| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | James Madison | JMU (8-0) put New Hampshire behind them. At Rhode Island next, but wonder - will it all come down to them and Elon? | 1 |
| 2 |  | North Dakota State | NDSU (8-0) had a fight early, then cruised to a win over UNI. Border war game at SDSU next week. | 2 |
| 3 |  | Jacksonville State | JSU (7-1) beat Southeast Missouri State easily. A home date with Murray State is next. They could get the OVC auto also. | 3 |
| 4 |  | Central Arkansas | UCA (7-1) absolutely crushed McNeese. Looks like cruise control right now. Roadie at Lamar should produce roadkill. | 4 |
| 5 |  | South Dakota | Coyotes (7-1) follow the Illinois State loss with a Southern Illinois destruction. Travel to Northern Iowa next week. | 5 |
| 6 |  | Sam Houston State | SHSU (7-1) struggled but put SE Louisiana away late. They get Incarnate Word at home next weekend. | 6 |
| 7 |  | Wofford | Wofford (7-1) rebounded by beating ETSU, though it was close. They host Chattanooga, who upset the team Wofford lost to. | 7 |
| 8 |  | Elon | Elon (7-1) put a very hurtful loss on Villanova. No longer a Cinderella, the Phoenix are real. They host Towson next. | 8 |
| 9 |  | South Dakota State | SDSU (6-2) exploded at WIU. Still have three brutal games left, including their annual game against NDSU. | 9 |
| 10 |  | Monmouth | Monmouth (7-1) held on to skirt by Charleston Southern. The next two look very winnable. They're in great shape overall. | 10 |
| 11 |  | Stony Brook | SB (6-2) also landed a fourth loss on Richmond, hurting their playoff hopes. For themselves, they get Albany next. | 11 |
| 12 |  | Southern Utah | SUU (6-2) continues the hot streak, winning at NoCo. A win at home against North Dakota might get them in the Top 10. | 20 |
| 13 |  | Weber State | WSU (6-2) answered the challenge of the Big Sky's heirarchy, Montana. Onto the other, at Eastern Washington. | 15 |
| 14 |  | Illinois State | Redbirds (6-2) destroyed Youngstown State and their playoff hopes. ISU needs one more win. Can they handle WIU at home? | 23 |
| 15 |  | Kennesaw State | Owls (7-1) have played a fairly soft schedule. These next three games will tell their story. A non-con at Montana State is first. | 18 |
| 16 |  | Northern Arizona | NAU (6-2) won a sixth in a row over Sac State. A travel date with Montana figures to be very difficult. | NR |
| 17 |  | New Hampshire | UNH (5-3) held the champs to 21. But the champs shut them out. Wildcats need to win at William & Mary. | 12 |
| 18 |  | Western Illinois | WIU (5-3) took a beating from SDSU. Playoffs are still reachable, but a win at Illinois State would guarantee it. | 13 |
| 19 |  | North Carolina A&T | NC A&T (8-0) had the week off. Next they go to Norfolk State, who just lost to a winless opponent. | 19 |
| 20 |  | Eastern Washington | EWU (5-3) took the week of after the loss to SUU. Now they get to host Utah's other stud program, Weber State. | 21 |
| 21 |  | Furman | Furman (6-3) will take this week off after beating Western Carolina, their sixth consecutive win. | NR |
| 22 |  | Samford | Samford (5-3) lose all momentum from beating Wofford by losing to Chattanooga. Can they get back on track at Mercer? | 14 |
| 23 |  | Nicholls | Nicholls (6-2) held off a late charge by Incarnate Word to win. They host Houston Baptist next. | NR |
| 24 |  | McNeese | McNeese (6-2) took a whoopin' from UCA. Next, they host SE Louisiana, eliminating the loser from playoff contention. | 16 |
| 25 |  | Western Carolina | Western Carolina (6-3) lost to Furman. A tough road game at The Citadel awaits. | 17 |
Week 9 FCS Football Power Rankings
