A new Top 25 weekly poll based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) will be launched in August under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
The FCS Coaches Poll will be determined by the balloting of 28 head coaches from 14 FCS conferences. The poll will be housed in a newly-created FCS web page that will feature the poll, conference scores and standings, and features on FCS programs and players. The Southern Conference will operate the poll and web page during the 2007 season.
“The FCS Coaches Poll provides another opportunity to promote and publicize the highest level of NCAA championship football,” said Tom Burnett, Commissioner of the Southland Conference and the CCA’s Vice President for the FCS division. “With head coaches serving as the voting panel, the commissioners believe this poll will give our fans a reliable and interesting way to follow the FCS. We’re pleased with this new venture and look forward to building this as another great tradition in Division I football.”
The FCS Coaches Poll will be released beginning August 20 (pre-season poll) and will continue through the end of the regular season. The last poll will be released on November 19, the Monday prior to the first round of the FCS championship playoffs which start November 24.
FCS Coaches Poll voting panel:
NAME INSTITUTION CONFERENCE
Stacy Adams Valparaiso Pioneer
Rob Ash Montana State Big Sky
David Bennett Coastal Carolina Big South
Bob Biggs Cal Davis Great West
Don Brown Massachusetts Colonial
Kevin Callahan Monmouth Northeast
Rich Ellerson Cal Poly Great West
Bob Ford Albany Northeast
Henry Frazier Prairie View SWAC
Tom Gilmore Holy Cross Patriot
J.C. Harper Stephen F. Austin Southland
Danny Hope Eastern Kentucky OVC
Denver Johnson Illinois State Gateway
Anthony Jones Alabama A&M SWAC
Kevin Kelly Georgetown Patriot
Bobby Lamb Furman Southern
Pete Lembo Elon Southern
Mike Lucas Southeastern Louisiana Southland
Mickey Matthews James Madison Colonial
Tripp Merritt Davidson Pioneer
Jay Mills Charleston Southern Big South
Tim Murphy Harvard Ivy
Don Patterson Western Illinois Gateway
Oliver Pough South Carolina St. MEAC
Tony Samuel Southeast Missouri St. OVC
Jack Siedlecki Yale Ivy
Jerome Souers Northern Arizona Big Sky
Joe Taylor Hampton MEAC