Illinois States football team was ranked No. 24 in this seasons final Sports Network I-AA poll, which was released Monday. It marks the third consecutive year that the Redbirds have been included in the season-ending poll.
Georgia Southern, which nipped Montana for the I-AA national title, 27-25, Saturday, garnered the top spot.
Other Gateway teams in the rankings included Youngstown State at No. 11, Western Illinois at No. 12 and Northern Iowa at No. 19. Western Kentucky, which joins the Gateway next season, finished at No. 5.
1. Georgia Southern (48) 13-2 1,075
2. Montana 13-2 1,031
3. Delaware 12-2 977
4. Appalachian State 10-4 930
5. Western Kentucky 11-2 840
6. Richmond 10-3 793
7. Hofstra 9-4 768
8. Lehigh 12-1 761
9. Troy State 9-3 736
10. Furman 9-3 705
11. Youngstown State 9-3 658
12. Western Illinois 9-3 615
13. Grambling State 10-2 556
14. Florida A&M 9-3 473
15. Portland State 8-4 471
16. McNeese State 8-4 456
17. Eastern Illinois 8-4 380
18. Weber State 7-4 290
19. Northern Iowa 7-4 232
20. Bethune-Cookman 9-2 220
21. North Carolina A&T 8-3 201
22. Tennessee Tech 8-3 178
23. Wofford 7-4 144
24. Illinois State 7-4 107
25. Southwest Texas 7-4 95
Others receiving votes (in order of points, minimum of five required): James Madison, Massachusetts, Cal State Sacramento, Villanova, Sam Houston State, Northwestern State, Eastern Washington, Pennsylvania, Southern Utah, Idaho State, Alabama A&M, Robert Morris, Hampton, Southern, New Hampshire.
