Lowest Ranked Team To Win A Title

[geaux_sioux]

I’ve seen some discussion about shrinking the field due to lack of parody and how worthless the last 8 or so teams in are. Which begs the question, to me at least, what’s the lowest ranked team to ever take home a title? Has there been a legit Cinderella champion?

[Professor Chaos]

In the AGS Poll era (2005 and on) the lowest ranked team in the final regular season poll to win the championship was Richmond in 2008 who was ranked #7 prior to the playoffs starting.

EDIT: Looks like Western Kentucky was ranked 15th in the Sports Network (now STATS) poll prior to the playoffs starting in 2002.

EDIT2: UMass was seeded #11 in 1998 (when they seeded the entire 16 team field).

[BisonTru]

Richmond won it unseeded in '08. Youngstown State went to the championship unseeded in '16.

[geaux_sioux]

Richmond won it unseeded in '08. Youngstown State went to the championship unseeded in '16.

Where was Richmond in the “coaches poll”?

[Professor Chaos]

Where was Richmond in the “coaches poll”?
6th

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NCAA_Division_I_FCS_football_rankings

[BisonTru]

Where was Richmond in the “coaches poll”?


Idk, google it. I already gave you a starting point for a question you could have looked up yourself.

[JayJ79]

I’ve seen some discussion about shrinking the field due to lack of parody and how worthless the last 8 or so teams in are. Which begs the question, to me at least, what’s the lowest ranked team to ever take home a title? Has there been a legit Cinderella champion?

parity.
and the people wanting to shrink the field just don't like football

[Reign of Terrier]

In 2004, James Madison won 3 road games, which suggests that they weren't seeded at all.

[geaux_sioux]

parity.
and the people wanting to shrink the field just don't like football
Good catch on the typo

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

In 2004, James Madison won 3 road games, which suggests that they weren't seeded at all.

JMU really came out of nowhere in 2004. They were "good" but the A10 teams in that got the most attention nationally around then were Delaware, UMass, Hofstra and Villanova.

Western Kentucky in 2002 was good all year but they flew under the radar. Very few people expected the Hilltoppers to win the title. Because they bolted for FBS so quickly that title felt kind of weird. And still does to this day...

UMass beat a great Georgia Southern team in the finals. The Eagles option struggled in the rain with turnovers to be fair. Still, their defense had no answers for Minutemen QB Bankhead and their RB Marcel Shipp.

[walliver]

In 2004, James Madison won 3 road games, which suggests that they weren't seeded at all.

Only 4 teams were seeded in that era.

In 2002, Western Kentucky won it all despite a higher ranked 9-3 team being excluded from the playoffs. That higher ranked team knocked WKU out of the playoffs the next year.