Four top 10 teams and 11 top 25 squads lost in Week 7, setting up a revamped FCS Coaches' Poll Monday afternoon. After a wild weekend, below are the top storylines post-poll release.
First, here is the full top 25, released Monday, Oct. 14:
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State (26) | 6-0 | 650 | 1 |
| 2 | James Madison | 6-1 | 622 | 2 |
| 3 | South Dakota State | 5-1 | 600 | 3 |
| 4 | Kennesaw State | 5-1 | 555 | 4 |
| 5 | Weber State | 4-2 | 532 | 5 |
| 6 | Montana | 5-1 | 516 | 8 |
| 7 | Villanova | 6-1 | 480 | 7 |
| 8 | Furman | 4-2 | 467 | 11 |
| 9 | Nicholls | 4-2 | 448 | 12 |
| 10 | Illinois State | 4-2 | 380 | 13 |
| 11 | North Carolina A&T | 4-1 | 369 | 14 |
| 12 | Montana State | 5-2 | 367 | 6 |
| 13 | Central Arkansas | 4-2 | 336 | 16 |
| 14 | Jacksonville State | 5-2 | 269 | 18 |
| 15 | Northern Iowa | 3-3 | 264 | 10 |
| 16 | Princeton | 4-0 | 224 | 19 |
| 17 | Sacramento State | 4-2 | 221 | NR |
| 18 | Youngstown State | 4-2 | 197 | 17 |
| 19 | Austin Peay | 4-2 | 170 | NR |
| 20 | Towson | 3-3 | 152 | 9 |
| 21 | Dartmouth | 4-0 | 133 | NR |
| 22 | UC Davis | 3-4 | 108 | 21 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | 4-2 | 96 | NR |
| 24 | Delaware | 3-3 | 63 | 15 |
| 25 | UIW | 4-2 | 39 | NR |
Top 3 teams maintain stronghold after taking care of ranked opponents
Despite all the movement in this week's poll, the top 5 stayed put for a third straight week. The top 3, North Dakota State, James Madison and South Dakota State, further boosted their resumes with Week 7 wins over ranked teams.
Unanimous No. 1 NDSU steamrolled then-No. 10 Northern Iowa 46-14. The Bison have scored at least 37 points in five of its six games and are holding opponents to just 12 points a game — third best in the nation. This includes three straight victories over top 10 teams with a point differential of 110-33.
Right below the Bison, No. 2 James Madison and No. 3 South Dakota State kept pace with wins over then-No. 7 Villanova and then-No. 17 Youngstown State, respectively. JMU survived thanks to a 21-0 fourth quarter rally sparked by four forced turnovers. SDSU escaped with a road win after outscoring the Penguins 35-14 in the second half.
#StatSunday
— SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) October 14, 2019
The Jacks had a +3 turnover differential in last nights win over Youngstown State. The defense recovered a fumble and added interceptions from @Donald_G01 and @dyshawn_gales_2 while the offense did not turn the ball over. #GoJacks🐰🏈 pic.twitter.com/mYlJ5yAdXW
Below the top 5 is where the shuffling begins. Montana moves up two spots to No. 6, followed by Villanova (6-1), who stands pat at No. 7 after keeping pace with James Madison for most of Saturday's loss. Furman, Nicholls and Illinois State slide up to round out the top 10.
At No. 8, Furman has its highest ranking since 2006. Illinois State returns to the top 10 after dropping seven spots last week following a loss to North Dakota State.
FCS OVER FBS: All-time history and results for FCS wins over FBS teams
Five new teams enter the poll
Welcome to the top 25, Sacramento State, Austin Peay, Dartmouth, New Hampshire and Incarnate Word. No. 17 Sacramento State had the biggest statement win Saturday, upsetting then-No. 6 Montana State 34-21 to further muddle the deep Big Sky race. The Hornets are one of three undefeated teams left in Big Sky conference play, joined by No. 5 Weber State and No. 6 Montana at 2-0.
UNH is on the rise after topping Elon and then-No. 23 Stony Brook in back-to-back weeks. The road gets tougher from here, with three straight games against No. 24 Delaware, No. 7 Villanova and No. 2 James Madison. UNH will meet the Dukes in Harrisonburg, Virginia on Nov. 9.
Dartmouth's entry at No. 21 gives the Ivy League two ranked teams heading into Week 8 (joining No. 16 Princeton). The Big Green crushed defending conference champ Yale for a second straight year, 42-10. Dartmouth (4-0) and Princeton (4-0) are two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the FCS, along with North Dakota State (6-0).
42-10 Dartmouth.
— Dartmouth Football (@DartFootball) October 13, 2019
Homecoming 🔥🔥#TheWoods pic.twitter.com/6aPUQuqfLC
Top games to watch in Week 8
Two more ranked clashes highlight Week 8's most compelling matchups. Here are five of the top games to watch this weekend:
