SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats are ranked 20th in the 2013 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Preseason Coaches Poll. BCU, winners of two of the last three MEAC crowns, finished 23rd in the final Coaches Poll last season and 15th in 2010.
Two time defending FCS National Champions North Dakota State received 23 of 26 first place votes and grabbed top honors in the poll. Montana State earned the No. 2 preseason ranking, Eastern Washington is third, followed by Sam Houston State and Wofford rounding out the top 5.
The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.
Preseason 2013 FCS Coaches Preseason Poll
Team (No. 1 Votes) 2012 Record Points Final 2012 Ranking
1. North Dakota State (23) 14-1 645 1
2. Montana State (1) 11-2 591 5
3. Eastern Washington 11-3 549 4
4. Sam Houston State (1) 11-4 534 2
5. Wofford 9-4 450 7
6. Central Arkansas 9-3 428 10
7. South Dakota State 9-4 410 17
8. New Hampshire 8-4 386 13
9. Villanova 8-4 381 16
10. Illinois State 9-4 379 9
11. Cal Poly 9-3 348 11
12. Towson 7-4 347 15
13. Stony Brook 10-3 326 12
14. Richmond 8-3 274 18
15. James Madison 7-4 235 21
16. Northern Iowa 5-6 218 NR
17. Lehigh 10-1 198 14
18. Northern Arizona 8-2 196 20
19. Eastern Kentucky (1) 8-3 188 19
20. Bethune-Cookman 9-3 159 23
21. Coastal Carolina 8-5 140 24
22. Montana 6-2* 135 NR
23. Eastern Illinois 7-5 120 25
24. Youngstown State 7-4 107 NR
25. Chattanooga 6-5 104 NR
Others receiving votes: Wagner (87), Colgate (67), Tennessee State (52), Harvard (48), Delaware (47), The Citadel (39), Liberty (39), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (35), Indiana State (27), Stephen F. Austin (19), McNeese State (16), Penn (13), Alcorn State (12), Jacksonville State (11), Samford (10), Norfolk State (7), Alabama State (7), UC Davis (7), Southern Illinois (6), Maine (5), Albany (5), Tennessee Tech (5), UT Martin (4), Gardner Webb (4), Sacramento State (3), Hampton (3), San Diego (2), Jackson State (1), Missouri State (1), Brown (1)
* Final 6 games of 2012 vacated
Note: The following programs are ineligible for the Coaches Poll due to their transition to the FBS- Appalachian State, Charlotte, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion.
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