FARMINGTON, Utah (Jan. 9, 2023) - A league-record six Big Sky football teams were ranked in the final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 on Monday, as the Big Sky solidifies itself as the deepest football conference in the FCS.
The Big Sky's six ranked teams topped all other FCS conferences in Monday's final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll, with a total of nine different leagues being represented in the final rankings. The league's last high-mark was five ranked teams in the final Top 25, which has been set on numerous occasions with the last time coming in 2021.
Big Sky Co-Champions Montana State and Sacramento State led the way for the league, as the Bobcats were tabbed fourth and the Hornets at fifth overall. Weber State was slotted ninth to round out the Big Sky's Top 10 teams, while Montana (14th), Idaho (18th) and UC Davis (25th) filled out the Top 25.
South Dakota State, who won the FCS National Championship this past weekend over North Dakota State, was a unanimous No. 1 in the final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 on Monday.
Follow all things #BigSkyFB on Twitter and Instagram at @BigSkyFB. Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
Final Stats Perform FCS Top 25
1. South Dakota State (14-1, 8-0 MVFC), 1,350 points (54 first-place votes)
2. North Dakota State (12-3, 7-1 MVFC), 1,288
3. UIW (12-2, 5-1 Southland), 1,218
4. Montana State (12-2, 8-0 Big Sky), 1,208
5. Sacramento State (12-1, 8-0 Big Sky), 1,140
6. Holy Cross (12-1, 6-0 Patriot), 1,035
7. Samford (11-2, 8-0 Southern), 991
8. William & Mary (11-2, 7-1 CAA), 982
9. Weber State (10-3, 6-2 Big Sky), 936
10. Furman (10-3, 7-1 Southern), 865
11. Richmond (9-4, 6-2 CAA), 746
12. Southeastern Louisiana (9-4, 5-1 Southland), 645
13. New Hampshire (9-4, 7-1 CAA), 632
14. Montana (8-5, 4-4 Big Sky), 589
15. Southeast Missouri (9-3, 5-0 Ohio Valley), 490
16. Jackson State (12-1, 8-0 SWAC), 485
17. Elon (8-4, 6-2 CAA), 467
18. Idaho (7-5, 6-2 Big Sky), 388
19. Delaware (8-5, 4-4 CAA), 343
20. North Dakota (7-5, 5-3 MVFC), 335
21. North Carolina Central (10-2, 4-1 MEAC), 333
22. Fordham (9-3, 5-1 Patriot), 322
23. Chattanooga (7-4, 5-3 Southern), 171
24. Mercer (7-4, 5-3 Southern), 145
25. UC Davis (6-5, 5-3 Big Sky), 115