Selection Sunday has arrived and with it comes a special early release of the AGS Poll prior the selection show (which airs on ESPNU at 12:30PM ET). We got quite the shake up in week 12 as 8 teams ranked in last week’s top 25 took losses. Once again, despite all the turmoil behind them, Sam Houston took the #1 spot garnering 40 of 45 first place votes. North Dakota State slid up to #2 behind them. They were followed by James Madison and Eastern Washington at #3 and #4, respectively. Villanova rounded out the top 5 at #5.
As for other teams moving up Montana made a 3 spot rise to #6 after a huge win over in-state rival Montana State. Fellow Big Sky team Sacramento State jumped up 4 spots to #9 after their own rivalry game win over UC Davis and winning the outright Big Sky title. Incarnate Word took advantage of some chaos in front of them to move up 5 spots to #13. Northern Iowa got back into the top 25 after a week in the ORV section coming in at #25 (they would also be the last at-large team into the playoffs going off the AGS Poll consensus).
The teams dropping this week were headlined by Montana State who fell 6 spots to #8 following their aforementioned loss to Montana. UC Davis and Mercer each took 4 spots tumbles down to #12 and #24, respectively, after taking week 12 losses. Monmouth dropped out of the top 25 after losing to Big South rival Kennesaw State.
In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky with 5 and the AQ7, CAA, Ivy League, SOCON, and Southland with 2 teams each in the top 25. 11 conferences were represented in this final AGS top 25 of the regular season.
Full results below:
| Rank | Change | Team | Total Points | First Place Votes |
| 1 | – | Sam Houston Bearkats | 1118 | 40 |
| 2 | 2 | North Dakota State Bison | 1061 | 5 |
| 3 | – | James Madison Dukes | 1034 | |
| 4 | 1 | Eastern Washington Eagles | 919 | |
| 5 | 1 | Villanova Wildcats | 907 | |
| 6 | 3 | Montana Grizzlies | 902 | |
| 7 | – | East Tennessee State Buccaneers | 816 | |
| 8 | -6 | Montana State Bobcats | 807 | |
| 9 | 4 | Sac State Hornets | 792 | |
| 10 | -2 | Missouri State Bears | 747 | |
| 11 | – | South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 678 | |
| 12 | 2 | Kennesaw State Owls | 660 | |
| 13 | 5 | Incarnate Word Cardinals | 577 | |
| 14 | -4 | UC Davis Aggies | 460 | |
| 15 | -3 | South Dakota Coyotes | 423 | |
| 16 | 3 | Dartmouth Big Green | 362 | |
| 17 | -2 | Southeastern Louisiana Lions | 343 | |
| 18 | 2 | Jackson State Tigers | 324 | |
| 19 | -3 | Southern Illinois Salukis | 304 | |
| 20 | -3 | Tennesee-Martin Skyhawks | 293 | |
| 21 | 1 | Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks | 255 | |
| 22 | 3 | Holy Cross Crusaders | 190 | |
| 23 | – | Princeton Tigers | 185 | |
| 24 | -4 | Mercer Bears | 119 | |
| 25 | 4 | Northern Iowa Panthers | 115 | |
| ORV: | ||||
| 26 | 2 | Harvard Crimson | 101 | |
| 27 | NR | Florida A&M Rattlers | 30 | |
| 28 | NR | Eastern Kentucky Colonels | 21 | |
| 29 | NR | Weber State Wildcats | 20 | |
| 30 | -4 | Rhode Island Rams | 11 | |
| 31 | -7 | Monmouth Hawks | 10 | |
| 32 | NR | Nicholls Colonels | 9 | |
| 33T | -6 | Chattanooga Mocs | 8 | |
| 33T | -3 | William & Mary Tribe | 8 | |
| 33T | NR | Sacred Heart Pioneers | 8 | |
| 36 | NR | Davidson Wildcats | 4 | |
| 37 | -5 | North Dakota Fighting Hawks | 3 | |
| 38 | NR | Maine Black Bears | 1 | |
Most significant win: Montana Grizzlies
Most significant loss: Southern Illinois Salukis
Dropped out of the poll:
Virginia Military Institute Keydets
Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?288137-AGS-Poll-Results-Week-12-2021-SELECTION-SUNDAY