(Stats Perform) - A familiar team sat atop the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 on Monday, and it was James Madison, not North Dakota State. JMU, which gained 34 of the 40 first-place votes in the national media poll, moved up one spot to No. 1 after posting its second straight win to open the spring season. NDSU, which capped the 2019 season by defeating the Dukes for their third straight national title, fell to No. 6 following a blowout loss at Southern Illinois. The two pre-eminent FCS powers have developed a long-distance rivalry, meeting three times in the last four national playoffs. NDSU was perched in the top spot for 32 straight polls (dating to the final 2017 rankings) after JMU, the 2016 national champ, was No. 1 for the previous 14 polls. Second-ranked Weber State and fourth-ranked North Dakota gained their highest FCS rankings in the new poll. Northern Iowa was third and Villanova fifth. A national panel selects the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, which this spring includes only schools that have committed to playing a regular schedule. 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. ---= STATS PERFORM FCS TOP 25 (MARCH 1) 1. James Madison (2-0, 0-0 CAA), 992 points (34 first-place votes) Previous Ranking: 2; Week 3 Result: 36-16 win over Robert Morris 2. Weber State (1-0 Big Sky), 945 (4) Previous Ranking: 4; Week 3 Result: 49-21 win at Idaho State 3. Northern Iowa (1-1 Missouri Valley), 855 Previous Ranking: 5; Week 3 Result: 21-0 win at Youngstown State 4. North Dakota (2-0 Missouri Valley), 846 (2) Previous Ranking: 14; Week 3 Result: 28-17 win over then-No. 3 South Dakota State 5. Villanova (0-0 CAA), 788 Previous Ranking: 6; Week 3 Result: No game 6. North Dakota State (2-1, 1-1 Missouri Valley), 784 Previous Ranking: 1; Week 3 Result: 38-14 loss at Southern Illinois 7. Nicholls (2-0, 1-0 Southland), 756 Previous Ranking: 9; Week 3 Result: 55-0 win over Lamar 8. South Dakota State (1-1 Missouri Valley), 736 Previous Ranking: 3; Week 3 Result: 28-17 loss at then-No. 14 North Dakota 9. Kennesaw State (1-0, 0-0 Big South), 714 Previous Ranking: 8; Week 3 Result: 35-3 win over Shorter 10. Jacksonville State (4-1, 1-0 Ohio Valley), 597 Previous Ranking: 16; Week 3 Result: 27-10 win over then-No. 23 Tennessee Tech 11. Southern Illinois (2-1, 1-1 Missouri Valley), 594 Previous Ranking: Unranked; Last Week's Result: 38-14 win over then-No. 1 North Dakota State 12. Sam Houston (1-0 Southland), 552 Previous Ranking: 17; Week 3 Result: 43-38 win over then-No. 18 Southeastern Louisiana 13. Albany (0-0 CAA), 456 Previous Ranking: 13; Week 3 Result: No game 14. New Hampshire (0-0 CAA), 382 Previous Ranking: 15; Week 3 Result: No game 15. Illinois State (0-1 Missouri Valley), 374 Previous Ranking: 7; Week 3 Result: 27-20 loss to South Dakota 16. Southeast Missouri (1-1, 1-0 Ohio Valley), 329 Previous Ranking: 21; Week 3 Result: 47-7 win at Eastern Illinois 17. Furman (1-1 Southern), 277 Previous Ranking: 10; Week 3 Result: 14-13 loss at VMI 18. Chattanooga (1-1, 1-0 Southern), 268 Previous Ranking: Unranked; Last Week's Result: 24-13 win over then-No. 11 Wofford 19. Idaho (1-0 Big Sky), 267 Previous Ranking: Unranked; Last Week's Result: 28-21 win over then-No. 12 Eastern Washington T20. South Dakota (1-0 Missouri Valley), 229 Previous Ranking: Unranked; Last Week's Result: 27-20 win over then-No. 7 South Dakota T20. Wofford (1-1 Southern), 229 Previous Ranking: 11; Week 3 Result: 24-13 loss at Chattanooga 22. Eastern Washington (0-1 Big Sky), 228 Previous Ranking: 12; Week 3 Result: 28-21 loss at Idaho T23. Monmouth (0-0 Big South), 165 Previous Ranking: 20; Week 3 Result: No game T23. Southeastern Louisiana (0-1 Southland), 165 Previous Ranking: 18; Week 3 Result: 43-38 loss at then-No. 17 Sam Houston 25. Delaware (0-0 CAA), 101 Previous Ranking: 25; Week 3 Result: No game Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Austin Peay 75, UIW 58, McNeese 39, VMI 32, Jackson State 22, Richmond 17, Gardner-Webb 16, San Diego 16, Dixie State 14, ETSU 14, Tennessee Tech 13, Tarleton 11, South Carolina State 10, Southern 8, UC Davis 7.
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