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With North Dakota State falling to Montana in the opening week of the season, it allowed for some upward movement in the FCS media poll. Sam Houston State, who lost an offensive firefight to Texas Tech, is the new #1 team in the country despite an 0-1 record. In fact, the only other Top 10 schools to record an opening week victory were Coastal Carolina (over Furman), Jacksonville State (over #10 Chattanooga), and South Dakota State (over FBS Kansas).
Villanova fell 2 spots to #6 after a close loss to UConn - they'll take on #16 Fordham this week, who rose up 4 spots.
In the Coaches' Poll, Villanova got more respect (or, call it the benefit of ignorance). The Wildcats are up 1 spot in a tie for #2 with NDSU, while Coastal Carolina took the #1 overall spot courtesy of their aforementioned victory. The CAA placed five teams in the Coaches' Poll, with William & Mary joining the mix.
STATS FCS Top 25
| Rank | School | Record | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Houston State | 0-1 | 3132 (31) | 3 |
| 2 | North Dakota State | 0-1 | 3123 (22) | 1 |
| 3 | Coastal Carolina | 1-0 | 3115 (24) | 5 |
| 4 | Illinois State | 0-1 | 3068 (20) | 2 |
| 5 | Jacksonville State | 1-0 | 3047 (24) | 7 |
| 6 | Villanova | 0-1 | 2972 (6) | 4 |
| 7 | Eastern Washington | 0-1 | 2688 (6) | 6 |
| 8 | Montana | 1-1 | 2401 (2) | 13 |
| 9 | South Dakota State | 1-0 | 2374 (8) | 16 |
| 10 | Chattanooga | 0-1 | 2040 | 8 |
| 11 | Montana State | 1-0 | 1994 | 11 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 0-1 | 1864 | 9 |
| 13 | James Madison | 1-0 | 1776 | 12 |
| 14 | UNI | 0-1 | 1689 | 10 |
| 15 | Liberty | 1-0 | 1465 | 15 |
| 16 | Fordham | 1-0 | 1446 | 20 |
| 17 | Youngstown State | 0-1 | 1442 | 14 |
| 18 | Cal Poly | 1-0 | 1144 (1) | NR |
| 19 | Eastern Kentucky | 1-0 | 1127 | 17 |
| 20 | Southeastern Louisiana | 1-0 | 908 | 19 |
| 21 | Indiana State | 1-0 | 665 | 21 |
| 22 | Richmond | 0-1 | 646 | 18 |
| 23 | Idaho State | 1-0 | 498 | 22 |
| 24 | Portland State | 1-0 | 326 | NR |
| 25 | Harvard | 0-0 | 324 | 23 |
| Dropped from rankings: None | ||||
| Others receiving votes: Northern Arizona 238 , McNeese State 213, William & Mary 212 , North Dakota 186, Western Illinois 109, Samford 89, Southern Illinois 88, Stephen F. Austin 81, South Carolina State 58, North Carolina A&T 48, Western Carolina 43, Eastern Illinois 32, Sacred Heart 31, Charleston Southern 28, Bryant 9, Florida A&M 8, Bucknell 8, Sacramento State 7, Alcorn State 7, Lamar 7, Dartmouth 4), Bethune-Cookman 4, Delaware 3, Southern Utah 2, Duquesne 2, Furman 2 , Towson 2, North Carolina Central 2, Norfolk State 1 , Jacksonville 1, Stony Brook 1. | ||||
FCS Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coastal Carolina (4) | 1-0 | 517 | 5 |
| T-2 | North Dakota State (6) | 0-1 | 490 | 1 |
| T-2 | Villanova | 0-1 | 490 | 3 |
| 4 | Sam Houston State (2) | 0-1 | 487 | 4 |
| 5 | Illinois State (6) | 0-1 | 481 | 2 |
| 6 | Jacksonville State (1) | 1-0 | 453 | 9 |
| 7 | Eastern Washington | 0-1 | 437 | 6 |
| 8 | Montana (3) | 1-1 | 393 | 12 |
| 9 | Montana State | 1-0 | 384 | 11 |
| 10 | South Dakota State (1) | 1-0 | 363 | 15 |
| 11 | James Madison | 1-0 | 312 | 13 |
| 12 | Chattanooga | 0-1 | 301 | 8 |
| 13 | Liberty | 1-0 | 280 | 14 |
| 14 | Northern Iowa | 0-1 | 274 | 10 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 0-1 | 257 | 7 |
| 16 | Fordham | 1-0 | 233 | 21 |
| 17 | Youngstown State | 0-1 | 219 | 16 |
| 18 | Southeastern Louisiana | 1-0 | 175 | 19 |
| 19 | Eastern Kentucky | 1-0 | 174 | 17 |
| 20 | Cal Poly | 1-0 | 130 | NR |
| 21 | Indiana State | 1-0 | 128 | 20 |
| 22 | Richmond | 0-1 | 77 | 18 |
| 23 | McNeese State | 0-0 | 75 | 23 |
| 24 | Idaho State | 1-0 | 68 | 24 |
| T-25 | Harvard | 0-1 | 44 | 22 |
| T-25 | William & Mary | 1-0 | 44 | NR |
| Dropped from rankings: Eastern Illinois | ||||
| Others receiving votes: Northern Arizona (36), Portland State (22), Jackson State (19), South Carolina State (18), Samford (17), North Dakota (17), Towson (12), Western Illinois (12), Western Carolina (11), South Dakota (10), Charleston Southern (8), Alcorn State (4), Furman (2), Jacksonville (1), Southern Illinois (1). | ||||