MISSOULA — Montana slid four spots to No. 8 and Montana State held steady at No. 3 in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, which was released Monday.
The Grizzlies, who were third in the preseason and fourth after Week 1, lost to then-No. 23 North Dakota 27-24 on Saturday. The Fighting Hawks vaulted up the rankings to No. 10 after the win.
Two-time reigning national champion South Dakota State maintained its place atop the rankings and received 44 of 56 first-place votes. The Jackrabbits got a 45-24 win over then-No. 12 Incarnate Word last week.
No. 2 North Dakota State and No. 3 Montana State each garnered six first-place votes. NDSU rolled to a 52-3 win over Tennessee State last week, while MSU cruised by Maine 41-24 to improve to 3-0. The Bobcats are the only 3-0 team in the rankings and one of just three undefeated teams in the poll. Fifth-ranked Villanova and No. 23 Mercer are both 2-0.
Big Sky Conference member Idaho climbed to No. 4 in the rankings after its 17-13 win at Wyoming last week.
The complete top 10: South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Montana State, Idaho, Villanova, South Dakota, Central Arkansas, Montana, Southern Illinois and North Dakota.
Sacramento State, which slipped from eighth to 11th this week; UC Davis, up to No. 15 from No. 18; and Weber State, which climbed to No. 20 from No. 24, are also ranked from the Big Sky. Weber State is 1-0 in league play after defeating Portland State 43-16 in a rare early-season conference matchup last week.
