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Montana State rises again in FCS national rankings; Montana remains No. 11

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Posted at 1:56 PM, Oct 25, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-25 15:56:54-04

After eight weeks of the Fall 2021 FCS football season, Montana State is the highest-ranked Big Sky Conference team in the country.

The Bobcats beat Idaho State 27-9 on Saturday to move to 7-1 on the season. With the win, the Cats climb from No. 8 to No. 6 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll.

MSU, which has won seven in a row, now enters its bye week before a monumental Oct. 30 showdown on the road against Eastern Washington. EWU's loss to Weber State over the weekend drops the Eagles from No. 2 to No. 7, making Montana State the highest-ranked Big Sky team in the national rankings.

Montana remains at No. 11 in the Stats poll and moves up to No. 11 in the coaches poll after dispatching Idaho 34-14 on Saturday. The Griz return home to face Southern Utah (1-7) on Oct. 30.

Sam Houston (6-0) remains No. 1 in the country, while fellow unbeaten North Dakota State (7-0) follows at No. 2. As for the rest of the Big Sky, UC Davis (7-1) sits at No. 9 in both polls, while Sacramento State (5-2) moves up from No. 19 to No. 15 in the Stats poll and from unranked to No. 23 in the coaches poll. Weber State (3-4) re-enters the polls at No. 23 after dropping out for one week.

Stats Perform FCS Top 25

RANKSCHOOLRECORDPOINTSPREVIOUS
1Sam Houston (44)6-01,2441
2North Dakota State (6)7-01,2013
3Southern Illinois6-11,1364
4Villanova6-11,1015
5James Madison6-11,0237
6Montana State7-19798
7Eastern Washington7-19632
8Southeastern Louisiana6-19099
9UC Davis7-181410
10South Dakota State5-27446
11Montana5-273611
12Kennesaw State6-170912
T-13ETSU7-162714
T-13UT Martin6-162713
15Sacramento State5-252519
16Northern Iowa4-349220
17Missouri State4-334317
18VMI5-233221
19Princeton6-031022
20Jackson State6-128524
21South Dakota5-322815
22UIW5-222316
23Weber State3-4166NR
24Rhode Island5-212518
25Eastern Kentucky5-2105NR

Dropped Out: Delaware (23), Dartmouth (25)

Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots):  William & Mary 52, Prairie View A&M 46, Harvard 37, Chattanooga 31, Mercer 31, North Dakota 29, Delaware 24, Stephen F. Austin 10, Jacksonville State 9, Florida A&M 8, Duquesne 7, Dartmouth 6, Columbia 5

FCS Coaches Poll

RANKSCHOOLRECORDPOINTSPREVIOUS
1Sam Houston (27)6-06751
2North Dakota State7-06423
3Southern Illinois6-16034
4Villanova6-15995
5James Madison6-15676
6Montana State7-15118
7Eastern Washington7-14932
8Southeastern Louisiana6-14899
9UC Davis7-144510
10Kennesaw State6-143311
11Montana5-235912
12UT Martin6-135713
13South Dakota State5-23367
14East Tennessee State7-132914
15Princeton6-027017
16Jackson State6-123420
17Northern Iowa4-320724
18VMI5-218323
19Eastern Kentucky5-217522
20Missouri State4-314818
21Harvard5-113416
22South Dakota5-312115
T-23Sacramento State5-266NR
T-23Weber State3-466NR
25Rhode Island5-25919

Dropped Out: Jacksonville St. (21), Delaware (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Chattanooga, 53; William & Mary, 27; Holy Cross, 21; Stephen F. Austin, 21; Monmouth (N.J.), 20; Prairie View A&M, 19; North Dakota, 18; Mercer, 16; Delaware, 15; Florida A&M, 14; Columbia, 10; Dartmouth, 9; Jacksonville St., 8; Yale, 8; UIW, 7; Nicholls, 3; Elon, 2; Furman, 2; Davidson, 1.