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 | 36.80 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | MISSOURI VALLEY | 23.65 | |
| 2 | Sam Houston State | 34.26 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | SOUTHERN | 19.95 | |
| 3 | Eastern Washington | 30.33 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 3 | AQ7 | 19.52 | |
| 4 | Incarnate Word | 30.26 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 4 | COLONIAL | 18.60 | |
| 5 | Southern Illinois | 30.16 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | BIG SKY | 18.13 | |
| 6 | North Dakota State | 29.85 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 6 | IVY LEAGUE | 15.73 | |
| 7 | Missouri State | 29.59 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 7 | BIG SOUTH | 15.26 | |
| 8 | Montana State | 29.50 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 8 | SOUTHLAND | 15.15 | |
| 9 | South Dakota State | 29.25 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 9 | OHIO VALLEY | 13.84 | |
| 10 | Princeton | 28.80 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 10 | PATRIOT | 10.93 | |
| 11 | Northern Iowa | 28.43 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 11 | PIONEER | 7.79 | |
| 12 | Villanova | 27.10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 12 | SOUTHWESTERN | 7.13 | |
| 13 | East Tennessee State | 26.54 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 13 | NORTHEAST | 7.00 | |
| 14 | Harvard | 25.93 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 14 | MID-EASTERN | 4.73 | |
| 15 | Dartmouth | 25.43 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 15 | WESTERN | 1.89 | |
| 16 | Montana | 25.23 | 4 | 2 | 14 | ||||
| 17 | South Dakota | 24.76 | 5 | 2 | 22 | ||||
| 18 | Holy Cross | 24.55 | 4 | 2 | 29 | ||||
| 19 | UC-Davis | 24.02 | 6 | 1 | 24 | ||||
| 20 | Southeastern Louisiana | 23.89 | 5 | 1 | 23 | ||||
| 21 | Tennessee-Martin | 23.82 | 5 | 1 | 21 | ||||
| 22 | Monmouth | 23.69 | 4 | 3 | 33 | ||||
| 23 | Virginia Military | 23.22 | 5 | 2 | 36 | ||||
| 24 | Samford | 22.62 | 3 | 3 | 17 | ||||
| 25 | Mercer | 21.84 | 4 | 2 | 20 | ||||
| 26 | Chattanooga | 21.66 | 3 | 3 | 49 | ||||
| 27 | Jacksonville State | 21.65 | 3 | 3 | 30 | ||||
| 28 | Rhode Island | 21.59 | 5 | 1 | 15 | ||||
| 29 | Furman | 21.02 | 4 | 2 | 25 | ||||
| 30 | Campbell | 20.78 | 3 | 3 | 19 | ||||
| 31 | Stephen F. Austin | 20.74 | 3 | 3 | 28 | ||||
| 32 | North Dakota | 20.39 | 2 | 4 | 31 | ||||
| 33 | Eastern Kentucky | 20.35 | 5 | 2 | 34 | ||||
| 34 | Kennesaw State | 20.33 | 5 | 1 | 32 | ||||
| 35 | Youngstown State | 20.21 | 2 | 3 | 27 | ||||
| 36 | Towson | 19.65 | 3 | 3 | 60 | ||||
| 37 | Central Arkansas | 19.20 | 2 | 4 | 35 | ||||
| 38 | Nicholls | 19.02 | 2 | 4 | 43 | ||||
| 39 | Weber State | 18.82 | 2 | 4 | 38 | ||||
| 40 | Austin Peay | 18.40 | 2 | 4 | 45 | ||||
| 41 | Northern Arizona | 18.09 | 3 | 3 | 46 | ||||
| 42 | New Hampshire | 17.81 | 3 | 3 | 42 | ||||
| 43 | Fordham | 17.56 | 4 | 3 | 61 | ||||
| 44 | Duquesne | 17.42 | 4 | 1 | 44 | ||||
| 45 | Columbia | 17.24 | 4 | 1 | 48 | ||||
| 46 | William & Mary | 17.06 | 4 | 2 | 26 | ||||
| 47 | Jackson State | 16.78 | 5 | 1 | 59 | ||||
| 48 | Charleston Southern | 16.42 | 2 | 3 | 64 | ||||
| 49 | Davidson | 16.41 | 4 | 1 | 73 | ||||
| 50 | Western Illinois | 16.37 | 1 | 6 | 41 | ||||
| 51 | Murray State | 16.06 | 3 | 3 | 55 | ||||
| 52 | Illinois State | 16.04 | 2 | 4 | 50 | ||||
| 53 | North Carolina A&T | 16.01 | 3 | 3 | 37 | ||||
| 54 | Elon | 16.01 | 3 | 3 | 39 | ||||
| 55 | Southeast Missouri State | 15.64 | 2 | 5 | 51 | ||||
| 56 | Abilene Christian | 15.40 | 3 | 3 | 53 | ||||
| 57 | Maine | 15.37 | 2 | 4 | 78 | ||||
| 58 | Stony Brook | 15.01 | 2 | 5 | 69 | ||||
| 59 | The Citadel | 14.94 | 2 | 4 | 52 | ||||
| 60 | Idaho | 14.91 | 2 | 4 | 58 | ||||
| 61 | Sacramento State | 14.82 | 4 | 2 | 72 | ||||
| 62 | Richmond | 14.72 | 2 | 4 | 56 | ||||
| 63 | Lafayette | 14.69 | 2 | 5 | 47 | ||||
| 64 | Wofford | 14.60 | 1 | 5 | 54 | ||||
| 65 | Merrimack | 13.96 | 4 | 3 | 71 | ||||
| 66 | Bryant | 13.78 | 4 | 3 | 62 | ||||
| 67 | Delaware | 13.52 | 3 | 3 | 40 | ||||
| 68 | Morehead State | 13.48 | 4 | 2 | 65 | ||||
| 69 | Portland State | 13.14 | 3 | 4 | 75 | ||||
| 70 | Indiana State | 12.81 | 3 | 4 | 63 | ||||
| 71 | Prairie View A&M | 11.92 | 5 | 1 | 70 | ||||
| 72 | Southern Utah | 11.86 | 1 | 6 | 68 | ||||
| 73 | Norfolk State | 11.82 | 4 | 2 | 66 | ||||
| 74 | Dayton | 11.72 | 3 | 3 | 57 | ||||
| 75 | Northern Colorado | 11.48 | 2 | 5 | 77 | ||||
| 76 | Marist | 11.47 | 3 | 2 | 82 | ||||
| 77 | Florida A&M | 11.31 | 4 | 2 | 85 | ||||
| 78 | Robert Morris | 11.28 | 2 | 3 | 74 | ||||
| 79 | Albany | 11.19 | 0 | 6 | 67 | ||||
| 80 | North Alabama | 11.04 | 1 | 6 | 90 | ||||
| 81 | Tennessee State | 10.77 | 3 | 3 | 89 | ||||
| 82 | Gardner-Webb | 10.76 | 2 | 4 | 80 | ||||
| 83 | Brown | 10.57 | 1 | 4 | 84 | ||||
| 84 | Idaho State | 10.51 | 1 | 5 | 76 | ||||
| 85 | Alcorn State | 10.46 | 4 | 2 | 95 | ||||
| 86 | Georgetown | 10.15 | 1 | 4 | 79 | ||||
| 87 | McNeese | 9.44 | 2 | 4 | 101 | ||||
| 88 | Western Carolina | 9.39 | 0 | 6 | 88 | ||||
| 89 | Hampton | 9.06 | 2 | 4 | 83 | ||||
| 90 | Sacred Heart | 9.06 | 4 | 3 | 98 | ||||
| 91 | St. Francis | 9.01 | 3 | 4 | 86 | ||||
| 92 | Yale | 8.98 | 2 | 3 | 81 | ||||
| 93 | Eastern Illinois | 8.95 | 1 | 6 | 94 | ||||
| 94 | San Diego | 8.79 | 3 | 4 | 91 | ||||
| 95 | Presbyterian | 8.22 | 2 | 4 | 87 | ||||
| 96 | Northwestern State | 8.16 | 1 | 5 | 92 | ||||
| 97 | Penn | 8.13 | 2 | 3 | 93 | ||||
| 98 | Tennessee Tech | 7.74 | 2 | 5 | 97 | ||||
| 99 | Alabama A&M | 6.94 | 3 | 3 | 102 | ||||
| 100 | St. Thomas | 6.91 | 4 | 2 | 105 | ||||
| 101 | Cal Poly | 6.64 | 1 | 5 | 100 | ||||
| 102 | Cornell | 6.63 | 1 | 4 | 117 | ||||
| 103 | Colgate | 6.50 | 2 | 5 | 96 | ||||
| 104 | Southern | 6.48 | 3 | 3 | 108 | ||||
| 105 | Grambling State | 6.38 | 3 | 4 | 109 | ||||
| 106 | Delaware State | 5.94 | 3 | 3 | 99 | ||||
| 107 | Tarleton State | 5.91 | 3 | 3 | 106 | ||||
| 108 | Stetson | 5.41 | 2 | 4 | 103 | ||||
| 109 | Houston Baptist | 5.40 | 0 | 6 | 107 | ||||
| 110 | South Carolina State | 5.35 | 2 | 4 | 116 | ||||
| 111 | Lamar | 5.06 | 1 | 4 | 118 | ||||
| 112 | Texas Southern | 4.99 | 1 | 4 | 119 | ||||
| 113 | Bucknell | 4.52 | 1 | 5 | 114 | ||||
| 114 | Howard | 4.29 | 2 | 4 | 104 | ||||
| 115 | Butler | 4.13 | 2 | 5 | 112 | ||||
| 116 | Alabama State | 4.07 | 3 | 3 | 111 | ||||
| 117 | Drake | 3.94 | 2 | 5 | 110 | ||||
| 118 | Bethune-Cookman | 3.89 | 0 | 7 | 120 | ||||
| 119 | North Carolina Central | 3.79 | 2 | 4 | 115 | ||||
| 120 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 3.47 | 1 | 5 | 113 | ||||
| 121 | Mississippi Valley State | 2.63 | 2 | 4 | 121 | ||||
| 122 | Lehigh | 1.74 | 0 | 6 | 122 | ||||
| 123 | Valparaiso | 0.99 | 1 | 5 | 123 | ||||
| 124 | Wagner | 0.94 | 0 | 6 | 124 | ||||
| 125 | Central Connecticut State | 0.16 | 1 | 5 | 125 | ||||
| 126 | Morgan State | -0.45 | 0 | 6 | 126 | ||||
| 127 | Long Island | -2.14 | 0 | 5 | 127 | ||||
| 128 | Dixie State | -2.38 | 0 | 6 | 128 | ||||
