MISSOULA — Montana picked up a first-place vote in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, but the first six teams remained the same from last week's rankings.
The new poll, which was released Monday, is topped by North Dakota State, followed by Montana, Montana State, Lehigh, Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State. The Bison received 55 of 56 first-place votes after rallying past No. 13 North Dakota for a 15-10 win last week.
Montana received the other first-place vote. The Grizzlies held off Eastern Washington for a wild 29-24 win last week. Both UM and NDSU are 10-0, as are No. 4 Lehigh and No. 5 Tennessee Tech. View the complete poll.
The Bobcats trounced Weber State 66-14 last week. MSU has won eight consecutive games after beginning the season with losses to FBS Oregon and South Dakota State.
The Jackrabbits were ranked as high as No. 2 this season but have lost three consecutive games. They're No. 16 in the current poll and face another ranked opponent, No. 14 Illinois State, this week.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference has seven teams in the top 25. In addition to No. 1 NDSU and No. 16 SDSU, North Dakota (13), Illinois State (14), South Dakota (17), Youngstown State (20) and Southern Illinois (21) are also ranked.
The Big Sky Conference again has four teams in the poll: No. 2 Montana, No. 3 Montana State, No. 9 UC Davis and No. 24 Northern Arizona. Davis moved up from its prior No. 11 ranking, while NAU rejoined the top 25 after previously falling out of the rankings.
Montana State hosts UC Davis in a pivotal Big Sky game Saturday. The Bobcats and Grizzlies are tied atop the conference standings with 6-0 league records. The Aggies are one game back at 5-1.
No. 3 Montana State and No. 9 UC Davis are scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. Saturday. The game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN2.
The rest of Saturday's Big Sky schedule is below. All times Mountain.
- Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington, 2 p.m.
- Cal Poly at No. 24 Northern Arizona, 2 p.m.
- No. 2 Montana at Portland State, 3 p.m.
- Weber State at Idaho State, 4 p.m.
- Idaho at Sacramento State, 7 p.m.
