The North Dakota State Bison finished the 2011 football season as the No.1 team in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll after their 17-6 win over Sam Houston State in the National Championship game.

It was the first Division I title for the program. The Bison were a unanimous choice for the top spot in both the Sports Network/Fathead.com poll and the FCS Coaches poll. UNI and Illinois State also represented the MVFC in the polls. UNI was ranked No. 5/6 in the coaches poll and Sports Network/Fathead.com polls, respectively. Illinois State was 22/20, respectively.

Indiana State and Youngstown State also received mention. The league's newest member, South Dakota, also received votes in both polls.


The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 College Football Poll
Team (First-place votes) 2011 Record Points Previous Rank
1. North Dakota State Bison (125) 14-1 3125 4
2. Sam Houston State Bearkats 14-1 2998 1
3. Montana Grizzlies 11-3 2801 5
4. Georgia Southern Eagles 11-3 2795 3
5. Lehigh Mountain Hawks 11-2 2466 6
6. Northern Iowa Panthers 10-3 2455 2
7. Montana State Bobcats 10-3 2387 7
8. Maine Black Bears 9-4 2105 13
9. Towson Tigers 9-3 2058 8
10. Old Dominion Monarchs 10-3 2009 10
11. New Hampshire Wildcats 8-4 1869 11
12. Appalachian State Mountaineers 8-4 1825 9
13. Wofford Terriers 8-4 1651 12
14. Central Arkansas Bears 9-4 1411 15
15. James Madison Dukes 8-5 1307 17
16. Harvard Crimson 9-1 996 16
17. Delaware Blue Hens 7-4 961 14
18. Stony Brook Seawolves 9-4 957 22
19. Norfolk State Spartans 9-3 829 19
20. Illinois State Redbirds 7-4 694 18
21. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 7-4 669 21
22. Jackson State Tigers 9-2 523 20
23. North Dakota Fighting Sioux 8-3 371 23
24. Eastern Kentucky Colonels 7-5 298 NR
25. Liberty Flames 7-4 215 24

Others receiving votes: Albany 214, Jacksonville State 151, San Diego 74, Furman 59, Grambling State 48, Bethune-Cookman 44, Alabama State 42, Drake 37, Duquesne 26, Southern Utah 21, Portland State 21, Cal Poly 20, Eastern Washington 19, William & Mary 13, Murray State 12, Tennessee State 8, South Dakota 8, Youngstown State 7, Georgetown 6, Alabama A&M 5, Brown 5, Chattanooga 4, South Carolina State 3, Stephen F. Austin 2, Indiana State 1.


2011 FCS Coaches Final Poll (January 9, 2012)
Team (No. 1 Votes) Record Points Last Week
1. North Dakota State (25) 14-1 625 4
2. Sam Houston State 14-1 600 1
3. Georgia Southern 11-3 563 2
4. Montana 11-3 555 5
5. Northern Iowa 10-3 482 3
6. Lehigh 11-2 473 6
7. Montana State 10-3 470 7
8. Maine 9-4 445 13
9. Towson 9-2 380 9
10. Old Dominion 10-3 367 10
11. Appalachian State 8-4 357 8
12. New Hampshire 8-4 336 12
13. Wofford 6-2 326 11
14. James Madison 8-5 278 19
15. Central Arkansas 9-4 273 15
16. Stony Brook 9-4 200 24
17. Harvard 9-1 199 14
18. Norfolk State 9-3 158 22
19. Tennessee Tech 7-4 152 20
20. Delaware 7-4 143 16
21. Eastern Kentucky 7-5 136 NR
22. Illinois State 7-4 122 17
23. Albany 8-4 89 NR
24. Jackson State 9-2 85 18
25. Liberty 7-4 57 23

Others Receiving Votes: North Dakota (32); Jacksonville State (20); Indiana State (19); Massachusetts (14); Portland State (14); San Diego (23); South Carolina State (15); Drake (14); South Dakota (12); Furman (10); William & Mary (10); Bethune-Cookman (7); Grambling State (7); Murray State (7); Eastern Washington (6); Alabama State (4); Florida A&M (4); Southern Utah (3); Brown (2); Youngstown State (2).