Sam Houston State (2-0), which notched an impressive 31-10 win over a ranked Central Arkansas squad in Southland Conference action, moved into the Top 25 for the first time since the Oct. 1, 2007 poll.
"It is nice to get recognition this early in the season, but it really is where we are ranked at the end of the year that I am concerned about," head coach Willie Fritz said. "That was a big win for us on Saturday night because it was our Southland Conference opener and gets us off to a good start in league play."
Southern Utah (2-1) rolled to a 45-22 victory over first-year program UTSA on Saturday as quarterback Brad Sorensen had his third straight strong game to open the season. The Thunderbirds, who won their first Great West Conference title last season, moved into the Top 25 for the first time since the Sept. 14, 1998 poll.
Murray State (2-1), from the Ohio Valley Conference, moved into the Top 25 for the first time since the final 2002 poll. On Saturday, the Racers crushed Tennessee State, 58-27, as quarterback Casey Brockman threw for 600 yards and seven touchdowns and caught a TD pass.
The Top 10 had little change. Southern Conference power Georgia Southern (2-0) received 115 of the 154 first-place votes (up nearly six percent despite the bye) and 3,742 points from the national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. Northern Iowa (1-1), the defending Missouri Valley Football Conference champion, collected 15 first-place votes and 3,485 points.
Appalachian State (2-1) remained at No. 3 following a 41-6 win over Savannah State. The Mountaineers will play one of the FCS' bigger games this weekend against Chattanooga in the Southern Conference opener for both schools.
Montana State (2-1) moved up one spot to No. 4 and Richmond (3-0) one spot to No. 5. Each team passed William & Mary (2-1), which dropped two spots after it struggled to get past Division II New Haven, 13-10, on Saturday.
No. 7 Delaware (2-1), No. 8 North Dakota State (2-0) and No. 9 Wofford (1-1) didn't move in the rankings. Big Sky power Montana (2-1) replaced Eastern Washington at No. 10 after it notched a 17-14 win over the defending FCS champion Eagles.
The second 10 were No. 11 New Hampshire (1-1), No. 12 James Madison (2-1), No. 13 Chattanooga (2-1), No. 14 Southern Illinois (1-1), No. 15 Lehigh (2-1), No. 16 Jacksonville State (2-1), No. 17 Massachusetts (1-0), No. 18 South Dakota (2-1), No. 19 McNeese State (1-1) and then Sam Houston State.
Eastern Washington remains a dangerous team, so it stayed in the poll at No. 21 despite having an 0-3 record. The Eagles host Montana State on their red turf on Saturday.
Next up were No. 22 Stephen F. Austin (1-2), Southern Utah, Murray State and No. 25 South Carolina State (1-2).
Central Arkansas, Sacramento State and Liberty fell out of the Top 25 after losses.
During the regular season the Top 25 will be released every Monday afternoon, except for the final weekend of games, when it will be released Sunday morning, Nov. 20, due to its use as an official tool by the NCAA Division I Football Committee in selecting the 20-team playoff field later that day.
The Sports Network and Fathead.com will release a final Top 25 following the FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 7 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.
The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top-25 College Football Poll
| Team (First-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Georgia Southern Eagles (115) | 2-0 | 3,742 | 1 |
| 2. Northern Iowa Panthers (15) | 1-1 | 3,485 | 2 |
| 3. Appalachian State Mountaineers (9) | 2-1 | 3,402 | 3 |
| 4. Montana State Bobcats (1) | 2-1 | 3,179 | 5 |
| 5. Richmond Spiders (11) | 3-0 | 3,082 | 6 |
| 6. William & Mary Tribe (1) | 2-1 | 3,078 | 4 |
| 7. Delaware Blue Hens (1) | 2-1 | 2,918 | 7 |
| 8. North Dakota State Bison (1) | 2-0 | 2,728 | 8 |
| 9. Wofford Terriers | 1-1 | 2,637 | 9 |
| 10. Montana Grizzlies | 2-1 | 2,353 | 12 |
| 11. New Hampshire Wildcats | 1-1 | 2,290 | 11 |
| 12. James Madison Dukes | 2-1 | 1,927 | 13 |
| 13. Chattanooga Mocs | 2-1 | 1,855 | 14 |
| 14. Southern Illinois Salukis | 1-1 | 1,614 | 15 |
| 15. Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 2-1 | 1,596 | 16 |
| 16. Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 2-1 | 1,466 | 17 |
| 17. Massachusetts Minutemen | 2-0 | 1,247 | 21 |
| 18. South Dakota Coyotes | 2-1 | 955 | 24 |
| 19. McNeese State Cowboys | 1-1 | 846 | 23 |
| 20. Sam Houston State Bearkats | 2-0 | 688 | NR |
| 21. Eastern Washington Eagles | 0-3 | 594 | 10 |
| 22. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | 1-2 | 568 | 19 |
| 23. Southern Utah Thunderbirds | 2-1 | 546 | NR |
| 24. Murray State Racers | 2-1 | 446 | NR |
| 25. South Carolina State Bulldogs | 1-2 | 336 | 25 |
| Others receiving votes: Liberty 332, Jackson State 260, Central Arkansas 249, Old Dominion 240, Youngstown State 228, Towson 184, Maine 105, Indiana State 102, Sacramento State 101, Holy Cross 82, Weber State 52, Bethune-Cookman 50, Tennessee Tech 41, Alabama State 41, Eastern Kentucky 37, Yale 37, Hampton 37, Elon 31, South Dakota State 27, North Dakota 26, Portland State 26, Cal Poly 23, Brown 20, Rhode Island 19, Western Illinois 18, UC Davis 13, Central Connecticut Stae 13, Stony Brook 11, Penn 10, Villanova 9, Dartmouth 8, Idaho State 7, Campbell 7, Delaware State 6, UT Martin 6, Lafayette 4, Monmouth 3, Southeastern Louisiana 2, Jacksonville 2, Dayton 1, San Diego 1, North Carolina Central 1. |
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