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FARGO, N.D. – National champion North Dakota State was ranked No. 1 in the final FCS media and coaches polls released by Stats Perform and the American Football Coaches Association on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
NDSU finished its season with a 14-2 record after defeating previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Montana State 35-32 in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game. It was the 10th national title in 14 seasons for the Bison.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference had three of the top four teams in both polls with national semifinalists South Dakota State and South Dakota ranked third and fourth, respectively.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25
| School (first-place votes) | W-L | Pts | Prev | |
| 1. | North Dakota St. (56) | 14-2 | 1400 | 3 |
| 2. | Montana St. | 15-1 | 1344 | 1 |
| 3. | South Dakota St. | 12-3 | 1284 | 2 |
| 4. | South Dakota | 11-3 | 1236 | 4 |
| 5. | UC Davis | 11-3 | 1170 | 5 |
| 6. | Incarnate Word | 11-3 | 1084 | 6 |
| 7. | Idaho | 10-4 | 1058 | 7 |
| 8. | Mercer | 11-3 | 1037 | 8 |
| 9. | Rhode Island | 11-3 | 873 | 10 |
| 10. | Montana | 9-5 | 807 | 13 |
| 11. | Illinois St. | 10-4 | 805 | 11 |
| 12. | Villanova | 10-4 | 780 | 12 |
| 13. | Tarleton St. | 10-4 | 754 | 14 |
| 14. | Abilene Christian | 9-5 | 714 | 15 |
| 15. | Richmond | 10-3 | 608 | 9 |
| 16. | Southeast Missouri St. | 9-4 | 465 | 16 |
| 17. | Tennessee-Martin | 9-5 | 463 | 23 |
| 18. | Jackson St. | 12-2 | 462 | 18 |
| 19. | Tennessee St. | 9-4 | 311 | 21 |
| 20. | Lehigh | 9-4 | 301 | NR |
| 21. | Eastern Kentucky | 8-5 | 292 | 22 |
| 22. | Northern Arizona | 8-5 | 273 | 17 |
| 23. | New Hampshire | 8-5 | 200 | 19 |
| 24. | South Carolina St. | 9-3 | 172 | 20 |
| 25. | Harvard | 8-2 | 64 | 25 |
Dropped out: Stony Brook (24)
Others receiving votes: Stony Brook 59, Southern Utah 34, Drake 28, North Carolina Central 27, Western Carolina 24, Southeastern Louisiana 20, Chattanooga 18, Tennessee Tech 9, Central Connecticut St. 8, Duquesne 8, Dartmouth 6
AFCA FCS Coaches Poll
| School (first-place votes) | W-L | Pts | Prev | |
| 1. | North Dakota St. (16) | 14-2 | 575 | 4 |
| 2. | Montana St. | 15-1 | 552 | 1 |
| 3. | South Dakota St. | 12-3 | 529 | 2 |
| 4. | South Dakota | 11-3 | 507 | 3 |
| 5. | UC Davis | 11-3 | 480 | 5 |
| 6. | Incarnate Word | 11-3 | 448 | 6 |
| 7. | Mercer | 11-3 | 418 | 9 |
| 8. | Idaho | 10-4 | 402 | 8 |
| 9. | Villanova | 10-4 | 351 | 11 |
| 10. | Illinois St. | 10-4 | 350 | 10 |
| 11. | Rhode Island | 11-3 | 336 | 12 |
| 12. | Tarleton St. | 10-4 | 307 | 14 |
| 13. | Montana | 9-5 | 288 | 13 |
| 14. | Abilene Christian | 9-5 | 252 | 17 |
| 15. | Jackson St. | 12-2 | 249 | 15 |
| 16. | Richmond | 10-3 | 238 | 7 |
| 17. | Southeast Missouri St. | 9-4 | 223 | 16 |
| 18. | Tennessee-Martin | 9-5 | 173 | 20 |
| 19. | Tennessee St. | 9-4 | 139 | 19 |
| 20. | South Carolina St. | 9-3 | 127 | 18 |
| 21. | Lehigh | 9-4 | 113 | NR |
| 22. | Northern Arizona | 8-5 | 102 | 22 |
| 23. | Missouri St. | 8-4 | 73 | 21 |
| 24. | New Hampshire | 8-5 | 55 | 24 |
| 25. | Eastern Kentucky | 8-5 | 51 | NR |
Dropped out: North Carolina Central (23), Duquesne (25)
Others receiving votes: North Carolina Central 30, Drake 29, Central Connecticut St. 28, Stony Brook 15, Duquesne 14, Dartmouth 7, Columbia 6, Harvard 5, Southeastern Louisiana 5
https://gobison.com/news/2025/1/8/football-north-dakota-state-no-1-in-final-fcs-polls.aspx