| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | North Dakota State | NDSU (1-0) had no trouble with Butler, as expected. A visit from North Dakota should be a lot tougher - on paper anyhow. | 1 |
| 2 |  | James Madison | JMU (0-1) played tough but fell short against West Virginia. Next week they should host a gimme game with St. Francis. | 2 |
| 3 |  | Eastern Washington | The Eagles (0-1) were eaten alive by the Huskies. Expect a return favor to lower class Lindenwood next weekend. | 3 |
| 4 |  | Weber State | Wildcats (0-1) lost a defensive battle to San Diego State, 6-0. Offense needs to get going vs. Cal Poly in "non-conference" action. | 5 |
| 5 |  | UC Davis | UC-D (0-1) jumped out on California 10-0 in the 1st quarter, but lost steam after that. A roadie to San Diego comes next. | 6 |
| 6 |  | South Dakota State | SDSU (0-1) gave Minnesota a real fight. Next week they will host Long Island, in that school's first game at the FCS level. | 8 |
| 7 |  | Towson | Towson (1-0) never trailed The Citadel, but withstood the relentless ground attack, 28-21. Host NC Central next week. | 14 |
| 8 |  | Nicholls | Nicholls (0-1) was beaten badly by Kansas State. They get a week to lick the wounds before playing Prairie View A&M. | 9 |
| 9 |  | Illinois State | ISUred (0-1) fought the good fight with Northern Illinois. There figures to be an easier time with Morehead State next week. | 11 |
| 10 |  | Montana | The Grizz (1-0) chewed up the Coyotes on the road. A very strong win to start the year. A home game with North Alabama next. | 12 |
| 11 |  | Indiana State | ISUblue (0-1) dropped their upset bid to Kansas. They will host Dayton in the Flyers season opener next. | 13 |
| 12 |  | Sam Houston State | SHSU (0-1) fell early to New Mexico and couldn't quite reel them back in. Sub-Division I Panhandle State should pose no issues. | 15 |
| 13 |  | Chattanooga | Mocs (1-0) socks EIU in their jocks, I know, bad poetry. Still a solid, controlled win. Travel to nearby Jacksonville State next. | 16 |
| 14 |  | Maine | Maine (1-0) unleashed an air raid on Sacred Heart, 42-14. Travel to FBS Georgia Southern next week. | 17 |
| 15 |  | Furman | Furman (1-0) jumped all over Charleston Southern and didn't let up. An effort like that might get them an upet win at Georgia State. | 19 |
| 16 |  | SE Missouri State | SEMO (1-0) wins "The Wheel" against SIU. Early season monster road game to Montana State next week. | 21 |
| 17 |  | Central Arkansas | 40 FCS/FBS games this weekend. UCA was the only one to pull the upset. Keep that momentum going at Austin Peay? | NR |
| 18 |  | Montana State | MSU (0-1) did not fair well at Texas Tech, but that was a bit expected. They need to reload quick because SEMO's coming to town. | 18 |
| 19 |  | North Carolina A&T | A&T (1-0) beat Elo. Is it really an upset? Would beating Duke be an upset? Aggies have beaten FBS teams three years in a row. | NR |
| 20 |  | Southeastern Louisiana | SELa (1-0) scored the biggest upset between FCS teams, crushing Jax State. Road game to Bethune-Cookman next. | NR |
| 21 |  | Elon | Elon (0-1) fell into the annual NC A&T trap. This should still be a good team. They host an equally disappointed Citadel next. | 10 |
| 22 |  | Jacksonville State | JSU (0-1) had huge numbers vs. SELa and little result. It gets no easier with Chattanooga visiting next weekend. | 4 |
| 23 |  | Lamar | Lamar (1-0) beat lower class Bethal, TN like a drum on opening night. The coming game vs. MVSU looks to be another drum solo. | 22 |
| 24 |  | Northern Iowa | UNI (0-1) took nationally ranked Iowa State to triple overtime. They get a "dome" game next week with Southern Utah. | 23 |
| 25 |  | Kennesaw State | Owls (1-0) destroyed lower class Point, 59-0. Does that prepare them for FBS Kent State? We'll see. | 24 |
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