FCS Coaches Top 25 |
STATS FCS Media Top 25 |
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois football will play in the FCS playoffs for the 16th time this Saturday when the Panthers travel to Northern Iowa for a first round game. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. in the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fans can purchase tickets to sit in the EIU section through the EIU ticket office by calling 217-581-2106 by Wednesday at 3 p.m.
This past Saturday EIU ended the regular season with a 21-7 win over Eastern Kentucky which moved the Panthers into the FCS Top 25 rankings in the final regular season polls. EIU is 7-4, 7-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference. EIU was ranked No. 24 in the FCS STATS Media Top 25 which was released on Sunday morning. On Monday afternoon EIU climbed into the FCS Coaches Top 25 at No. 25. It was the first time EIU has been nationally ranked since opening the year at No. 25 in the FCS Coaches poll.
Jacksonville State ended the season at No. 1 in the FCS Coaches Poll with 20 of 22 first place votes. The other two first place votes were split by second ranked McNeese State and third ranked North Dakota State. Illinois State and Portland State rounded out the top five. James Madison moved up to sixth followed by Charleston Southern, Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, Sam Houston State, Richmond, South Dakota State, William & Mary, Northern Iowa and Fordham in the top 15. Southern Utah was 16th with Montana, The Citadel, Harvard, North Carolina A&T, Bethune-Cookman, Dartmouth, Northern Arizona, Grambling State and Eastern Illinois rounding out the poll.
Jacksonville State ended the season at No. 1 with 135 first place votes. Four-time defending FCS National Champion North Dakota State was second with two first place votes. McNeese State, the only undefeated team in the FCS at 10-0, was third garnering ten first place votes. Illinois State was fourth followed by Portland State, Sam Houston State, Chattanooga, James Madison, Charleston Southern, South Dakota State and Coastal Carolina in the top ten. SDSU and Coastal Carolina were tied for tenth. Richmond was 12th followed by William & Mary, Fordham, Northern Iowa, Montana, Southern Utah, The Citadel, Harvard, Dartmouth, Grambling State, North Carolina A&T, Eastern Washington, Eastern Illinois and Bethune-Cookman rounded out the top 25.
The FCS playoff field included top eight seeds Jacksonville State, Illinois State, North Dakota State, McNeese State, James Madison, Portland State, Richmond and Charleston Southern.
First round playoff match-ups include EIU at Northern Iowa with the winner advancing to play No. 6 seed Portland State. Fordham at Chattanooga, The Citadel at Coastal Carolina, Southern Utah at Sam Houston State, Colgate at New Hampshire, South Dakota State and Montana, Duquense at William & Mary and Western Illinois at Dayton.
