CEDAR FALLS – UNI Football finished the season ranked fifth in the final FCS STATS and the AFCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, released Monday by the organizations.
The ranking is the highest finish since the 2008 season when the Panthers advanced to the national semifinals and finished fourth in the final polls.
UNI finished highest among the FCS quarterfinalists. Champion North Dakota State, runner-up James Madison and semifinalists Weber State and Montana State finished ahead of the Panthers.
UNI went 10-5 and returned to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015.
The Panthers also finished the season with the toughest strength of schedule according to Massey Ratings and finished alone in second place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
UNI played the three teams that finished first, second and third and played five teams that finished in the top 12.
The Panthers return eight starters on offense and eight starters on defense, not including preseason All-American tight end Briley Moore and key defensive starter from 2018 Korby Sander who missed most of the season with injuries.
