| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | North Dakota State | Bison were nearly perfect, beating Indiana State 44-2. They travel for the Dakota Marker next week, at South Dakota State. | 1 |
| 2 |  | Sam Houston | Bearkats took control of Tarleton State in the middle of their game, let off the gas, made it a little closer. Come home to play Dixie State next. | 2 |
| 3 |  | James Madison | Dukes turned back Elon, stunting their playoffs hopes. Now a late non-conference game at home with Campbell. | 6 |
| 4 |  | Eastern Washington | Eagles had the week off to think about their Weber State loss. A good time for extra prep; Montana State visits next week. | 5 |
| 5 |  | Montana State | Bobcats had the week off. Their Weber State road win is looking better. A win at Eastern Washington would be even bigger. | 8 |
| 6 |  | Southeastern Louisiana | Lions needed defense to actually beat McNeese. A win at Incarnate Word should clinch the Southland's automatic playoff berth. | 7 |
| 7 |  | UC Davis | Aggies had the week off. Next, they travel to a upset-hungry Northern Arizona, who's trying to play back into the playoff picture. | 9 |
| 8 |  | Southern Illinois | Salukis lost a tough road game at Northern Iowa. Expect a motivated effort next week when hosting Missouri State. | 3 |
| 9 |  | South Dakota State | Jackrabbits got back on track at Youngstown State. They better be even better when North Dakota State visits next week. | 10 |
| 10 |  | Northern Iowa | Panthers take down a second straight top 6 team, Southern Illinois. Now they leave home to play Illinois State. | 17 |
| 11 |  | Villanova | Wildcats had been rolling, W&M just didn't care. They'll now travel to Elon. The Phoenix will be fighting for their playoff lives. Upset alert? | 4 |
| 12 |  | Sacramento State | Hornets beat Northern Colorado, 27-17. A very workmanlike effort. Two home games coming up. First of those will be against Cal Poly. | 12 |
| 13 |  | Kennesaw State | Owls have won six in a row, beating Grdner-Webb this week. They'll go to Robert Morris next week. | 16 |
| 14 |  | Tennessee-Martin | Skyhawks had trouble with APSU, but just keep on winning. A home win against Tennessee State would likely gain a share of OVC title. | 11 |
| 15 |  | East Tennessee State | Bucs had the week off. And a good time to have it. Next week they host Virginia Military, which will be important in the SoCon standings. | 14 |
| 16 |  | William & Mary | Tribe have been underrated most of the year, probably shouldn't have been. Huge win at 'Nova. Can they follow-up at Delaware? | 25 |
| 17 |  | Princeton | Tigers won at Cornell, business as usual. Road game at Dartmouth could snag them the Ivy Championship. Still no playoffs. :-( | 20 |
| 18 |  | Montana | Griz continue to struggle since the Sac State loss. Had to come from behind, at home, to beat Southern Utah. At Northern Colorado next. | 13 |
| 19 |  | Eastern Kentucky | Colonels destroyed Lamar for their fifth straight win. Go to Stephen F. Austin next week, which is a huge game for both teams. | 15 |
| 20 |  | Missouri State | Bears battled to defeat North Dakota. May need a couple more wins to make playoffs. A road win at Southern Illinois would help. | 23 |
| 21 |  | VMI | Keydets beat Samford, in a crazy come from behind way. A win at ETSU next week would give them tiebreaker advantage over all SoCon. | 18 |
| 22 |  | Jackson State | Tigers road win at MVSU wasn't as easy as most years. Home game with Texas Southern is next. Getting close to clinching SWAC East. | 19 |
| 23 |  | Incarnate Word | Cardinals turned back Houston Baptist, as they should have. Home game with SE Louisiana should determine the Southland's auto. | 22 |
| 24 |  | South Dakota | Coyotes slip a little more with their bye after their loss to Illinois State two weeks ago. They'll go to Western Illinois next week. | 21 |
| 25 |  | Weber State | Wildcats went to Idaho State and won big. Coming home next week for a playoff eliminator with Portland State. | NR |
