The FCS Wedge

Selection Sunday for the FCS playoffs is upon us and with that comes an early release of the AGS Poll ahead of the selection show which will air on ESPNU at 12:30PM ET today. Week 13 might’ve been the most chaotic of the season across the FCS as 8 teams ranked in last week’s top 25 lost including 6 teams to lower ranked or unranked foes. There was also a change at the top as Montana State ascended to the #1 spot for the first time this season after completing a perfect 12-0 regular season. South Dakota State slid up to #2 behind them and North Dakota State fell 2 spots to #3 after losing to MVFC rival South Dakota who stayed at #4. UC Davis rounded out the top 5 at #5.

As for other teams rising this week Villanova used a big win over rival Delaware to move up 4 spots to #11. Their CAA league-mate New Hampshire also moved up four spots to #16 after closing the regular season on a 4-game win streak. Tennessee State picked up a huge win over SEMO to move up 5 spots to #20. After closing out their regular season at 9-2 riding an 8-game win streak South Carolina State made their first appearance in the AGS Top 25 since the 2013 season coming in at #23. Southern Utah also made their first appearance in the AGS Top 25 since the 2018 season coming in at #24.

As for teams going in the opposite direction Montana and Southeast Missouri State each dropped 4 spots to #14 and #17, respectively, after dropping their regular season finales. Missouri State fell 5 spots to #22 after getting blown out by SDSU and Harvard took a 7-spot dip after losing to rival Yale to barely hang in at #25. Stony Brook and Duquesne both dropped out of the top 25 after losing their respective week 13 contests.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky and the MVFC led the way again each placing 5 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the CAA and UAC with 4 each and the OVC with 3 teams in the top 25. Once again 9 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: South Dakota Coyotes
Most significant loss: North Dakota State Bison

Dropped out of the poll:
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
William & Mary Tribe

Join the discussion here: AGS Poll Results 2024 Week 13 (SELECTION SUNDAY)

It was a crazy week 12 in the AGS Top 25 with 9 teams overall from last week’s top 25 taking losses – 5 of which were to teams outside of the top 25. Despite the turmoil behind them the top 5 stayed pretty stagnant once again as North Dakota State kept their slight edge on Montana State for the top spot. They were followed once again by South Dakota State at #3. South Dakota moved up one spot to #4 and UC Davis slid down a spot to #5.

Teams moving up this week were headlined by Abilene Christian who used a huge win over UAC rival Tarleton to move up 5 spots to #12. Illinois State took advantage of some losses in front of them to move up 5 spots as well to #14. Harvard and Northern Arizona continued their march up the rankings each moving up 4 spots to #18 and #19, respectively. New Hampshire got back into the top 25 coming in at #20 after edging out Stony Brook. Tennessee State made their first appearance in the AGS top 25 since 2017 to round it out at #25.

As for teams falling in this week’s top 25 Villanova dropped 5 spots down to #15 after dropping a game to Monmouth. Missouri State fell 4 spots to #17 after being blown out by top ranked NDSU. Tennessee-Martin plummeted 8 spots down to #23 after being upset by Tennessee Tech. Chattanooga and East Tennessee State both fell out of the top 25 after taking week 12 losses to unranked foes.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky, CAA, and MVFC led the way each placing 5 teams into the top 25. The OVC and UAC each had 3 teams in the top 25. Once again 9 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Abilene Christian Wildcats
Most significant loss: Villanova Wildcats

Dropped out of the poll:
Central Arkansas Bears

Join the discussion here: AGS Poll Results 2024 Week 12

NOTE: Next week the AGS Poll will be released one day early on Sunday 11/24 to get out ahead of the FCS Playoff Selection Show which starts at 12:30PM ET.

Seven teams in last week’s top 25 took week 11 losses which gave the AGS Poll a good shuffle as we move towards the end of the regular season. Idle North Dakota State maintained its tenuous hold on the #1 spot coming in just above Montana State. South Dakota State, UC Davis (who banked a big win at Montana), and South Dakota also maintained their spots at #3-#5, respectively.

Leading the charge up the poll this week were Richmond and Villanova who each moved up 3 spots to #9 and #10, respectively. East Tennessee State and Harvard also moved up 3 spots each to #21 and #22, respectively, taking advantage of losses by teams in front of them. Northern Arizona got back into the top 25 coming in at #23. Duquesne made the first appearance by an NEC team in the AGS Top 25 since their last appearance in 2021 coming in at #24. Eastern Kentucky also made their first appearance in the top 25 since 2022 rounding it out at #25.

The teams falling this week were headlined by Southeast Missouri State who plummeted 8 spots down to #14 after a surprising loss to Lindenwood. Western Carolina, Central Arkansas, and North Dakota all fell out of the top 25 after taking week 11 losses. For North Dakota it snapped a program record streak of 34 straight appearances in the AGS Top 25.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky and the MVFC led the way each placing 5 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the CAA with 4, the SOCON and UAC with 3 each, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. There were 9 conferences represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: UC Davis Aggies
Most significant loss: Southeast Missouri State Redhawks

Dropped out of the poll:
None

Join the discussion here: AGS Poll Results 2024 Week 11

After a slow last two weeks we finally got the inevitable shake up in the week 10 AGS Top 25 after 5 teams from last week’s top 25 lost to teams outside of the top 25 – three of them to teams not included in last week’s poll at all – which really shuffled up the bottom half of the top 25. The top 5 stay unchanged however with North Dakota State edging out Montana State once again for the #1 spot followed by South Dakota State, UC Davis, and South Dakota in the #3-#5 spots, respectively.

There was a slew of teams moving up 4 spots this week taking advantage of those aforementioned losses. Richmond, Villanova, Missouri State, and Tennessee-Martin each made 4 spot jumps to #12-#15, respectively. Further down Stony Brook and Illinois State also each moved up 4 spots as well to #18 and #19, respectively. Western Carolina used a big win over Chattanooga to get back into the top 25 coming in at #23. Harvard made their first appearance in the top 25 this season coming in with a tie at #25 after beating previously undefeated Dartmouth.

As for teams going the other way Tarleton took a 7-spot dive down to #16 after losing to Eastern Kentucky. Central Arkansas fell 8 spots to #20 after giving Utah Tech their first victory of the season. Chattanooga also dropped 7 spots to #21 due to their aforementioned loss to Western Carolina. North Dakota plummeted 10 spots to barely hang in the top 25 in a tie at #25 after their 2nd straight loss. Dartmouth fell out of the top 25 after their previously mentioned loss to Harvard.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the CAA with 5, the Big Sky and SOCON with 4 each, the UAC with 3, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. Once again 8 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Western Carolina Catamounts
Most significant loss: Central Arkansas Bears

Dropped out of the poll:
Lamar Cardinals
Maine Black Bears
Sac State Hornets
Samford Bulldogs
Towson Tigers

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?368571-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-10

It was another relatively calm week in the AGS Top 25 in week 9 with only 3 teams in last week’s top 25 dropping games and only one of those to a team outside of the top 25. North Dakota State maintained its spot at #1 edging out Montana State once again who finished at #2. South Dakota State stayed at #3 and UC Davis moved up a spot to #4 – their highest ranking in the AGS Poll since 2018. South Dakota slipped a spot down to #5.

The only team moving up more than 2 spots this week was Rhode Island who rose 3 spots to #13 after their 6th straight win – their highest ranking in the AGS Poll since 2021. There were no teams moving into the top 25 this week as the only thing that changed were the positioning of last week’s top 25 teams.

As for teams going the opposite direction North Dakota dipped 8 spots to #15 after a surprising overtime loss at Youngstown State. William & Mary dropped 7 spots down to #25 after a convincing week 9 loss at Stony Brook.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the CAA with 5, the Big Sky with 4, the SOCON and UAC with 3 each, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. Once again 8 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Most significant loss: North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Dropped out of the poll:
Monmouth Hawks
New Hampshire Wildcats
Southern Illinois Salukis

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?367890-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-9

There wasn’t a lot of movement this week but three losses amongst last week’s top 10, including 2 to unranked teams, shook up the AGS Poll a bit in its week 8 release. For the first time in 24 poll releases (since the week 12 release of the 2022 season) we have a new #1 as a familiar name in North Dakota State ascended to that spot after knocking off previously top ranked South Dakota State. Montana State maintained their position at #2 and South Dakota State slid down to #3. South Dakota stayed at #4 and UC Davis climbed into the top 5 for the first time this season coming in at #5.

Nobody from last week’s top 25 moved up more than 2 spots this week but Stony Brook climbed into the top 25 for the first time since the 2019 season coming in at #24 after a big win over CAA rival Towson. Dartmouth made their first appearance in the top 25 since the fall 2021 season rounding it out at #25 after a 5-0 start to their season.

Teams falling this week were headlined by Mercer who fell 5 spots to #12 after taking a loss to unranked Samford. Villanova plummeted 10 spots down to #15 after a surprisingly lopsided defeat to unranked Maine. New Hampshire and Towson both fell out of the top 25 after dropping their week 8 contests.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the CAA with 5, the Big Sky with 4, the SOCON and UAC with 3 each, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. There were 8 conferences represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: North Dakota State Bison
Most significant loss: Villanova Wildcats

Dropped out of the poll:
Florida A&M Panthers
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
McNeese Cowboys
North Alabama Lions
Towson Tigers

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?367280-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-8

A few upsets and some ranked-vs-ranked matchups shuffled up the AGS Top 25 in week 7. The top of it remained pretty calm once again though as the top 5 went unchanged with South Dakota State taking the top spot getting 39 of 46 first place votes. They were again followed by Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and Villanova in that order in the #2-#5 spots.

Teams on the rise this week were headlined by Chattanooga who moved up 5 spots to #15 after winning their 3rd straight game. Rhode Island moved up 4 spots to #17 after their 4th straight win and Tennessee-Martin climbed up 5 spots as well to #19 with their own 3 game win streak. Missouri State moved into the top 25 for the first time since the 2022 season coming in at #21. Towson cracked the top 25 for the first time since the 2019 season at #24 and CAA league-mate New Hampshire climbed back into the top 25 to round it out at #25.

As for teams going the other way Idaho fell 5 spots to #11 after getting pummeled by #2 Montana State. Abilene Christian plummeted 11 spots down to #22 after being upset by North Alabama. Illinois State tumbled 7 spots to barely hang in the top 25 at #25 following a big loss to Missouri State. A trio of Big Sky teams in Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, and Weber State all fell out of the top 25 after taking week 7 losses.

In terms of conference representation the CAA and MVFC led the way placing 6 teams each into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky with 4, the SOCON and UAC with 3 each, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. There were 7 conferences represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Montana State Bobcats
Most significant loss: Abilene Christian Wildcats

Dropped out of the poll:
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Lafayette Leopards
Lamar Cardinals
Nicholls Colonels
Southern Illinois Salukis
Weber State Wildcats

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?366563-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-7

There were eight teams in last week’s AGS Top 25 that took losses in week 6, six of which were to lower or unranked teams, so we got quite the shake up this week. Things did stay calm at the top however as South Dakota State continued their string of #1 rankings taking 39 of 45 first place votes. They were once again followed by Montana State, North Dakota State, and South Dakota, in that order, in the #2-#4 spots. Vilanova slid up a spot to move back into the top 5 at #5.

There were plenty of teams taking advantage of the upsets this week and making corresponding moves up the rankings starting with Idaho, Mercer, and Southeast Missouri State who each moved up 4 spots to #6, #8, and #9 respectively. For Mercer it was their highest ever ranking in the AGS Poll and for SEMO it tied for their highest ranking ever. Abilene Christian moved up 6 spots to #11, also their highest ever ranking in the AGS Poll, following a big win over Central Arkansas. Illinois State bounced back up 7 spots to #17 after dominating MVFC rival SIU. Chattanooga also made a 4 spot to jump to #20 after nipping ETSU. Tennessee-Martin and Weber State each got back into the top 25 after brief absences coming in at #24 and #25, respectively.

As for teams going in the opposite direction North Dakota fell 5 spots to #10 after a convincing road loss to 3rd ranked NDSU. Central Arkansas and William & Mary each slid 4 spots to #12 and #16, respectively, after week 6 upsets. Montana continued to slide down the polls dropping 6 spots this week to #15 after losing at home to Big Sky rival Weber State. East Tennessee State fell 7 spots to #23 due to their aforementioned loss to Chattanooga. New Hampshire and Southern Illinois each fell out of the top 25 after taking week 6 losses.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky led the way placing 7 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the MVFC with 5, the CAA with 4, the SOCON and UAC with 3 each, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. Once again 7 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Abilene Christian Wildcats
Most significant loss: Montana Grizzlies

Dropped out of the poll:
Brown Bears
McNeese Cowboys
Monmouth Hawks
Northern Iowa Panthers
Wofford Terriers

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?365999-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-6

Week 4 was relatively uneventful within the AGS Top 25 with only 2 teams from last week’s top 25 dropping games to lower ranked FCS foes. So the top 5 was unchanged from last week with South Dakota State once again taking the top spot with 41 of the 48 first place votes. They were again followed by Montana State, Idaho, North Dakota State, and South Dakota in the #2-#5 spots, respectively.

Leading the charge up the polls this week was Southeast Missouri State who got a 3 spot bump up to #14 after an impressive win over previously top 10 ranked Southern Illinois. East Tennessee State made their first appearance in that AGS Top 25 since early in the 2022 season moving up 9 spots to #19. CAA league-mates Rhode Island and New Hampshire both climbed into the top 25 for the first time this season coming in at #24 and #25, respectively.

As for teams falling this week Southern Illinois tumbled 8 spots down to #15 due to their previously mentioned loss to SEMO. Despite being idle Chattanooga fell 5 spots down to #23. Lafayette dropped out of the top 25 after an upset loss to Columbia. Western Carolina and Furman both fell out of the top 25 after dropping their week 4 contests.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way once again placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and CAA with 5 each, the SOCON with 4, and the UAC with 3 teams in the top 25. A season low 7 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
Most significant loss: Lafayette Leopards

Dropped out of the poll:
Campbell Fighting Camels
Elon Phoenix
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Youngstown State Penguins

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?364775-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-4