| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior |
| 1 |  | Sam Houston State | The Bearkats (0-1) were idle this week. They meet Lamar, which gave Baylor a competitive game, next weekend. | 1 |
| 2 |  | Jacksonville State | The way Jax State (1-1) has played this season, it could be argued they should be #1. Auburn wouldn't argue. | 3 |
| 3 |  | Illinois State | Illinois State (1-1) looks more like themselves with an easy victory over the MEAC's Morgan State. | 2 |
| 4 |  | North Dakota State | The Bison (1-1) rebound with a solid 41-14 triumph over Weber State. Rival North Dakota visits next weekend. | 4 |
| 5 |  | Coastal Carolina | The Chanticleers (2-0) rev up the offense against in-state foe South Carolina State. Western Illinois visits next. | 6 |
| 6 |  | James Madison | JMU (2-0) rolls past Lehigh, 55-17, as Vad Lee throws for 334 yards. They open CAA play at home next week vs Albany. | 7 |
| 7 |  | Northern Iowa | The Panthers win a huge battle of FCS powers with a 38-35 triumph over EWU. Next up, a visit to Cal Poly. | 17 |
| 8 |  | Eastern Washington | The Eagles are the best 0-2 team in FCS. They had 526 passing yards against UNI and still loss. But 159 yards in penalties really hurt. | 5 |
| 9 |  | Villanova | The Wildcats (1-1) beat Fordham, 14-7, in the rain as Villanova's Javon White exploded for a career-high 143 rushing yards. | 10 |
| 10 |  | Montana State | Montana State (1-0) were idle but play EWU next weekend in what will be considered to be a non-league contest. | 8 |
| 11 |  | Chattanooga | The Mocs (1-1) can't shake Division II Mars Hill, winning 44-34. Maybe they were thinking about next week's showdown at Samford. | 9 |
| 12 |  | South Dakota State | The Jackrabbits (2-0) have an easy time with SUU, winning 55-14. They are idle next week before hosting Robert Morris. | 11 |
| 13 |  | Youngstown State | Last week, the Penguins (1-1) nearly upset a team from Pitt, this week they nearly lost to one, surviving RMU, 21-14. | 12 |
| 14 |  | Fordham | Fordham (1-1) has had a tough opening stretch, facing Army and Villanova. A trip to Columbia is next up. | 13 |
| 15 |  | Cal Poly | The schedule is tough: Arizona State on Saturda night, and then Northern Iowa and Montana State. | 14 |
| 16 |  | Montana | The Grizzlies (1-1) were idle this weekend. An interesting matchup awaits next weekend when Montana visits Liberty. | 15 |
| 17 |  | Portland State | The Vikings (2-0) top Idaho State, 34-14, as Portland State's defense held Idaho State to just 242 yards offense. | 18 |
| 18 |  | Samford | The Bulldogs (2-0) wallop FAMU 58-21. The SoCon title will likely be on the line next week against Chattanooga. | 19 |
| 19 |  | North Dakota | North Dakota (2-0) holds on against Drake, 21-18, after blowing a 21-0 lead. It meets NDSU for 1st time since 2003. | 16 |
| 20 |  | Eastern Kentucky | EKU (1-1) have a difficult time against N.C. State, losing 35-0. They are idle next weekend. | 21 |
| 21 |  | William & Mary | The Tribe (1-0) were idle. They get a stern test next weekend at Virginia, which lost a heartbreaker this weekend to UND. | 20 |
| 22 |  | New Hampshire | The Wildcats (1-1) bounce back with a solid win against Colgate, 26-8. A tough contest awaits at Stony Brook. | 25 |
| 23 |  | Liberty | The Flames (1-1) were no match for West Virginia. Next week is a key contest against visiting Montana. | 23 |
| 24 |  | Southeastern Louisiana | SE Louisiana (2-0) takes care of business against Florida Tech. Next week it heads to Ohio U against the FBS Bobcats. | 24 |
| 25 |  | Indiana State | The Sycamores (1-1) have no answers for Purdue, losing 38-14. Southeast Missouri State visit this week. | 22 |
