| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | Weber State | WSU (2-0) had the week off. Now the final grind of four games, starting with a home game vs. Northern Arizona. | 1 |
| 2 |  | Sam Houston State | SHSU (3-0) jumped Lamar like a trampoline and never stopped. They get this week off before their last three games. | 5 |
| 3 |  | James Madison | JMU (3-0) had another game postponed or canceled. Can they get this road game in at William & Mary? | 3 |
| 4 |  | North Dakota State | NDSU (5-1) answered the question that was UND and passed with flying colors. Now they travel down to South Dakota. | 8 |
| 5 |  | Jacksonville State | JSU (7-1) was very convincing against SEMO. The JSU defense is really stepping up. Play their final home game vs. APSU next. | 6 |
| 6 |  | Delaware | UD (2-0) likely had their game with UNH canceled last week. Now they'll try to play at undefeated Rhode Island. | 7 |
| 7 |  | North Dakota | UND (4-1) was never really in the game at NDSU. Still, their resume is impressive. Now they'll go to Youngstown State. | 2 |
| 8 |  | South Dakota State | SDSU (4-1) looked sketchy vs. Youngstown State. Against Southern Illinois? National title contender. Home with Illinois State next. | 9 |
| 9 |  | Kennesaw State | KSU (3-0) continued winning on the 2021 cupcake tour, beating Dixie State. Finally go on the road, to 2-0 Gardner-Webb. | 10 |
| 10 |  | Chattanooga | UTC (3-1) won a 20-18 squeaker at Furman to stay undefeated in SoCon play. They get Mercer at home this week. | 13 |
| 11 |  | Incarnate Word | UIW (3-0) wins a home shootout over Southeastern Louisiana. Potential playoff decider at Nicholls next week. | 14 |
| 12 |  | Virginia Military | VMI (4-0) won another big game at Samford, to stay undefeated. Travel to preseason SoCon favorite, Wofford, next. | 16 |
| 13 |  | Murray State | MSU (4-0) beat Tennessee State to continue their perfect season. Hosting Eastern Illinois next week. | 17 |
| 14 |  | Eastern Washington | EWU (2-1) also had this weekend off. Now a home date with a Cal Poly team reeling from a monster beat down. | 12 |
| 15 |  | Southern Illinois | SIU (4-2) was suffocated by SDSU. Still a quality team, but they need a big rebound at Missouri State. | 4 |
| 16 |  | UC Davis | UC-D (2-1) showed they're the real deal, completely destroying Cal Poly. Now another home date, here comes Idaho State. | 21 |
| 17 |  | Maine | UM (2-1) did a pretty good number on Stony Brook. Now they get their scheduled bye week in the CAA season. | 23 |
| 18 |  | Southeastern Louisiana | SLU (2-2) lost their shootout with Incarnate Word. They get this week off before their final two games of the season. | 11 |
| 19 |  | Furman | FU (3-2) loses only one spot after barely losing to Chattanooga. Losing to UTC and VMI, they have to win out now. Off this week. | 18 |
| 20 |  | Villanova | 'Nova (1-1) had the week off, now they're supposed to go to New Hampshire. Hopefully COVID relaxes a little and they can play it. | 19 |
| 21 |  | Rhode Island | URI (2-0) won a second straight road game, this time in Albany. Now they come home for a huge match-up with Delaware. | NR |
| 22 |  | Nicholls | NSU (3-1) licked their wounds from their SHSU loss. They host Incarnate Word next with major playoff implications. | 22 |
| 23 |  | Richmond | UR (2-0) had their game at James Madison scratched. So they'll try to get another game at Elon, who they played two weeks ago. | NR |
| 24 |  | Samford | SU (2-3) lost a nailbiter to VMI. Playoffs by winning out? Unlikely. But travel to The Citadel next to push their agenda. | 20 |
| 25 |  | Northern Iowa | UNI (2-3) lost to Missouri State. The defense is top notch, but the offense is terrible. Can they rebound at Western Illinois? | 15 |
