(STATS) – How the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee would structure its top-10 rankings had more surprise than the next candy bowl on Halloween night.
Defending FCS champion and unanimous No. 1 North Dakota State was an easy choice to lead the rankings Wednesday, but how the other teams fell in line carried great intrigue.
James Madison (6-2) gained the nod at No. 2 followed by UC Davis (7-1), Weber State (6-2) and Elon (5-2). Then it was Kennesaw State (7-1) at No. 6, South Dakota State (5-2), Wofford (6-2), Eastern Washington (6-2) and Delaware (6-2).
Five conferences were represented in the rankings – the Big Sky and CAA Football with three teams each, the Missouri Valley two and the Big South and Southern Conference one each.
Top teams that weren’t in the top 10 included Colgate (7-0) and Towson (6-2).
The rankings help to build excitement and discussion – always discussion – toward the 24-team playoff field, which will be announced Nov. 18 on ESPNU (12:30 p.m. ET). Although the committee compiles rankings each week, this was the only in-season public reveal. A lot is expected to change over the final three weeks of regular-season action.
The playoffs consist of 10 conference champions which receive automatic bids and 14 spots that go in as at-large selections. Eight teams are seeded and receive byes for the first round Nov. 24. All games are played at campus sites except for the championship on Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas.