| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | North Dakota State | NDSU (6-0) put any thoughts of road wearies to bed by halftime at WIU. Now they come home again and take on Illinois State. | 1 |
| 2 |  | Kennesaw State | KSU (6-1) continues churning out wins against the Big South, smooth as butter. Next week they have an extra creamy bye. | 4 |
| 3 |  | James Madison | JMU (5-2) took no time getting back on track, thumping 'Nova, 37-0. They'll get this week off before a big game with Stony Brook. | 5 |
| 4 |  | South Dakota State | SDSU (4-1) was stressed by Indiana State two weeks ago, but crushed Youngstown State this week. Roadie at UNI will be interesting. | 6 |
| 5 |  | Jacksonville State | JSU (5-1) goes to SEMO and Murray State the next two weeks. These are the games separating the 'Cocks from another OVC title. | 9 |
| 6 |  | Illinois State | ISU (5-1) hit the gas early and often against Southern Illinois, scorching them 51-3. Proving ground game at NDSU next week. | 10 |
| 7 |  | UC Davis | If some didn't notice, UCD (5-1) is good. The schedule has been soft though. Idaho State was a good test. Cal Poly probably won't be. | 11 |
| 8 |  | McNeese State | McNeese (5-1) had the week off to ponder their close victories lately. They need a strong showing at home against Incarnate Word. | 8 |
| 9 |  | Eastern Washington | EWU (5-2) is missing their quarterback. Still, Weber State is double tough defensively. The coming bye week is perfectly timed. | 2 |
| 10 |  | Elon | Elon (4-2) might have used all their magic at JMU. Delaware came back late and grounded the Phoenix. Home vs. Richmond next. | 3 |
| 11 |  | Colgate | Colgate's (6-0) defense is stout, giving up 23 points in six games! Their schedule is a strong as generic toilet paper though. Bye next. | 12 |
| 12 |  | Weber State | WSU (4-2) knocked EWU from Big Sky unbeatens. These next two games just might decide the Wildcats playoff fate. More below. | 16 |
| 13 |  | Maine | Just when Maine (4-2) looked headed the wrong direction, they've come back and won at URI. Shouldn't need late heorics with W&M. | 17 |
| 14 |  | Sam Houston State | SHSU (4-2) lost badly to Northwestern State in the 2nd quarter. They won the rest of the game though. They travel to Lamar next. | 15 |
| 15 |  | Towson | Tigers (5-1) roared back in the second half to beat W&M. A game at Albany figures to be winnable also. | 19 |
| 16 |  | Stony Brook | SB (5-2) ended UNH's playoff run this week. Another playoff level game comes next week at home vs. Little Rhodie. | 20 |
| 17 |  | Montana State | MSU (4-2) snuck by Idaho because of a missed PAT. The coming road trip to Weber State might be a playoff decider later on. | 22 |
| 18 |  | Wofford | Wofford (4-2) come out flat and lost to rival Furman. They can still win the SoCon, but the National Seed chance is probably gone. | 7 |
| 19 |  | North Dakota | One may not have noticed UND's (4-2) tough schedule so far. Wins over SHSU and Montana look great. Go to Sac State now. | NR |
| 20 |  | Nicholls | Nicholls (4-3) lost to Abilene Christian, which is shocking. It's a very bad look going into their bye. | 13 |
| 21 |  | East Tennessee State | ETSU (6-1) is the lone undefeated team left in the SoCon. An upset win at Wofford next week puts them in line for an automatic bid. | 25 |
| 22 |  | Princeton | Tigers are 5-0 and again we ask, why doesn't the Ivies allow their teams in the playoffs? Would be fun to see top notch cross-over games. | 23 |
| 23 |  | Rhode Island | URI (4-2) lost on a last second field goal to Maine. The heat turns up now, traveling to Stony Brook. | 14 |
| 24 |  | Delaware | The Hens (4-2) brought Elon back to Earth after their huge upset last week. Can they avoid the same from New Hampshire? | NR |
| 25 |  | Northern Iowa | UNI (3-3) looked pretty good at South Dakota. Now can they keep it going at home against the other South Dakota? State, that is. | NR |
