| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior |
| 1 |  | Jacksonville State | In a season of craziness, the Gamecocks (8-1) have been the one constant, beating Eastern Illinois 24-3. | 1 |
| 2 |  | Coastal Carolina | The Chanticleers (8-1) rebound after last week's loss to blank GWU for its 1st shutout since the Big South formed in 2003. | 6 |
| 3 |  | Illinois State | The Redbirds (7-2) fall to South Dakota State, 25-20. They visit Southern Illinois next weekend. | 2 |
| 4 |  | North Dakota State | The Bison (7-2) take care of business against WIU. A top eight playoff seed is a definite for the four-time champs. | 8 |
| 5 |  | McNeese State | The Cowboys (9-0) register an impressive 27-10 victory over SHSU and win the league title for first time since 2009. | 13 |
| 6 |  | William & Mary | The Tribe (7-2) wallop Elon, and with several losses among top 10 schools, W&M moves up. We'll see if it lasts. | 11 |
| 7 |  | South Dakota State | The Jackrabbits (7-2) likely punched their playoff ticket with a big win over Illinois State. A top eight seed? Maybe. | 14 |
| 8 |  | Chattanooga | They shouldn't be losing to Mercer, but the Mocs (7-2) still figure to make a long playoff run this season. | 4 |
| 9 |  | Sam Houston State | Not sure where to put the Bearkats (6-3), but with so many other losses among top teams this week, we'll keep them fairly high. | 7 |
| 10 |  | Richmond | No disgrace losing at New Hampshire, but the Spiders (7-2) have their work cut out now with Villanova and W&M remaining. | 5 |
| 11 |  | Harvard | Harvard (8-0) runs its win streak to 22 straight with a less than impressive outing against Columbia. | 10 |
| 12 |  | James Madison | The Dukes (7-2) needed a bye week. JMU visits Delaware this week then finishes at home against Villanova. | 12 |
| 13 |  | Eastern Washington | The Eagles (6-3) get thumped by conference rival Northern Arizona. Tough games remain against Montana and PSU. | 3 |
| 14 |  | Charleston Southern | Charleston Southern (8-1) top Kennesaw State, 28-14, to win the Big South's automatic playoff spot. | 16 |
| 15 |  | Northern Iowa | The Panthers (5-4) can smell the playoffs with their third straight win, 59-13 over Indiana State. | 18 |
| 16 |  | Portland State | A last-second loss to Northern Colorado really hurts Portland State (7-2). Southern Utah and EWU remain. | 9 |
| 17 |  | Montana | The Grizzlies (5-4) beat Idaho State, 33-27, to keep their playoff hopes alive but they must win out to have a chance. | 17 |
| 18 |  | Fordham | The Rams (8-2) knock off rival Bucknell, 24-16, but they might have to settle for an at-large playoff berth. | 19 |
| 19 |  | North Carolina A&T | The Aggies (8-1) are putting together another solid season and get a big 9-6 win ove rival South Carolina State. | 20 |
| 20 |  | Youngstown State | The Penguins (5-4) wallop Missouri State, 47-7, but their playoff game is next week against NDSU. It's a must win. | 21 |
| 21 |  | Southern Utah | Southern Utah (7-2) tops Montana State and right now has the inside track to the league's automatic bid with a 6-0 mark. | 23 |
| 22 |  | Northern Arizona | Northern Arizona (6-3) beats Eastern Washington. It has now scored 167 points in its last three games. | NR |
| 23 |  | Liberty | The Flames (5-4) beat Presbyterian, but now comes the hard part: Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina back to back. | 24 |
| 24 |  | Citadel | The Citadel (7-2) is in the playoff picture after beating VMI, 35-14, but UTCand South Carolina loom in the next two weeks. | 25 |
| 25 |  | UT-Martin | Have to give Tennessee-Martin (6-3) some props for a big win over Eastern Kentucky. | NR |
