North Dakota State's seventh national championship in eight years put the 2018 FCS football season to rest, as the Bison beat Eastern Washington 38-24 in Frisco, Texas Saturday (January 6).

That left just one piece of unfinished business - the release of the final FCS rankings for the season, and for the first time in school history, South Dakota State is a top three team to end a season.

Tha Jackrabbits (10-3) landed third overall in both the STATS FCS Top 25 and American Football Coaches Association FCS Polls to end the 2018 season.

For the second straight year, SDSU came within one win of playing for a national championship when they were beaten by NDSU in the FCS semifinals December 14, in Fargo.

The only other Missouri Valley Football Conference team to finish in the season's final Top 25 was Northern Iowa. The Panthers (7-6) were ranked 23rd in the STATS poll.

STATS FCS TOP 25 

  1. North Dakota State (15-0)
  2. Eastern Washington (12-3)
  3. South Dakota State (10-3)
  4. Maine (10-4)
  5. Kennesaw State (11-2)
  6. Weber State (10-3)
  7. UC Davis (10-3)
  8. Colgate (10-2)
  9. James Madison (9-4)
  10. Jacksonville State (9-4)
  11. Princeton (10-0)
  12. North Carolina A&T (10-2)
  13. Wofford (9-4)
  14. Nicholls (9-4)
  15. Southeast Missouri State (9-4)
  16. Stony Brook (7-5)
  17. Montana State (8-5)
  18. Dartmouth (9-1)
  19. Elon (6-5)
  20. Towson (7-5)
  21. Duquesne (9-4)
  22. ETSU (8-4)
  23. Northern Iowa (7-6)
  24. Delaware (7-5)
  25. San Diego (9-3)

AFCA FCS TOP 24

  1. North Dakota State (15-0)
  2. Eastern Washington (12-3)
  3. South Dakota State (10-3)
  4. Kennesaw State (11-2)
  5. Maine (10-4)
  6. Weber State (10-3)
  7. Colgate (10-2)
  8. UC Davis (10-3)
  9. Princeton (10-0)
  10. James Madison (9-4)
  11. North Carolina A&T (10-2)
  12. Wofford (9-4)
  13. Jacksonville State (9-4)
  14. Nicholls (9-4)
  15. Dartmouth (9-1)
  16. Southeast Missouri State (9-4)
  17. Montana State (8-5)
  18. Stony Brook (7-5)
  19. Elon (6-5)
  20. San Diego (9-3)
  21. East Tennessee (8-4)
  22. Towson (7-5)
  23. Delaware (7-5)
  24. Duquesne (9-4)

South Dakota State begins the 2019 regular season at Minnesota, August 29.


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