After holding firm for nearly a month, the Montana Grizzlies finally dropped in the FCS rankings after a 34-28 loss to Eastern Washington on Saturday. The Griz (3-1) fell to No. 6 in Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll, swapping places with EWU (5-0), who moved up to No. 4 as the highest-ranked Big Sky Conference team.
Meanwhile, Montana State (4-1) continued its winning ways, rising to No. 10 in the Stats poll with a fourth straight victory, a 40-7 drubbing of Northern Colorado (2-3) at home. The win also moved the Bobcats up to No. 11 in the coaches poll.
UC Davis (5-0) follows Montana at No. 7/No. 8, while Weber State (2-3) sits at No. 19 to round out the field for the Big Sky Conference.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Sam Houston (29) | 4-0 | 1,201 | 1 |
| 2 | South Dakota State (15) | 4-0 | 1,200 | 2 |
| 3 | James Madison (6) | 4-0 | 1,165 | 3 |
| 4 | Eastern Washington | 5-0 | 1,091 | 6 |
| 5 | North Dakota State | 4-0 | 1,082 | 5 |
| 6 | Montana | 3-1 | 936 | 4 |
| 7 | UC Davis | 5-0 | 925 | 8 |
| 8 | Southern Illinois | 4-1 | 911 | 7 |
| 9 | Delaware | 3-1 | 843 | 9 |
| 10 | Montana State | 4-1 | 800 | 11 |
| 11 | Villanova | 3-1 | 690 | 12 |
| 12 | ETSU | 5-0 | 679 | 13 |
| 13 | North Dakota | 2-2 | 628 | 10 |
| 14 | Southeastern Louisiana | 3-1 | 605 | 14 |
| 15 | Missouri State | 3-1 | 553 | 16 |
| 16 | Northern Iowa | 3-1 | 548 | 15 |
| 17 | Kennesaw State | 3-1 | 418 | 20 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 4-0 | 352 | 21 |
| 19 | Weber State | 2-3 | 348 | 19 |
| 20 | UIW | 4-1 | 262 | 24 |
| 21 | UT Martin | 3-1 | 253 | 23 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | 3-2 | 81 | 25 |
| 23 | Stephen F. Autsin | 3-2 | 76 | NR |
| 24 | Jacksonville State | 2-3 | 73 | 17 |
| 25 | Nicholls | 2-2 | 62 | NR |
Dropped Out: VMI (18), Richmond (22)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): VMI 58, Princeton 53, Monmouth 42, South Dakota 42, Mercer 41, Duquesne 38, Central Arkansas 35, Chattanooga 33, Murray State 33, Harvard 27, Jackson State 27, Prairie View A&M 7, Eastern Kentucky 6, William & Mary 4
FCS Coaches Poll
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Sam Houston (24) | 4-0 | 694 | 1 |
| 2 | James Madison (1) | 4-0 | 653 | 2 |
| 3 | South Dakota State (1) | 4-0 | 646 | 3 |
| 4 | Eastern Washington (2) | 5-0 | 608 | 6 |
| 5 | North Dakota State | 4-0 | 601 | 5 |
| 6 | Montana | 3-1 | 511 | 4 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois | 4-1 | 503 | 7 |
| 8 | UC Davis | 5-0 | 492 | 8 |
| 9 | Villanova | 3-1 | 454 | 9 |
| 10 | Delaware | 3-1 | 453 | 10 |
| 11 | Montana State | 4-1 | 402 | 12 |
| 12 | Northern Iowa | 3-1 | 376 | 13 |
| 13 | East Tennessee State | 5-0 | 357 | 14 |
| 14 | Southeastern Louisiana | 3-1 | 326 | 15 |
| 15 | North Dakota | 2-2 | 312 | 11 |
| 16 | Missouri State | 3-1 | 286 | 16 |
| 17 | Kennesaw State | 3-1 | 230 | 20 |
| 18 | Weber State | 2-3 | 206 | 18 |
| 19 | Chattanooga | 2-2 | 200 | 19 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 4-0 | 152 | 23 |
| 21 | UT Martin | 3-1 | 117 | T-24 |
| T-22 | Harvard | 3-0 | 73 | NR |
| T-22 | Jacksonville State | 2-3 | 71 | 17 |
| 24 | Princeton | 3-0 | 41 | NR |
| 25 | Monmouth (N.J.) | 3-2 | 39 | NR |
Dropped Out: Richmond (21), VMI (22), Holy Cross (24t)
Others Receiving Votes: Central Arkansas, 38; New Hampshire, 37; Eastern Kentucky, 23; Mercer, 22; South Dakota, 20; Nicholls, 19; Stephen F. Austin, 19; UIW, 16; Jackson St., 15; Holy Cross, 14; Yale, 12; Abilene Christian, 10; VMI, 10; Murray St., 9; Austin Peay, 7; Duquesne, 6; Florida A&M, 5; William & Mary, 4; Elon, 3; North Carolina A&T, 3; Richmond, 3; Charleston Southern, 2.
