FCS Nation Radio Releases Week 10 Top 25 Poll: Montana State Takes No. 1 as Rankings Spark Debate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 2, 2026
FCS Nation Top 25 – Week 10 (2026)
Montana State
South Dakota State
Tarleton State
Youngstown State
Northern Arizona
Stephen F. Austin
South Dakota
Austin Peay
Montana
North Dakota
Tennessee Tech
Lamar
Monmouth
East Tennessee State
UAlbany
Campbell
Illinois State
Mercer
Weber State
Chattanooga
Harvard
Lehigh
Abilene Christian
Idaho State
Incarnate Word
A new No. 1 team, a shakeup across the Top 10 and enough social media debate to keep us entertained until next Saturday. Welcome to Week 10 of the FCS Nation Top 25. 😂
Montana State returns to the top of the rankings following a dominant 61-7 victory over Cal Poly, jumping one spot to No. 1. South Dakota State moves up to No. 2 after an impressive 31-21 win over in-state rival South Dakota, while previously top-ranked Tarleton State "slips" to No. 3 despite remaining undefeated. Youngstown State holds firm at No. 4, Northern Arizona climbs back into the Top 5 and Stephen F. Austin moves up to No. 6 after improving to 9-0.
But perhaps the biggest story surrounding this week's poll isn't who's moving up or down. It's the conversation about how teams are being evaluated in the first place. And judging by some of the responses to our latest rankings, we've got a few things to discuss.
Montana State makes its statement, while South Dakota State passes the eye test
Montana State didn't just beat Cal Poly on Saturday. The Bobcats put together the kind of performance that reminds everyone why they're considered a legitimate national championship contender. (won the whole damn thing last year)
The Bobcats scored 27 points in the first quarter, led 48-7 at halftime and finished with 518 yards of total offense in a 61-7 demolition of the Mustangs.
Quarterback Justin Lamson accounted for five first-half touchdowns, while Montana State's defense forced three turnovers and limited Cal Poly to just 258 total yards.
It was arguably the Bobcats' most complete performance of the season and, more importantly, looked like a return to the dominant team we saw during the opening stretch of the year, when they were fully healthy. That's why Montana State is back at No. 1.
South Dakota State, meanwhile, made an equally compelling argument for moving up. The Jackrabbits defeated rival South Dakota 31-21 in Brookings, controlling the game through three quarters and building a 28-0 lead before the Coyotes mounted a late comeback. Kevin Marshall witnessed the matchup firsthand from the sidelines, and the takeaway was clear: South Dakota State looked every bit like one of the best teams in the country.
The Jackrabbits just about beat the brakes off of the Coyotes and were in control for much of the afternoon against a legitimate Top 10 opponent that a lot of around the country fancy. And that matterssssss, because we listen to the great people of FCS Nation, unlike the majority.
When evaluating teams at this stage of the season, the eye test isn't some mysterious excuse to favor one program over another. It's part of evaluating what actually happens between the lines.
Who are you beating? How are you beating them? Are you controlling games against quality opponents, or are you consistently finding yourself in fourth-quarter battles against teams you should be handling? Those questions matter just as much as the number in the win column.
Tarleton State survives, but undefeated doesn't automatically mean No. 1
Let's get one thing straight: Tarleton State is a damn good football team. The Texans are 9-0, own an FBS victory and have already delivered one of the season's more impressive road wins against Austin Peay.
Nobody is dismissing that résumé, and it appears some are forgetting we were the first group of folks to give them the #1 team in the country stamp a few weeks ago.
But Saturday's 28-24 escape against Eastern Kentucky raised some legitimate questions.
Playing at home against a 3-6 Colonels team, Tarleton trailed with just over three minutes remaining and needed a touchdown with 1:54 left to avoid what would have been a devastating upset. Give the Texans credit for finding a way to win. Great teams do that.
But there's a difference between finding a way to win and looking like the best team in the country. While Montana State was dismantling Cal Poly and South Dakota State was handling a Top 10 rival, Tarleton was fighting for its undefeated season against an opponent with three wins entering the game.
That contrast is difficult to ignore, because it's not the first time we've seen this happen with them.
This isn't a punishment for winning. It's a reassessment of three excellent teams based on what they showed us this weekend and throughout the season. Tarleton remains firmly in the national championship conversation.
But being undefeated doesn't come with a lifetime lease on the No. 1 ranking.
Stephen F. Austin is undefeated. So why aren't the Lumberjacks higher?
Of all the arguments surrounding this week's poll, Stephen F. Austin fans might have the most interesting case.
The Lumberjacks are 9-0, coming off a 37-6 victory over Houston Christian and have yet to lose a game this season. Their defense was particularly impressive Saturday, recording eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss while holding the Huskies to six points.
SFA also owns victories over Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word and Southeastern Louisiana, and has handled the majority of its schedule convincingly.
So why No. 6? Because an undefeated record is one piece of the evaluation, not the entire evaluation.
SFA deserves tremendous credit for taking care of business. Winning nine straight games isn't easy, regardless of the conference.
But when comparing the Lumberjacks with teams like Montana State, South Dakota State and Youngstown State, we also have to consider the quality of competition and what those teams have demonstrated against nationally competitive opponents.
South Dakota State, for example, owns victories over Youngstown State, Illinois State and South Dakota. Those are meaningful results against teams that have demonstrated their ability to compete in one of the toughest conference schedules in the subdivision.
SFA's undefeated season absolutely deserves respect. But it doesn't automatically settle every head-to-head comparison with teams that have faced a more demanding schedule.
And here's the fun part: the Lumberjacks will have every opportunity to prove us wrong. Even though it's kind of tough to even say "prove us wrong", because if you were to ask myself and Kevin who we would want to walk away with the Trophy in Nashville, it's one of those squads from the great state of Texas. Anything to prevent those people from the north coast from wearing the crown ... AGAIN.
If Stephen F. Austin runs the table and makes a deep playoff run, we'll be among the first to give them their flowers. Until then, there's room to recognize an outstanding undefeated team while still believing several others have demonstrated a higher CEILING.
Tennessee Tech, North Dakota and the argument over quality losses
Now for the conversation that really got people going.
Tennessee Tech climbs two spots to No. 11 this week, yet some Golden Eagles fans aren't satisfied. Their argument centers on why teams with more losses, particularly those from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, continue to sit ahead of them.
It's a fair question to ask.
But the answer requires looking beyond the records. Take North Dakota, which falls to No. 10 following a heartbreaking 31-28 loss to Youngstown State. The Fighting Hawks led the fourth-ranked Penguins 21-7 at halftime and 28-14 late in the third quarter before Youngstown State rallied for 17 unanswered points. North Dakota lost. That matters.
But so does the fact that the Fighting Hawks went on the road and pushed one of the nation's best teams to the final minutes.
North Dakota also owns a 21-10 victory over South Dakota State, the same Jackrabbits team sitting at No. 2 in this week's rankings. That's not a hypothetical argument about conference reputation. That's an actual result on the field.
Tennessee Tech and Bobby Wilder, meanwhile, have put together an impressive season and deserves recognition for its climb up the rankings. But the Golden Eagles also suffered a 24-point defeat against Western Carolina earlier this season. That loss remains part of the résumé, just as North Dakota's losses remain part of theirs.
And when comparing those defeats, opponent quality and margin of defeat matter.
There's a reason strength of schedule is part of virtually every serious discussion about postseason football. A close loss against a nationally competitive opponent isn't necessarily equivalent to a decisive loss against a weaker one.
That doesn't mean losses suddenly become victories because they happened in the Missouri Valley. It means we evaluate the entire performance.
Otherwise, why bother examining schedules at all? We could simply sort everyone by winning percentage, hit publish and call it a day. But that's not how a Top 25 should work, and we've had that problem in the FCS for going on what seems to be like a decade now.
Tennessee Tech has earned its place among the nation's best teams, and the Golden Eagles continue to move in the right direction. But moving higher requires more than pointing to the number of losses belonging to the teams above them.
It requires comparing the complete body of work.
Conference reputation or actual strength of schedule? There's a difference.
Another recurring criticism is that FCS Nation gives too much credit to the Missouri Valley and Big Sky simply because those conferences have historically produced national championship contenders.
Let's address that. The Missouri Valley and Big Sky don't deserve automatic preference because of what happened five years ago. Nobody gets bonus points for trophies sitting in somebody else's facility.
And with conference realignment, the transfer portal and NIL continuing to reshape college football, relying exclusively on historical reputation would be a mistake. But dismissing the strength of those conferences simply because they've been strong in the past would be equally misguided.
The evaluation has to be based on this season.
Look at the games. Look at the opponents. Look at the head-to-head results, scoring margins and the level of competition teams are facing week after week. Also, look at the teams with your eye balls. 😂😂😂
North Dakota beating South Dakota State is relevant. South Dakota State beating Youngstown State and South Dakota is relevant. Youngstown State rallying to beat North Dakota is relevant. Those results help establish how competitive these teams are against one another.
And that's why the Missouri Valley continues to command respect.
Not because of the conference patch on the uniform, but because of what its teams are demonstrating on the field. The same standard applies to the Big Sky, the SoCon, the Southland, the UAC and every other conference in the FCS.
If a team from outside the traditional power conferences demonstrates that it belongs among the nation's elite, it deserves to be ranked accordingly. And if a traditional powerhouse isn't playing like one, its reputation shouldn't save it.
Who you play matters. How you look doing it matters. And the complete résumé matters.
That philosophy isn't changing because somebody who graduated from said school doesn't like where their team landed.
Monmouth rises, Campbell falls and three newcomers join the Top 25
Beyond the debate at the top, there's plenty of movement throughout the rest of the rankings. Monmouth makes one of the week's biggest jumps, climbing five spots from No. 18 to No. 13. The Hawks continue to establish themselves as a serious factor in the CAA race. UAlbany also makes a significant move, jumping seven spots from No. 22 to No. 15, while Campbell slides six positions to No. 16 after previously occupying the No. 10 spot.
Tennessee Tech climbs to No. 11, Lamar moves up to No. 12 and Chattanooga improves to No. 20. Further down, Harvard falls five spots to No. 21, while Lehigh rebounds three positions to No. 22.
Three programs also join this week's rankings: Abilene Christian at No. 23, Idaho State at No. 24 and Incarnate Word at No. 25.
Their arrival pushes Richmond, UC Davis and Southeastern Louisiana outside the Top 25.
With November underway, every game carries greater significance. Conference championship races are tightening, playoff résumés are taking shape and teams that once appeared comfortably ranked are finding out just how quickly things can change.
The rankings will change. The standard won't.
Here's the reality of ranking 25 teams from across the FCS: there isn't a perfect formula.
There are more than 100 programs competing across different conferences, playing vastly different schedules, and rarely giving us the head-to-head matchups we'd love to see.
That's what makes the debate interesting. We don't expect every fan to agree with every ranking. Frankly, if everybody agreed, we'd probably have a much less entertaining Monday morning.
But disagreement doesn't mean there's no logic behind the decisions. Montana State earned its return to No. 1 with a dominant performance. South Dakota State strengthened its résumé against a quality opponent.
Tarleton State remains undefeated but showed vulnerability. Stephen F. Austin continues to win, and Tennessee Tech continues to climb.
All of those things can be true at the same time. As we move closer to the FCS Playoffs, the remaining games will give us more answers. Some teams will validate their rankings, others will fall, and a few will undoubtedly make us reconsider everything we thought we knew.
That's the beauty of November football baby.
And to everyone who has been passionately defending their team in our replies, keep it coming. We love the conversation. Just remember, the rankings aren't decided by who has the loudest fan base on social media.
If they were, we'd have a very different Top 25. See you in the postseason, we'll be there, probably standing on the sidelines.
Follow us: @FCSNationRadio1
Comments