FCS Top 25 Poll
The Missouri Valley and Big Sky have separated themselves from other FCS football conferences, but last year, the United Athletic Conference stepped forward in the conversation for who’s third-best, delivering three playoff qualifiers.
This season, the nine-team conference has raised its hand again, with Tarleton State up to No. 3 and joined in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll by Abilene Christian (13), Austin Peay (22) and West Georgia (25).
Tarleton State, which has won at Army and blown out Portland State and Mississippi Valley State, is the only 3-0 team in Division I. Abilene Christian, the defending UAC champ, won a Top 25 matchup over Stephen F. Austin this past Saturday. Austin Peay has an FBS win over Middle Tennessee, and West Georgia has gained its first-ever ranking in the national media poll.
In addition, UAC programs Southern Utah, which was ranked last week, and Eastern Kentucky are receiving votes in the poll.
The Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll is released each Monday during the regular season and one day after the FCS championship game (to be played Jan. 5 in Nashville, Tennessee). 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.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll (Sept. 8)
1. North Dakota State (2-0)
Points: 1,393 (49 of 56 first-place votes); Previous Ranking: 1; Week 2: 59-3 win at Tennessee State; Week 3: Southeast Missouri
2. South Dakota State (2-0)
Points: 1,351 (7) Previous Ranking: 2; Week 2: 30-24, two-OT win at then-No. 3 Montana State; Week 3: Drake
3. Tarleton State (3-0)
Points: 1,260; Previous Ranking: 5; Week 2: 59-3 win over Mississippi Valley State; Week 3: at Central Arkansas
4. Montana State (0-2)
Points: 1,202; Previous Ranking: 3; Week 2: 30-24, two-OT loss to then-No. 2 South Dakota State; Week 3: San Diego
5. Montana (1-0)
Points: 1,123; Previous Ranking: 6; Week 2: 42-17 win over Central Washington; Week 3: No. 16 North Dakota
6. Rhode Island (2-0, 2-0 CAA)
Points: 1,050; Previous Ranking: 9; Week 2: 31-17 win at Stony Brook; Week 3: at Holy Cross
7. Illinois State (1-1)
Points: 1,049; Previous Ranking: 7; Week 2: 41-13 win over Morehead State; Week 3: at Eastern Illinois
8. Idaho (1-1)
Points: 937; Previous Ranking: 10; Week 2: 37-30 win over St. Thomas; Week 3: Utah Tech
9. UC Davis (1-1)
Points: 885; Previous Ranking: 8; Week 2: 70-10 loss at Washington; Week 3: No game
10. Lehigh (2-0, 1-0 Patriot)
Points: 836; Previous Ranking: 11; Week 2: 28-10 win over Sacred Heart; Week 3: at Duquesne
11. Villanova (1-0)
Points: 743; Previous Ranking: 13; Week 2: 24-17 win over Colgate; Week 3: at Penn State
12. South Dakota (0-2)
Points: 649; Previous Ranking: 4; Week 2: 20-13 loss at Lamar; Week 3: Northern Colorado
13. Abilene Christian (1-1)
Points: 648; Previous Ranking: 16; Week 2: 28-20 win over then-No. 25 Stephen F. Austin; Week 3: at TCU
14. UIW (1-1, 0-1 Southland)
Points: 568; Previous Ranking: 12; Week 2: No game; Week 3: at USTA
15. Tennessee Tech (2-0)
Points: 560; Previous Ranking: 17; Week 2: 45-17 win over Chattanooga; Week 3: Davidson
16. North Dakota (1-1)
Points: 535; Previous Ranking: 20; Week 2: 50-20 win over Portland State; Week 3: at No. 5 Montana
17. Southern Illinois (1-1)
Points: 510; Previous Ranking: 14; Week 2: 34-17 loss at Purdue; Week 3: at UT Martin
18. Northern Arizona (1-1)
Points: 409; Previous Ranking: 19; Week 2: 38-31 win over Utah Tech; Week 3: at Southern Utah
19. Jackson State (1-1)
Points: 381; Previous Ranking: 15; Week 2: 38-20 loss at Southern Miss; Week 3: Tuskegee
20. Monmouth (2-0)
Points: 373; Previous Ranking: 21; Week 2: 49-28 win at Fordham; Week 3: at Charlotte
21. Sacramento State (0-2)
Points: 253; Previous Ranking: 18; Week 2: 20-17 loss at Nevada; Week 3: Mercyhurst
22. Austin Peay (1-1)
Points: 233; Previous Ranking: NR; Week 2: 28-6 loss at Georgia; Week 3: Morehead State
23. New Hampshire (2-0)
Points: 132; Previous Ranking: NR; Week 2: 19-16 win over Holy Cross; Week 3: at Ball State
24. Lamar (1-1)
Points: 121; Previous Ranking: NR; Week 2: 20-13 win over then-No. 4 South Dakota; Week 3: at Texas Southern
25. West Georgia (2-0)
Points: 110; Previous Ranking: NR; Week 2: 34-10 win at then-No. 22 Nicholls; Week 3: ETSU
Dropped Out of Top 25: Nicholls (22); Mercer (23); Southern Utah (24); Stephen F. Austin (25)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Mercer (0-1), 101; Presbyterian (2-0), 100; Harvard (0-0), 86; Southeast Missouri (1-1), 86; ETSU (1-1), 73; Richmond (1-1, 0-1 Patriot), 64; UT Martin (0-2), 59; Youngstown State (2-0), 59; Nicholls (1-2, 1-0 Southland), 52; Eastern Kentucky (1-1), 31; Southern Utah (1-1), 29; Gardner-Webb (1-1), 27; Stephen F. Austin (0-2), 27; South Carolina State (1-1), 14; Stony Brook (0-2, 0-1 CAA), 13; Tennessee State (1-1), 13; Towson (2-0), 9; Western Carolina (0-2), 5; Bryant (1-1), 5; LIU (1-1), 5