Jackrabbits Rated 3rd in FCS Pre Season Football Poll

CHICAGO – The South Dakota State University football team has matched its highest-ever ranking in a preseason poll, checking in at No. 3 in the initial STATS FCS media poll of the 2019 season. The Jackrabbits received one first-place vote and finished with 3,631 points to finish third in the poll for the second year in a row. SDSU completed the 2018 season with a 10-3 overall record and made its second consecutive semifinal appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Defending national champion North Dakota State collected 142 of 160 first-place votes to top the poll with 3,971 points. James Madison received 14 first-place votes and 3,635 points to finish second. Rounding out the top five were Big Sky Conference members Eastern Washington (3,594 points with three first-place votes) and UC Davis (3,210 points). Besides NDSU and SDSU, three other Missouri Valley Football Conference rivals appeared in the top 25: Illinois State, 15th with 1,432 points; Indiana State, 16th with 1,192 points, and Northern Iowa, 18th with 1,136 points.