PHILADELPHIA - The Bethune-Cookman University football team will conclude the 2012 season ranked No. 22 in the final Sports Network FCS Top 25 poll released Monday afternoon.

After winning their second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) crown in a three-year span, the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman finished the 2012 campaign with an overall record of 9-3. That accompanies an unblemished 8-0 mark in league play - the first unbeaten MEAC stretch for the Cats since they were 4-0 in 1984.

Bethune-Cookman first entered the Top 25 poll the week of November 5 - leading into the Savannah State game, debuting in the poll at No. 22 that week as well.

The Wildcats ended the season with a loss in the opening round of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs at home against Coastal Carolina. It was also the second time in the last three years B-CU hosted the playoffs, and served as the third time in as many playoff appearances for the Wildcats in which they were inside the friendly confines of Municipal Stadium - including the 2003 campaign.

The Cats concluded the regular season with their second-straight victory over rival Florida A&M in the Florida Blue Florida Classic, stretching their current MEAC winning streak to 13 consecutive games dating back to the middle of the 2011 season.

North Dakota State won its second consecutive national title over the weekend, thus ending the season ranked No. 1 in the final poll. They were followed in order by runner-up Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern, Eastern Washington and Montana State to round out the top five.

The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) finished with the most teams in the Top 25 with six, followed by the Big Sky with four and the Missouri Valley and Southern Conference with three each. There were two teams each from the Southland, Big South and Patriot League, and one each from the MEC, NEC and Ohio Valley Conference.

A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries selected the Top 25 throughout the season. A first-place vote was worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.

For a complete list of the final Sports Network Top 25 poll, please click here.

For all the latest information on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, follow the official Twitter feed, @BCUathletics, or "Like Us" on Facebook at Bethune-Cookman Athletics.

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