Ahead of its biggest game of the season so far, the Montana State football team is a Top 5 team in the FCS.
The Bobcats (7-1, 5-0) had a bye in Week 9, but they still rise to No. 4 in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll. MSU takes on No. 5 Eastern Washington in Cheney on Saturday in a game that will have major implications on playoff seeding and the Big Sky Conference title chase.
The Montana Grizzlies (6-2, 3-2) remain at No. 11 in the Stats poll for the third straight week, but rise to No. 10 in the coaches poll. Montana survived an upset bid from Southern Utah on Saturday with a 20-19 win. The Griz will travel to Northern Colorado on Saturday.
UC Davis (7-1, 4-1) is the next-highest ranked Big Sky team in the field after MSU and EWU. The Aggies rise to No. 7/No. 8, while Sacramento State (7-1, 5-0) drops one spot, from No. 15 to No. 16, in the Stats poll. The Hornets move from No. 23 to No. 22 in the coaches poll. Weber State (4-4, 3-2) remains ranked as well, sitting at No. 24 in both polls.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK |
1 | Sam Houston (40) | 7-0 | 1,240 | 1 |
| 2 | North Dakota State (10) | 8-0 | 1,208 | 2 |
| 3 | James Madison | 7-1 | 1,133 | 5 |
| 4 | Montana State | 7-1 | 1,082 | 6 |
| 5 | Eastern Washington | 7-1 | 1,013 | 7 |
| 6 | Southeastern Louisiana | 7-1 | 970 | 8 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois | 6-2 | 893 | 3 |
| 8 | UC Davis | 7-1 | 854 | 9 |
| 9 | South Dakota State | 6-2 | 811 | 10 |
| 10 | Villanova | 6-2 | 745 | 4 |
| 11 | Montana | 6-2 | 721 | 11 |
| 12 | Kennesaw State | 7-1 | 698 | 12 |
| 13 | Northern Iowa | 5-3 | 693 | 16 |
| 14 | ETSU | 7-1 | 616 | T-13 |
| 15 | UT Martin | 7-1 | 599 | T-13 |
| 16 | Sacramento State | 6-2 | 517 | 15 |
| 17 | Missouri State | 5-3 | 396 | 17 |
| 18 | VMI | 6-2 | 331 | 18 |
| 19 | Jackson State | 7-1 | 292 | 20 |
| T-20 | Princeton | 7-0 | 277 | 19 |
| T-20 | William and Mary | 6-2 | 277 | NR |
| 22 | UIW | 6-2 | 229 | 22 |
| 23 | South Dakota | 5-3 | 213 | 21 |
| 24 | Weber State | 4-4 | 177 | 23 |
| 25 | Eastern Kentucky | 6-2 | 139 | 25 |
Dropped Out: Rhode Island (24)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Prairie View A&M 34, Chattanooga 20, Mercer 14, Florida A&M 12, Dartmouth 10, Rhode Island 9, Stephen F. Austin 8, Harvard 7, Monmouth 2
FCS Coaches Poll
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK |
| 1 | Sam Houston (27) | 7-0 | 675 | 1 |
| 2 | North Dakota State | 8-0 | 644 | 2 |
| 3 | James Madison | 7-1 | 621 | 5 |
| 4 | Montana State | 7-1 | 579 | 6 |
| 5 | Eastern Washington | 7-1 | 566 | 7 |
| 6 | Southeastern Louisiana | 7-1 | 537 | 8 |
| 7 | UC Davis | 7-1 | 479 | 9 |
| 8 | Kennesaw State | 7-1 | 464 | 10 |
| 9 | Southern Illinois | 6-2 | 420 | 3 |
| 10 | Montana | 6-2 | 413 | 11 |
| 11 | UT Martin | 7-1 | 384 | 12 |
| 12 | South Dakota State | 6-2 | 369 | 13 |
| 13 | Villanova | 6-2 | 352 | 4 |
| 14 | East Tennessee State | 7-1 | 325 | 14 |
| 15 | Northern Iowa | 5-3 | 303 | 17 |
| 16 | Princeton | 7-0 | 257 | 15 |
| 17 | Jackson State | 7-1 | 221 | 16 |
| 18 | VMI | 6-2 | 213 | 18 |
| 19 | Eastern Kentucky | 6-2 | 193 | 19 |
| 20 | Missouri State | 5-3 | 184 | 20 |
| 21 | South Dakota | 5-3 | 108 | 22 |
| 22 | Sacramento State | 6-2 | 89 | T-23 |
| 23 | William & Mary | 6-2 | 83 | NR |
| 24 | Weber State | 4-4 | 80 | T-23 |
| 25 | Chattanooga | 5-3 | 44 | NR |
Dropped Out: Harvard (21), Rhode Island (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Harvard, 27; Monmouth (N.J.), 21; Mercer, 16; Dartmouth, 14; Prairie View A&M, 14; Central Arkansas, 13; Florida A&M, 13; Stephen F. Austin, 12; Holy Cross, 11; Delaware, 10; UIW, 8; Maine, 6; Nicholls, 5; Davidson, 2.
