| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior |
| 1 |  | North Dakota State | The Bison (3-0) took this week off. Time to settle the score in MVFC play, the last two co-champions hook-up when Illinois State visits. | 1 |
| 2 |  | Jacksonville State | The Gamecocks (3-1) had extinguished Liberty's flame this week, and did it easily. That deserves a week off to rest and get ready for OVC play. | 2 |
| 3 |  | Sam Houston State | SHSU (3-0) whipped Houston Baptist. A potential sneaky game at Stephen F. Austin next week, but they'll still be a heavy favorite. | 3 |
| 4 |  | Chattanooga | The Mocs (4-0) won pretty easily over a good Samford team. A roadie at ETSU comes next. | 4 |
| 5 |  | Eastern Washington | EWU (3-1) scored 50 in their advertised shootout over NAU. They welcome UC-Davis to "The Inferno" next week. | 6 |
| 6 |  | Richmond | The Spiders (3-1) rebounded nicely with a victory over a very solid Colgate squad. They host Towson next week in a CAA battle. | 7 |
| 7 |  | Western Illinois | WIU (3-0) has now trumpted to the rest of FCS, having beaten Northern Illinois. They go to South Dakota State to open their MVFC schedule. | 9 |
| 8 |  | Citadel | The Bulldogs (3-0) rested this weekend. A road trip into Appalachia is up next week at Western Carolina. | 8 |
| 9 |  | Montana | The Griz (2-1) had two weeks to prepare for their trip to Cal Poly and still lost. They'll try to get back on track with Southern Utah visiting next. | 5 |
| 10 |  | Coastal Carolina | Coastal (3-1) continues to beat down winless teams. Next week they face their second true challenge when hosting Charleston Southern. | 11 |
| 11 |  | James Madison | The Dukes (3-1) win at Maine. It was tough, as they were losing going into the 4th quarter, though. Delaware comes calling next week. | 14 |
| 12 |  | Eastern Illinois | EIU (3-1) took Austin Peay to the woodshed. They cross the Mississippi next week to play Southeast Missouri State. | 15 |
| 13 |  | Northern Iowa | Northern Iowa (1-2) enjoyed a week off. The Panthers begin conference play at home against Southern Illinois. | 13 |
| 14 |  | South Dakota State | The Jackrabbits (1-2) reste this week in preperation for Western Illinois. This game is more important for them than the Leathernecks. | 16 |
| 15 |  | Charleston Southern | CSU (2-2) opened their Big South title defense with a win at Monmouth. Next, they travelt to former Big South member, Coastal Carolina. | 17 |
| 16 |  | Wofford | The Terriers (3-1) woofed down ETSU like doggie treats, 31-0. A road game for what looks like the third spot in the SoCon at Samford is next. | 18 |
| 17 |  | Albany | The Great Danes (4-0) disposed of St. Francis. But much like JMU, it was a struggle. But they get next week off to get ready for Richmond. | 19 |
| 18 |  | Illinois State | The Redbirds (2-2) lose their conference opener to Indiana State. No big deal, they only travel to NDSU this week...ouch! | 10 |
| 19 |  | Youngstown State | YSU (2-1) took a break from their de facto NEC schedule this week to get ready for MVFC play at home against South Dakota. | 21 |
| 20 |  | McNeese State | The Cowboys (2-2) won at Incarnate Word and host a Nicholls State team that's lost two FBS games by a total of three points. Upset alert? | 22 |
| 21 |  | Samford | Samford (2-1) lost to Chattanogga...no shame there. A very important home game with Wofford is next. | 20 |
| 22 |  | Central Arkansas | UCA (3-1) is 2-0 in Southland action and they just added a win over Arkansas State. A road game at Abilene Christian awaits before a bye. | NR |
| 23 |  | New Hampshire | UNH (2-2) crushed Rhode Island, which was not a shocker. There are huge playoff implications next week when they host William & Mary. | 23 |
| 24 |  | Cal Poly | The Mustangs (3-1) have three straight wins against potential playoff teams. If they can win at North Dakota this week, they're set-up nicely. | NR |
| 25 |  | William & Mary | The Tribe (2-2) lose a home game to Elon. That looks bad. W&M has only won two games against MEAC schools. They might be in trouble. | 12 |
