WACO, TEX.– Sam Houston survived a weather delay and a furious comeback by South Dakota State to win the 2021 Spring FCS national championship, 23-21. The win gave the Bearkats their first national title and secured the No. 1 spot in the final AFCA FCS Coaches' Spring Top 25 Poll. South Dakota State stays at No. 2 and finishes the spring with an 8-2 record.
James Madison ends the season at No. 3 after being ranked No. 1 for the entire spring regular season. The Dukes lost to Sam Houston, 38-35, in the semifinals. Delaware moves up a place to No. 4 thanks to their semifinal run while North Dakota State jumps two spots to round out the Top 5. The Bison lost to Sam Houston, 24-20, in the quarterfinals.
Southern Illinois made the biggest jump in the poll, rising five places to No. 9 after their appearance in the quarterfinals. The biggest loser was Weber State, who dropped five spots to No. 8, but still managed to be ranked higher than Southern Illinois, the team that beat them in the first round of the playoffs. Sacred Heart and Holy Cross both jumped into the final poll at No. 22 and No. 25, respectively, thanks to their appearances in the FCS playoffs.
American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches' Spring Top 25 Poll – May 18, 2021
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. Post-season Head Coach
1. Sam Houston (21) 10-0 525 4 D. No. 2 South Dakota St., 23-21, in championship K.C. Keeler
2. South Dakota St. 8-2 504 2 Lost to No. 4 Sam Houston, 23-21, in championship John Stiegelmeier
3. James Madison 7-1 459 1 Lost to No. 4 Sam Houston, 38-35, in semifinals Curt Cignetti
4. Delaware 7-1 448 5 Lost to No. 2 South Dakota St., 33-3, semifinals Danny Rocco
5. North Dakota St. 7-3 437 7 Lost to No. 4 Sam Houston, 24-20, in quarterfinals Matt Entz
6. North Dakota 5-2 407 6 Lost to No. 1 James Madison, 34-21, in quarterfinals Bubba Schweigert
7. Jacksonville St. 10-3 385 9 Lost to No. 5 Delaware, 20-14, in quarterfinals John Grass
8. Weber St. 5-1 373 3 Lost to No. 14 Southern Illinois, 34-31, in first round Jay Hill
9. Southern Illinois 6-4 365 14 Lost to No. 2 South Dakota St., 31-26, in quarterfinals Nick Hill
10. Monmouth (N.J.) 3-1 331 10 Lost to No. 4 Sam Houston, 21-15, in first round Kevin Callahan
11. Eastern Washington 5-2 324 8 Lost to No. 7 North Dakota St., 42-20, in first round Aaron Best
12. VMI 6-2 312 11 Lost to No. 1 James Madison, 31-24, in first round Scott Wachenheim
13. Missouri St. 5-5 225 17 Lost to No.
6 North Dakota, 44-10, in first round Bobby Petrino
14. Richmond 3-1 219 13 DNQ Playoffs Russ Huesman
15. Kennesaw St. 4-1 195 15 DNQ Playoffs Brian Bohannon
16. UC Davis 3-2 188 12 DNQ Playoffs Dan Hawkins
17. Murray St. 5-2 159 18 DNQ Playoffs Dean Hood
18. Villanova 2-2 149 16 DNQ Playoffs Mark Ferrante
19. Alabama A&M 5-0 121 22 D. No. 25 Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 40-33, in SWAC championship Connell Maynor
20. Southern 5-1 115 19 DNQ Playoffs Dawson Odums
21. Southeastern Louisiana 4-3 105 21 DNQ Playoffs Frank Scelfo
22. Sacred Heart 3-2 91 NR Lost to No. 5 Delaware, 19-10, in first round Mark Nofri
23. Nicholls 4-3 84 20 DNQ Playoffs Tim Rebowe
24. East Tennessee St. 4-2 75 23 DNQ Playoffs Randy Sanders
25. Holy Cross 3-1 49 NR Lost to No. 2 South Dakota St., 31-3, in first round Bob Chesney
Dropped Out: Northern Iowa (24), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 47; Davidson, 36; Northern Iowa, 25; Austin Peay, 19; Duquesne, 13; Charleston Southern, 10; Samford, 8; UIW, 7; Southeast Missouri St., 6; Northern Arizona, 5; Tarleton St., 3; Mercer, 1.
For more information on the AFCA and its programs, visit www.afca.com or follow us on Twitter @WeAreAFCA.
-(AFCA)-
