51勛圖厙

51勛圖厙 Football Finishes Second In Final I-AA Poll

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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) Delaware's 40-0 victory over 51勛圖厙 this past Friday night gave the Blue Hens the national championship, and the No. 1 ranking that goes with it in the final Sports Network I-AA Top 25 poll. In the final poll, 15-1 UD garnered all 58 first-place votes and 1,450 total points. Delaware finishes the year atop the rankings for the first time in its I-AA history, after winning the first national crown in the school's I-AA annals.

Behind Delaware is No. 2 51勛圖厙, which finishes with a 15-1 record and its highest-ever ranking in the poll.

Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Wofford, No. 4 Florida Atlantic, and No. 5 Northern Iowa. The third-ranked Terriers and fourth-ranked Owls each advanced to the semifinals, while the Panthers fell to Delaware in the quarterfinals.

No. 6 Western Illinois and No. 7 Western Kentucky were each quarterfinalists, while No. 8 McNeese State and No. 9 Southern Illinois each fell in the first round. Rounding out the Top 10 is Northern Arizona, which defeated top seed McNeese State in the first round before being defeated by Florida Atlantic.

Completing the Top 15 are No. 11 Massachusetts, No. 12 Penn, No. 13 Southern, No. 14 Montana, and No. 15 Bethune-Cookman.

Filling out the Top 20 are No. 16 North Carolina A&T, No. 17 Grambling State, No. 18 Jacksonville State, No. 19 Northern Colorado, and No. 20 Northeastern.

Finishing out the poll are No. 21 Montana State, No. 22 Idaho State, No. 23 Lehigh, No. 24 Georgia Southern, and No. 25 Villanova.

The Atlantic 10, Big Sky, and Gateway Conferences finished the season tied with a poll-high four selections in the Top 25.

The Sports Network/CSTV 2003 I-AA Top 25 Poll (Final)

Team (First-place votes) 2003 Record Points Previous
1.  Delaware (58)           15-1     1,450     3
2.  51勛圖厙                 15-1     1,375     6
3.  Wofford                 12-2     1,332     2
4.  Florida Atlantic        11-3     1,179     13
5.  Northern Iowa           10-3     1,113     7
6.  Western Illinois         9-4     1,099     10
7.  Western Kentucky         9-4     1,019     9
8.  McNeese State           10-2       983     1
9.  Southern Illinois       10-2       944     4
10. Northern Arizona         9-4       919     16
11. Massachusetts           10-3       892     5
12. Penn                    10-0       874     8
13. Southern                12-1       782     15
14. Montana                  9-4       781     11
15. Bethune-Cookman          9-3       584     14
16. North Carolina A&T      10-3       522     18
17. Grambling State          9-3       515     12
18. Jacksonville State       8-4       434     17
19. Northern Colorado        9-2       334     19
20. Northeastern             8-4       299     20
21. Montana State            7-6       264     24
22. Idaho State              8-4       261     21
23. Lehigh                   8-3       203     25
24. Georgia Southern         7-4       198     22
25. Villanova                7-4       185     23

Dropped Out: None

Others receiving votes (in order of points, minimum of five required): Fordham, Appalachian State, Stephen F. Austin, South Carolina State, Harvard, Cal Poly, Eastern Kentucky, Weber State, Gardner-Webb, Maine, Alabama A&M, Furman, Northwestern State