I-AA Nation
Appalachian State Finishes 2005 On Top of I-AA Poll
The Sports Network
Dec 19, 2005, 19:37

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) ­– Appalachian State’s 21-16 victory over Northern Iowa this past Friday night gave the Mountaineers the national championship, and No. 1 ranking that goes with it in the final Sports Network I-AA Top 25 poll. In the final poll, 12-3 Appalachian State garnered all 78 first-place votes and 1,950 total points. Appalachian State finishes atop the rankings for the first time in I-AA history after winning the first national crown in the school’s I-AA annals.

Behind Appalachian State is No. 2 Northern Iowa, which finishes with an 11-4 record after advancing to the national championship game for the first time in school history.

Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Furman, No. 4 Texas State and No. 5 New Hampshire. The third-ranked Paladins and fourth-ranked Bobcats both advanced to the semifinals, while the fifth-ranked Wildcats lost to Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.

No. 6 Cal Poly, No. 7 Southern Illinois and No. 8 Richmond were each quarterfinalists, while No. 9 Georgia Southern and No. 10 Hampton fell in the first round.

Completing the Top 15 are No. 11 Grambling State, No. 12 Montana, No. 13 Eastern Washington, No. 14 Youngstown State and No. 15 Brown. Grambling State won the SWAC Championship, while Brown won the Ivy League. Montana and Eastern Washington fell in the first round, and Youngstown State did not make the postseason.

Filling out the Top 20 are No. 16 Eastern Illinois, No. 17 Nicholls State, No. 18 Montana State, No. 19 Massachusetts and No. 20 South Carolina State.

Finishing out the poll is No. 21 Lafayette, No. 22 Illinois State, No. 23 Colgate, No. 24 Coastal Carolina and No. 25 James Madison.

The Gateway Conference and Atlantic 10 finished the season with a poll-high of four teams in the top 25, while the Southern and Big Sky Conferences each placed three teams in the rankings. All three Southern Conference teams finished in the top 10.

The Sports Network 2005 I-AA Top 25 Poll (Dec. 19)

Team (First-place votes)                   2005 Record                   Points                   Previous       

  1. Appalachian State (78) 12-3 1,950   5 

  2.  Northern Iowa 11-4 1,871   7 

  3.  Furman 11-3 1,741   3

  4.  Texas State 11-3 1,734   4 

  5.  New Hampshire 11-2 1,637   1 

  6.  Cal Poly 9-4  1,506  10 

  7.  Southern Illinois 9-4  1,442   8 

  8. Richmond 9-4  1,370  12 

  9.  Georgia Southern 8-4  1,118   6 

10.  Hampton 11-1 1,113   2 

11. Grambling State 11-1 1,097  11 

12.  Montana 8-4  1,093   9 

13.  Eastern Washington 7-5  967  15

14. Youngstown State 8-3  845  13

15.  Brown 9-1  746  16

16.  Eastern Illinois 9-3  683  19

17.  Nicholls State 6-4  607  21

18.  Montana State 7-4  602  17

19. Massachusetts 7-4 494  18

20.  South Carolina State 9-2  468  14

21. Lafayette 8-4  446  25

22.  Illinois State 7-4  380  23

23.  Colgate 8-4  340  24

24.  Coastal Carolina 9-2  328  20 

25.  James Madison 7-4  220 NR

Dropped Out: No. 22 Lehigh