By: By Jake Dorow
KENNESAW – Kennesaw State football wrapped up its historic season ranked No. 8 in the final STATS FCS Top 25 poll released Monday, Jan. 8, previously ranked No. 16 in the polls prior to the FCS Playoffs.
The ranking is the highest in program history of its three-year existence.
Kennesaw State finished the season with a program-record 12-2 overall campaign and became the first program to advance to the quarterfinals in just its third year of existence. The 12 wins tied a Big South Conference single-season record and its appearance in the FCS Playoffs quarterfinals marked the farthest a KSU team has advanced in the NCAA postseason since moving to the Division I level in 2005-06.
North Dakota State (14-1), previously ranked fourth but the No. 2 overall seed for the FCS playoffs, earned all 158 first-place votes and finished ahead of second-place James Madison (14-1).
South Dakota State (11-3), Sam Houston State (12-2) and Weber State (11-3) rounded out the top five followed by Wofford (10-3), North Carolina A&T (12-0), Kennesaw State (12-2), Jacksonville State (10-2) and Central Arkansas (10-2) for the Top 10.
Notes from 2017:
- Kennesaw State concluded its season with a 12-2 overall record, marking the best record in program history.
- The 12 wins mark a KSU single-season program record – previous, 8-3 in 2016 - are the most by third-year program, eclipsing the mark of 10 set by Old Dominion in 2011.
- Kennesaw State became the first program in just its third year to advance to the quarterfinals. Old Dominion (2011) went on to lose to Georgia Southern in the second round.
- The Owls became just the third Big South member to reach the quarterfinals in league history.
- KSU's 12 wins this season tied a Big South single-season victory record. The Owls became the second team with a dozen triumphs in a season (Coastal Carolina in 2013 and 2014)
- Kennesaw State's advancement to the FCS Playoffs quarterfinals is the farthest a KSU team has advanced in the NCAA postseason since moving to the Division-I level in 2005-06. The Owls' baseball program reached the 2014 Super Regional, while the men's golf team advances to the NCAA Championships on three occasions (2011, 2014, 2017).
- KSU entered Sam Houston State ranked No. 16/18 and captured its first Big South Conference championship and automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2017.
- The Owls defeated three ranked opponents (No. 22 Monmouth, No. 14 Samford, No. 3 Jacksonville State) for a program record.
- Kennesaw State rushed for a single-season record 4,623, marking the first team in Big South history with 4,000 yards on the ground in a campaign.
Full story: STATS FCS Top 25:
| STATS FCS Top 25 – Final (Jan. 8, 2018) |
|
Team (First-Place Votes) |
W-L |
Pts |
Prev |
| 1 |
North Dakota State (158) |
14-1 |
3950 |
4 |
| 2 |
James Madison |
14-1 |
3788 |
1 |
| 3 |
South Dakota State |
11-3 |
3512 |
6 |
| 4 |
Sam Houston State |
12-2 |
3508 |
5 |
| 5 |
Weber State |
11-3 |
3045 |
11 |
| 6 |
Wofford |
10-3 |
2964 |
8 |
| 7 |
North Carolina A&T |
12-0 |
2830 |
7 |
| 8 |
Kennesaw State |
12-2 |
2748 |
18 |
| 9 |
Jacksonville State |
10-2 |
2700 |
2 |
| 10 |
Central Arkansas |
10-2 |
2560 |
3 |
| 11 |
Stony Brook |
10-3 |
2155 |
10 |
| 12 |
New Hampshire |
9-5 |
2141 |
21 |
| 13 |
Western Illinois |
8-4 |
1857 |
9 |
| 14 |
Southern Utah |
9-3 |
1831 |
12 |
| 15 |
South Dakota |
8-5 |
1765 |
16 |
| 16 |
Grambling State |
11-2 |
1451 |
13 |
| 17 |
Northern Iowa |
8-5 |
1365 |
20 |
| 18 |
Samford |
8-4 |
1302 |
14 |
| 19 |
Furman |
8-5 |
1297 |
22 |
| 20 |
Elon |
8-4 |
1117 |
15 |
| 21 |
Eastern Washington |
7-4 |
693 |
17 |
| 22 |
McNeese State |
9-2 |
675 |
19 |
| 23 |
San Diego |
10-3 |
552 |
NR |
| 24 |
Yale |
9-1 |
299 |
24 |
| 25 |
Nicholls State |
8-4 |
293 |
NR |
Others receiving votes: Illinois State (220), Austin Peay (215), Northern Arizona (163), Monmouth (132), Delaware (53), Central Connecticut State (37), Columbia (27), Sacramento State (26), Richmond (22), Montana (16), Youngstown State (14), Alcorn State (8), Western Carolina (6), Southeastern Louisiana (6), Lehigh (3), Bethune-Cookman (2), Dartmouth (1), North Carolina Central (1).
