PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) Delaware's 40-0 victory over Colgate this past Friday night gave the Blue Hens the national championship, and the No. 1 ranking that goes with it in the final Sports Network I-AA Top 25 poll. In the final poll, 15-1 UD garnered all 58 first-place votes and 1,450 total points. Delaware finishes the year atop the rankings for the first time in its I-AA history, after winning the first national crown in the school's I-AA annals.
Behind Delaware is No. 2 Colgate, which finishes with a 15-1 record and its highest-ever ranking in the poll.
Rounding out the top five are No. 3 Wofford, No. 4 Florida Atlantic, and No. 5 Northern Iowa. The third-ranked Terriers and fourth-ranked Owls each advanced to the semifinals, while the Panthers fell to Delaware in the quarterfinals.
No. 6 Western Illinois and No. 7 Western Kentucky were each quarterfinalists, while No. 8 McNeese State and No. 9 Southern Illinois each fell in the first round. Rounding out the Top 10 is Northern Arizona, which defeated top seed McNeese State in the first round before being defeated by Florida Atlantic.
Completing the Top 15 are No. 11 Massachusetts, No. 12 Penn, No. 13 Southern, No. 14 Montana, and No. 15 Bethune-Cookman.
Filling out the Top 20 are No. 16 North Carolina A&T, No. 17 Grambling State, No. 18 Jacksonville State, No. 19 Northern Colorado, and No. 20 Northeastern.
Finishing out the poll are No. 21 Montana State, No. 22 Idaho State, No. 23 Lehigh, No. 24 Georgia Southern, and No. 25 Villanova.
The Atlantic 10, Big Sky, and Gateway Conferences finished the season tied with a poll-high four selections in the Top 25.
The Sports Network/CSTV 2003 I-AA Top 25 Poll (Final)
Team (First-place votes) 2003 Record Points Previous
1. Delaware (58) 15-1 1,450 3
2. Colgate 15-1 1,375 6
3. Wofford 12-2 1,332 2
4. Florida Atlantic 11-3 1,179 13
5. Northern Iowa 10-3 1,113 7
6. Western Illinois 9-4 1,099 10
7. Western Kentucky 9-4 1,019 9
8. McNeese State 10-2 983 1
9. Southern Illinois 10-2 944 4
10. Northern Arizona 9-4 919 16
11. Massachusetts 10-3 892 5
12. Penn 10-0 874 8
13. Southern 12-1 782 15
14. Montana 9-4 781 11
15. Bethune-Cookman 9-3 584 14
16. North Carolina A&T 10-3 522 18
17. Grambling State 9-3 515 12
18. Jacksonville State 8-4 434 17
19. Northern Colorado 9-2 334 19
20. Northeastern 8-4 299 20
21. Montana State 7-6 264 24
22. Idaho State 8-4 261 21
23. Lehigh 8-3 203 25
24. Georgia Southern 7-4 198 22
25. Villanova 7-4 185 23
Dropped Out: None
Others receiving votes (in order of points, minimum of five required): Fordham, Appalachian State, Stephen F. Austin, South Carolina State, Harvard, Cal Poly, Eastern Kentucky, Weber State, Gardner-Webb, Maine, Alabama A&M, Furman, Northwestern State