Media votes Kats No. 8, Coaches No. 10
10/26/2015 3:42:00 PM | Football
Sam Houston moved up to the No. 8 spot in the STATS FCS rankings and remained at No. 10 in the FCS Coaches poll Monday.
The Bearkats upped their winning streak to five games with a 37-7 victory over Nicholls Saturday in a downpour at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. Sam Houston stands 5-2 for the season and 5-1 in Southland Conference play.
Since Sept. 9, 2011, Sam Houston has been ranked among the top 25 FCS teams 57 times in 64 weekly polls. The Kats have been voted among the top 10 in 39 of those weeks.
The Sam Houston offense ranks No. 2 nationally in total yards per game (548.4), scoring (47.6) and first downs (198). The Kats stand No. 9 in FCS rushing (255.6) and No. 14 in the nation in passing (292.9).
Next up for Sam Houston is Texas A&M-Commerce, formerly known as East Texas State when both teams were members of the Lone Star Conference from 1933 to 1984. The Lions moved up to No. 8 in the NCAA Division II poll this week. Texas A&M-Commerce is 7-1 for the year and owns a six-game winning streak. The Lions already have clinched the 2015 Lone Star Conference championship.
The STATS FCS poll comes from a vote by a national panel of sports information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. A group of head coaches from each FCS conference votes on the coaches poll.
The two polls are released every Monday afternoon during the regular season. A final top 25 will follow the FCS national championship game Jan. 9 in Frisco, Texas.
| STATS FCS Poll | W-L | ||
| 1 | Jacksonville St. (107) | 6-1 | 3923 |
| 2 | Coastal Carolina (33)) | 7-0 | 3783 |
| 3 | Illinois St. (20) | 6-1 | 3754 |
| 4 | Chattanooga | 6-1 | 3323 |
| 5 | Eastern Washington | 5-2 | 3095 |
| 6 | Richmond | 6-1 | 3029 |
| 7 | North Dakota St. | 5-2 | 3012 |
| 8 | SAM HOUSTON | 5-2 | 2745 |
| 9 | James Madison | 7-1 | 2677 |
| 10 | McNEESE ST. | 7-0 | 2477 |
| 11 | Fordham | 7-1 | 2462 |
| 12 | Portland St. | 6-1 | 2170 |
| 13 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-2 | 2082 |
| 14 | South Dakota St. | 5-2 | 2076 |
| 15 | Harvard | 6-0 | 1727 |
| 16 | William & Mary | 5-2 | 1566 |
| 17 | Montana | 4-3 | 1281 |
| 18 | Northern Iowa | 3-4 | 1044 |
| 19 | Montana St. | 4-3 | 1010 |
| 20 | North Carolina A&T | 6-1 | 786 |
| 21 | Indiana St. | 4-3 | 695 |
| 22 | Dartmouth | 6-0 | 575 |
| 23 | Western Illinois | 4-3 | 566 |
| 24 | Charleston Southern | 6-1 | 517 |
| 25 | Youngstown St. | 3-4 | 426 |
| NCAA Coaches Poll | W-L | Pts | |
| 1 | Coastal Carolina (15) | 7-0 | 632 |
| 2 | Jacksonville St. (8) | 6-1 | 629 |
| 3 | Illinois St. | 6-1 | 591 |
| 4 | Chattanooga | 6-1 | 579 |
| 5 | Eastern Washington | 5-2 | 531 |
| 6 | North Dakota St. | 5-2 | 493 |
| 7 | McNEESE ST. | 7-0 | 491 |
| 8 | Richmond | 6-1 | 477 |
| 9 | James Madison | 7-1 | 438 |
| 10 | SAM HOUSTON | 5-2 | 416 |
| 11 | Fordham | 7-1 | 385 |
| 12 | Portland St. | 6-1 | 370 |
| 13 | South Dakota St. | 5-2 | 342 |
| 14 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-2 | 328 |
| 15 | William & Mary | 5-2 | 277 |
| 16 | Harvard | 6-0 | 259 |
| 17 | Montana | 4-3 | 216 |
| 18 | Montana St. | 4-3 | 208 |
| 19 | Charleston Southern | 6-1 | 172 |
| 20 | North Carolina A&T | 6-1 | 142 |
| 21 | Northern Iowa | 3-4 | 112 |
| 22 | Dartmouth | 6-0 | 57 |
| 23 | Indiana St. | 4-3 | 55 |
| 24 | Southern Utah | 5-2 | 51 |
| 25 | Youngstown St. | 3-4 | 50 |
