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(STATS) - Jacksonville State has long had its sights pointed toward the FCS playoffs, but there's a first step before then - and it's particularly important to the senior class.
The Gamecocks, always one of the more consistent programs amid the weekly ups and downs across the nation, moved up one spot to No. 2 in the STATS FCS Top 25 behind unanimous No. 1 James Madison on Monday.
A 59-23 rout of Murray State on Saturday was Jacksonville State's 30th straight Ohio Valley Conference win, so the seniors stand two wins away from finishing perfect in conference games over their four seasons.
"I thought we played really well outside of turnovers," fourth-year coach John Grass said. "We've got to clean those up. But other than that, you have to be pleased."
Jacksonville State (8-1, 6-0), which only lost to Georgia Tech nearly two months ago, has gone 39 straight games in the regular season without falling to a non-FBS opponent. The path to senior class perfection isn't necessarily easy because the Gamecocks end their OVC schedule against 5-4 rivals, traveling to UT Martin on Saturday and hosting Tennessee State on Nov. 16.
The NCAA will announce the 24-team pairings for the FCS playoffs on Nov. 19, with Jacksonville State seeking a high seed. Its success in recent years includes a national runner-up finish in the 2015 season.
James Madison, the defending FCS champ that garnered all 162 first-place votes, is on pace to secure the top seed in the playoffs. The Dukes (9-0) defeated Rhode Island 38-3 to extend their Division I-leading win streak to 21 games. But they, too, face a tough end to the regular season, hosting rival Richmond on Saturday before going to Elon, which shares first place in CAA Football, on Nov. 18.
The same teams comprise the Top 10, but the order changed after previously unbeaten North Dakota State fell to South Dakota State 33-21. After Jacksonville State, Southland Conference powers Central Arkansas (8-1) and Sam Houston State (8-1) were Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, followed by North Dakota State (8-1), South Dakota State (7-2), Elon (8-1), Wofford (8-1), North Carolina A&T (9-0) and South Dakota (7-2).
Western Illinois (6-3) rose four spots to No. 11 following an impressive win over Illinois State. Then it was Stony Brook (7-2), Grambling State (8-1), Weber State (7-2), Southern Utah (7-2), Samford (6-3), Illinois State (6-3), New Hampshire (6-3), Eastern Washington (5-4) and McNeese (7-2).
Rounding out the rankings were No. 21 Furman (6-3), Western Carolina (7-3), Kennesaw State (8-1), Northern Arizona (6-3) and Northern Iowa (5-4), which moved back in after Villanova fell out.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference had the most Top 25 teams with six, but the Big Sky, CAA and Southern conferences had four each.
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the STATS FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.
The Top 25 is released every Monday afternoon during the regular season, except for Sunday morning, Nov. 19, prior to the selection of the playoff field. A final Top 25 will follow the FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.
