THE WORD

Tarleton State holds the top spot, but Week 9 delivers plenty of movement. South Dakota climbs into the Top 5, Lehigh suffers a 13-spot fall, and UAlbany and Chattanooga enter the rankings as the FCS playoff race heats up.

MVFC Week 5 Preview: Ranked Matchups Put Contenders to the Test

No. 4 South Dakota visits No. 12 Youngstown State in a matchup with early playoff résumé implications, while No. 7 North Dakota looks to bounce back at Indiana State, No. 3 Illinois State takes its unbeaten record to Northern Iowa and No. 2 South Dakota State turns to its quarterback depth against Eastern Illinois.

Illinois State climbs into the Top 3, South Dakota makes a massive jump and Stony Brook enters the poll after knocking off Rhode Island. See the complete FCS Nation Week 4 Top 25.

Montana State escaped Central Connecticut State, Stony Brook throttled Rhode Island and Southeastern Louisiana added another FCS-over-FBS win as the FCS Nation Top 25 heads into Week 4.

The top of the FCS has been dominant through three weeks, complete with FBS wins and seven teams ranked inside our Top 13. So let’s play a hypothetical: If the best programs in the region formed an FCS super conference, just how well could they compete against the FBS?