Bearkats No. 6 In FCS Final Polls
1/12/2015 1:54:00 PM | Football
After a playoff run to the semifinals that included wins over three top 10 teams, the Sam Houston State football team jumped from No. 19 in the last regular season poll to No. 6 in the final FCS national rankings.
Both The Sports Network and the NCAA Coaches polls listed national champion North Dakota State No. 1 followed by Illinois State, New Hampshire, Eastern Washington, Coastal Carolina and Sam Houston.
The No. 6 ranking marks the fourth season in a row for the Kats to be in the final national rankings. Sam Houston was voted No. 2 in 2011 and 2012 after reaching the National Championship Game in Frisco both years. SHSU stood No. 13 in last year's final poll after a second round playoff loss.
In 29 years as an FCS competitor, the Bearkats have been included in the final national rankings eight times. Sam Houston stood No. 11 in 1986, No. 19 in 1987, No. 12 in 1991 and No. 7 in 2004.
The Kats earned their third Southland Conference championship in the past four years with a 7-1 run through the league in 2014.
Sam Houston's 11-5 overall season record marked only the sixth time in 99 years of Bearkat football for the Kats to post a double-digit victory total. The Kats put together a seven-game winning streak that included victories in the final four games of the regular season and three straight playoff wins.
Eventual national champion North Dakota State ended the Kats season with a road loss at the Fargodome in the FCS semifinals.
Sam Houston defeated two nationally-ranked opponents during the regular season with wins over No. 4 McNeese State and No. 23 Stephen F. Austin.
In the post-season the Kats defeated No. 3 Jacksonville State, No. 5 Villanova and No. 9 Southeastern Louisiana. The JSU Gamecocks dropped to No. 9 in the final polls. Villanova was rated No. 7 behind SHSU in both polls. Southeastern Louisiana fell to No. 12 in the NCAA Coaches poll and No. 14 in The Sports Network rankings.
McNeese State and SFA were listed as “also receiving votes” in both of the final polls.
The final rankings:
| Sports Network | W-L | NCAA Coaches Poll | W-L | Pts | ||||
| 1 | North Dakota St. | 15-1 | 3800 | 1 | North Dakota St. | 15-1 | 625 | |
| 2 | Illinois St. | 13-2 | 3630 | 2 | Illinois St. | 13-2 | 600 | |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 12-2 | 3475 | 3 | New Hampshire | 12-2 | 568 | |
| 4 | Eastern Washington | 11-3 | 3161 | 4 | Eastern Washington | 11-3 | 527 | |
| 5 | Coastal Carolina | 12-2 | 3046 | 5 | Coastal Carolina | 12-2 | 516 | |
| 6 | SAM HOUSTON | 11-5 | 2936 | 6 | SAM HOUSTON | 11-5 | 463 | |
| 7 | Villanova | 11-3 | 2894 | 7 | Villanova | 11-3 | 458 | |
| 8 | Chattanooga | 10-4 | 2701 | 8 | Chattanooga | 10-4 | 434 | |
| 9 | Jacksonville St. | 10-2 | 2585 | 9 | Jacksonville St. | 10-2 | 414 | |
| 10 | Northern Iowa | 9-5 | 2332 | 10 | Northern Iowa | 9-5 | 389 | |
| 11 | Fordham | 11-3 | 2234 | 11 | Montana | 9-5 | 356 | |
| 12 | South Dakota St. | 9-5 | 2332 | 12 | Southeastern La. | 9-4 | 348 | |
| 13 | Montana | 9-5 | 1969 | 13 | South Dakota St. | 9-5 | 335 | |
| 14 | Southeastern La. | 9-4 | 1729 | 14 | Fordham | 11-3 | 312 | |
| 15 | Harvard | 10-0 | 1502 | 15 | Harvard | 10-0 | 251 | |
| 16 | Richmond | 9-5 | 1422 | 16 | Richmond | 9-5 | 237 | |
| 17 | Liberty | 9-5 | 1365 | 17 | Liberty | 9-5 | 214 | |
| 18 | James Madison | 9-4 | 1170 | 18 | Indiana St. | 8-6 | 213 | |
| 19 | Indiana St. | 8-6 | 1162 | 19 | James Madison | 9-4 | 202 | |
| 20 | Montana St. | 8-5 | 1144 | 20 | Montana St. | 8-5 | 167 | |
| 21 | Eastern Kentucky | 9-4 | 992 | 21 | Eastern Kentucky | 9-4 | 139 | |
| 22 | Youngstown St. | 7-5 | 422 | 22 | Bethune-Cookman | 9-3 | 96 | |
| 23 | Bethune-Cookman | 9-3 | 347 | 23 | Sacred Heart | 9-3 | 64 | |
| 24 | Sacred Heart | 9-3 | 325 | 24 | Wiliam & Mary | 7-5 | 59 | |
| 25 | Idaho State | 8-4 | 318 | 25 | Youngstown St. | 7-5 | 44 | |
