3 | 88 | ||||
97 | Southern Utah | 13.79 | 1 | 6 | 90 | ||||
98 | Prairie View A&M | 13.72 | 3 | 4 | 96 | ||||
99 | Morgan State | 13.70 | 2 | 5 | 100 | ||||
100 | Bethune-Cookman | 13.46 | 4 | 4 | 110 | ||||
101 | Gardner-Webb | 13.05 | 1 | 6 | 98 | ||||
102 | Lehigh | 12.72 | 1 | 6 | 103 | ||||
103 | Howard | 12.59 | 3 | 3 | 111 | ||||
104 | Grambling State | 12.57 | 3 | 4 | 105 | ||||
105 | Jacksonville | 12.34 | 1 | 5 | 114 | ||||
106 | Morehead State | 12.17 | 3 | 4 | 104 | ||||
107 | Houston Baptist | 12.16 | 1 | 6 | 101 | ||||
108 | Butler | 11.99 | 3 | 4 | 108 | ||||
109 | Tennessee Tech | 11.91 | 0 | 7 | 106 | ||||
110 | Virginia Military | 11.84 | 0 | 7 | 107 | ||||
111 | Brown | 11.74 | 1 | 5 | 102 | ||||
112 | Presbyterian | 11.66 | 2 | 4 | 93 | ||||
113 | Hampton | 11.00 | 3 | 3 | 115 | ||||
114 | Wagner | 10.65 | 2 | 5 | 109 | ||||
115 | St. Francis | 10.45 | 2 | 5 | 116 | ||||
116 | Davidson | 10.00 | 5 | 3 | 113 | ||||
117 | North Alabama | 9.68 | 5 | 3 | 118 | ||||
118 | Savannah State | 9.10 | 1 | 5 | 117 | ||||
119 | Texas Southern | 7.99 | 1 | 6 | 120 | ||||
120 | Robert Morris | 7.90 | 2 | 5 | 119 | ||||
121 | Alabama State | 6.99 | 2 | 4 | 121 | ||||
122 | Valparaiso | 6.91 | 1 | 6 | 122 | ||||
123 | Mississippi Valley State | 6.43 | 1 | 5 | 123 | ||||
124 | Delaware State | 3.15 | 0 | 7 | 125 | ||||
125 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 3.09 | 1 | 6 | 124 | ||||