The Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats both landed in the STATS FCS top 10 this week after both won Big Sky Conference-opening games on Saturday, though in different fashion.
Bobby Hauck and Montana (4-1, 1-0) made the biggest leap in the polls, climbing from No. 18 to eighth after thumping previously-ranked No. 4 UC Davis 45-20 in Davis, Calif. The Aggies (2-3) fell to No. 12 with the defeat.
Montana also jumped in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll, moving from 17th to No. 9.
Montana State needed an incredible second-half performance Saturday, after falling behind Northern Arizona 21-0 early at Bobcat Stadium. MSU (4-1) scored 35 points in the second half, 28 of those in the fourth quarter, to rally past the Lumberjacks 49-31. The win moved the Bobcats up one spot in the STATS FCS poll, from No. 7 to No. 6, while Jeff Choate's club climbed four spots in the FCS Coaches' Poll, moving to No. 7.
Five Big Sky Conference teams are ranked in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll, led by Weber State's (2-2) fifth-place standing. After the Bobcats and Grizzlies sit UC Davis (2-3) at No. 12 and Eastern Washington (2-3) at No. 21. Weber is ranked No. 4 in the STATS FCS poll, while UC Davis is again No. 12 and Eastern Washington is 22nd.
Sacramento State, Idaho State and Cal Poly each received votes in the polls, which can be found below.
Teams in the Big Sky Conference continue league play this weekend. For updated standings, please click here. For Big Sky Conference scores and schedules, please click here.
FCS coaches' poll
Sept. 30, 2019
| 1 | North Dakota State (26) | 4-0 | 650 | 1 |
| 2 | James Madison | 4-1 | 621 | 2 |
| 3 | South Dakota State | 3-1 | 594 | 3 |
| 4 | Kennesaw State | 4-1 | 551 | 4 |
| 5 | Weber State | 2-2 | 521 | 6 |
| 6 | Illinois State | 3-1 | 484 | 8 |
| 7 | Montana State | 4-1 | 477 | 11 |
| 8 | Villanova | 5-0 | 466 | 13 |
| 9 | Montana | 4-1 | 388 | 17 |
| T-10 | Central Arkansas | 2-2 | 379 | 14 |
| T-10 | Towson | 3-2 | 379 | 10 |
| 12 | UC Davis | 2-3 | 356 | 5 |
| 13 | Northern Iowa | 2-2 | 340 | 7 |
| 14 | Furman | 3-2 | 329 | 15 |
| 15 | Nicholls | 2-2 | 267 | 9 |
| 16 | North Carolina A&T | 3-1 | 265 | 18 |
| 17 | Youngstown State | 4-0 | 248 | 20 |
| 18 | Delaware | 3-2 | 189 | 19 |
| 19 | Southeastern Louisiana | 3-1 | 172 | 22 |
| 20 | Jacksonville State | 3-2 | 134 | 12 |
| 21 | Eastern Washington | 2-3 | 129 | 21 |
| 22 | Maine | 2-3 | 127 | 16 |
| 23 | Princeton | 2-0 | 91 | 23 |
| 24 | Stony Brook | 4-1 | 67 | NR |
| T-25 | Houston Baptist | 4-1 | 34 | NR |
| T-25 | Southeast Missouri State | 2-2 | 34 | NR |
Dropped Out: Elon (24), North Dakota (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Tennessee Tech, 23; South Carolina State, 21; Yale, 19; Austin Peay, 15; Dartmouth, 13; North Dakota, 13; Sacramento State, 12; Sam Houston State, 12; Elon, 9; Samford, 9; Idaho State, 5; Campbell, 3; Indiana State, 2; Central Connecticut State, 1; The Citadel, 1.
STATS FCS poll
Sept. 30, 2019
| Rank | School | Votes | Prev |
| 1 | North Dakota State (4-0) | 3968 (152) | 1 |
| 2 | James Madison (4-1) | 3786 (7) | 2 |
| 3 | South Dakota State (3-1) | 3670 | 3 |
| 4 | Weber State (2-2) | 3349 | 5 |
| 5 | Villanova (5-0) | 3178 | 8 |
| 6 | Montana State (4-1) | 3058 | 7 |
| 7 | Kennesaw State (4-1) | 2928 | 6 |
| 8 | Montana (4-1) | 2594 | 18 |
| 9 | Towson (3-2) | 2370 | 10 |
| 10 | Illinois State (3-1) | 2307 | 14 |
| 11 | Central Arkansas (3-1) | 2096 | 15 |
| 12 | UC Davis (2-3) | 2021 | 4 |
| 13 | UNI (2-2) | 1962 | 9 |
| 14 | Furman (3-2) | 1943 | 16 |
| 15 | North Carolina A&T (3-1) | 1754 | 17 |
| 16 | Nicholls (2-2) | 1505 | 12 |
| 17 | Southeastern Louisiana (3-1) | 1393 | 19 |
| 18 | Youngstown State (4-0) | 1253 | 22 |
| 19 | Delaware (3-2) | 1167 | 20 |
| 20 | Maine (2-3) | 1147 | 12 |
| 21 | Jacksonville State (3-2) | 892 | 11 |
| 22 | Eastern Washington (2-3) | 731 | 21 |
| 23 | Southeast Missouri State (2-2) | 616 | 23 |
| 24 | Stony Brook (4-1) | 527 | NR |
| 25 | Princeton (2-0) | 483 | NR |
Others: Dartmouth (146) , South Carolina State (113) , Austin Peay (99) , Sam Houston State (97) , Houston Baptist (86) , Elon (82) , Indiana State (66) , Yale (66) , Citadel (40) , Sacramento State (32) , Samford (30) ,Wofford (26) , Tennessee Tech (24) , Southern Illinois (23) , Central Connecticut State (17) , Idaho State (13) , Eastern Kentucky (12) , Alcorn State (2) , North Dakota (2) , Cal Poly (1)
