On Saturday, the top-ranked North Dakota State Bison defeated the third-ranked Eastern Washington Eagles 38-24 to win the 2018 FCS National Championship.
The victory marked North Dakota State’s seventh national title in the past eight years, and it also marked the end of the 2018 FCS season.
Today the final 2018 FCS Coaches Poll was released, and North Dakota tops the rankings as expected. Eastern Washington (2), South Dakota State (3), Kennesaw State (4), and Maine (5) round out the top five.
The Duquesne Dukes, who finished the 2018 season 9-4 after a second-round playoff loss, moved into the rankings at No. 24. Incarnate Word, previously 25th, dropped out of the final rankings.
Final 2018 FCS Coaches Poll
| Rank | School | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. |
| 1. | North Dakota St. (26) | 15-0 | 650 | 1 |
| 2. | Eastern Washington | 12-3 | 623 | 3 |
| 3. | South Dakota St. | 10-3 | 590 | 5 |
| 4. | Kennesaw St. | 11-2 | 558 | 2 |
| 5. | Maine | 10-4 | 521 | 14 |
| 6. | Weber St. | 10-3 | 502 | 4 |
| 7. | Colgate | 10-2 | 492 | 7 |
| 8. | UC Davis | 10-3 | 468 | 10 |
| 9. | Princeton | 10-0 | 432 | 8 |
| 10. | James Madison | 9-4 | 405 | 6 |
| 11. | North Carolina A&T | 10-2 | 388 | 11 |
| 12. | Wofford | 9-4 | 364 | 12 |
| 13. | Jacksonville St. | 9-4 | 347 | 9 |
| 14. | Nicholls | 9-4 | 328 | 13 |
| 15. | Dartmouth | 9-1 | 275 | 15 |
| 16. | Southeast Missouri St. | 9-4 | 235 | 20 |
| 17. | Montana St. | 8-5 | 193 | 24 |
| 18. | Stony Brook | 7-5 | 161 | 16 |
| 19. | Elon | 6-5 | 153 | 17 |
| 20. | San Diego | 9-3 | 133 | 18 |
| 21. | East Tennessee St. | 8-4 | 128 | 21 |
| 22. | Towson | 7-5 | 92 | 19 |
| 23. | Delaware | 7-5 | 89 | 23 |
| 24. | Duquesne | 9-4 | 83 | NR |
| 25. | Indiana St. | 7-4 | 77 | 22 |
Dropped Out: UIW (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Northern Iowa, 73; Alcorn St., 30; UIW, 21; Monmouth (N.J.), 17; Illinois St., 9; Lamar, 9; Rhode Island, 3; Idaho St., 1.
The coaches poll remains a joke.