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Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Win three straight national championships and then play with a chip on your shoulder. Incredibly, thats what the North Dakota State Bison did in the 2014 season on their way toward capturing an unprecedented fourth straight FCS title this past Saturday and then the unanimous No. 1 ranking in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 on Monday. In the final national media poll, North Dakota State collected all 152 first- place votes and 3,800 points. Realistically, there appeared to be reason to doubt NDSUs chances after last season when it lost a superb senior class as well as former head coach Craig Bohl to the University of Wyoming. All that did, though, was motivate the Bison. What weve done this year shows that it wasnt those 24 seniors that got us three national championships, senior linebacker Carlton Littlejohn said. Its everyone around -- everyone in the program from coaches to players to even training staff, like were a whole Bison family. Its not 24 seniors thats going to win us a national championship. Exactly, senior running back John Crockett added, and its a band of brothers going out there and basically fighting for each other and not wanting to let the other one down because they know that the other one is going to do everything he can not to let him down. NDSU completed its 15-1 season by defeating Illinois State, 29-27, in the FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas, winning on quarterback Carson Wentzs 5- yard run with 37 seconds remaining. The Bison rallied from fourth-quarter deficits in three of their four postseason wins. The contributions were widespread for NDSU this season. First-year coach Chris Kliemans team placed a national-high six players on The Sports Network FCS All-America Team, and that didnt even include Wentz, a redshirt junior who was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the national final. Looking toward 2015, the Bison lose another outstanding 17-member senior class. Of course, that has hardly mattered while the Bison have gone 58-3 since the start of the 2011 season - one more national title than losses. National runner-up Illinois State (13-2) finished with the No. 2 ranking under sixth-year coach Brock Spack. The Redbirds, whose team featured dual-threat quarterback Tre Roberson and FCS rushing leader Marshaun Coprich, had an impressive postseason run, avenging a loss to the only team (Northern Iowa) to defeat both the Redbirds and North Dakota State during the regular season and then going on the road to beat both fourth-seeded Eastern Washington and top- seeded New Hampshire. New Hampshire (12-2) was No. 3 in the final poll. The CAA Football champion finished the regular season with the top ranking and reached the national semifinals for the second consecutive season. Big Sky Conference champion Eastern Washington (11-3), a national quarterfinalist, was No. 4 and Big South Conference co-champion Coastal Carolina (12-2), which also reached the final eight in the postseason, was No. 5. They were followed by No. 6 Sam Houston State (11-5), a national semifinalist and co-champion in the Southland Conference; No. 7 Villanova (11-3), a national quarterfinalist; No. 8 Chattanooga (10-4), a national quarterfinalist and the Southern Conference champion; No. 9 Jacksonville State (10-2), the Ohio Valley Conference champion; and No. 10 Northern Iowa (9-5). Next up were No. 11 Fordham (11-3), the Patriot League champion; No. 12 South Dakota State (9-5); No. 13 Montana (9-5); No. 14 Southeastern Louisiana (9-4), the Southland co-champion; No. 15 Harvard (10-0), unbeaten champion of an Ivy League which doesnt participate in the FCS playoffs; No. 16 Richmond (9-5); No. 17 Liberty (9-5), the Big South co-champion; No. 18 James Madison (9-4); No. 19 Indiana State; and No. 20 Montana State (8-5). Rounding out the Top 25 were No. 21 Eastern Kentucky (9-4); No. 22 Youngstown State (7-5); No. 23 Bethune-Cookman (9-3), which was one of five teams to share the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title; No. 24 Sacred Heart (9-3), the Northeast Conference co-champion; and No. 25 Idaho State (8-4). The Missouri Valley had the most teams ranked in the final Top 25 with six, followed by the Big Sky and the CAA with four each. Eleven of the 13 FCS conferences had at least one team in the Top 25. A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the Top 25. In the voting, a first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote. Malik Beasley Nuggets Jersey . Thats when the eight-time champion revealed that a painful back is slowing his serves -- and, all in all, giving him more trouble than his opponents so far. Paul Millsap Jersey . Hamels threw seven sharp innings to earn his 100th career victory, Domonic Brown had a career-best five RBIs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 12-1 on Saturday night to end a four-game losing streak. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-paul-millsap-nuggets-jersey/ . Huntington doesnt want to help run the club unless Hurdle is in the dugout. The combination thats returned the franchise to respectability will remain intact for years to come. Allen Iverson Nuggets Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs have trade offers on the table for the 26-year-old, but none have been deemed acceptable by the team. Carmelo Anthony Nuggets Jersey . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read.DETROIT -- Jonas Gustavsson appears to finally be over his injury woes. The backup goaltender was hobbled by groin injuries for much of the lockout shortened campaign last year, after being signed by the Red Wings as a free agent. And when this season began Gustavsson again found himself on injured reserve with another groin pull. But he has been outstanding in two consecutive wins in two days. The latest was Tuesday nights 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, in which Gustavsson made 36 saves. "I felt good. We had a game yesterday, so back-to-back, and that was the first couple of games that I played so that was different," Gustavsson said. "Its just a matter of preparing yourself and be ready to go out and have a good first period because thats usually the key in these kind of games." Gustavsson is in the lineup due to No. 1 goalie Jimmy Howards sore hand. Gustavsson backstopped Detroit to a 3-2 win in Boston on Monday afternoon. His biggest save on Tuesday night was a spectacular stop on Columbus defenceman Jack Johnson, sliding across the crease to smother a backhand shot from the right circle with 5:20 left to preserve the Red Wings lead. "I dont know if I couldnt get a good push or if I got caught with one of our or their guys, but I had to do something to get some part of my body over there," Gustavsson said. "Lucky enough that was enough." Red Wings coach Mike Babcock talked about Guistavsson. "Really good for him, first and foremost, and then really good for us. If he can get his confidence back, the reason we signed him was we thought he could really help us," Babcock said. "Tonight and last night, going back to back, will go a long way to doing it. You got to stay healthy and feel good about yourself. In this league you got to earn it and hes done that the last couple nights." Daniel Alfredsson scored his first goal as a Red Wing and Todd Bertuzzi got the game winner..dddddddddddd. Henrik Zetterberg had two assists. Cam Atkinson scored for Columbus and Sergei Bobrobsky made 30 saves. "I thought we deserved a better fate," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "I thought the guys worked real hard and I saw a lot of good things." Bertuzzis power-play goal gave the Red Wings a 2-1 with 8:46 left in the middle period. He scored from just outside the crease for his second goal. Atkinson put the Blue Jackets on the board and tied the game 7:48 into the second period with an unassisted power-play goal. It was a spectacular individual effort as Atkinson carried the puck the length of the ice, bulled past Detroit defenceman Dan DeKeyser, got off one shot and then jammed the rebound past Gustavsson. It was Atkinsons second goal. "I just used my speed to my benefit and kind of just went with it," Atkinson said. Alfredsson gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead 5:05 into the game when he blasted a slap shot past Bobrovsky from the left circle. Detroit led 1-0 after the first period, despite being outshot 18-7. Notes: Petr Mrazek was recalled from Grand Rapids of the AHL earlier in the day to back up Gustavsson. .. .Columbus D James Wisniewski is a native of the Detroit-area suburb Canton and played his junior hockey with the suburban-Detroit based Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. .. Blue Jackets D Johnson is from Ann Arbor and played at the University of Michigan. .. The start of the game was pushed back 30 minutes to 8 p.m. because of the Detroit Tigers American League Championship Series game against the Boston Red Sox, which began at 4 p.m. at Comerica Park. .. Blue Jackets RW Jared Boll also played with the OHLs Plymouth Whalers. .. Detroit sent C Darren Helm to Grand Rapids on a conditioning stint. He hasnt played this season and played only one game last season due to a sore back. . Columbus C Matt Calvert underwent abdominal surgery and is out for six weeks. ' ' '