| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | Sam Houston | Bearkats took down Eastern Kentucky, severely damaging their playoff hopes and locked up the AQ7. They'll finish at Abilene Christian. | 1 |
| 2 |  | James Madison | Dukes had a tough go winning at William & Mary. A win and a 'Nova loss, they get the CAA. Would be a top 2-3 seed with a win. | 2 |
| 3 |  | Montana State | Bobcats had a close win over Idaho, but are now 7-0 in the Sky. Now the Brawl For the Wild at Montana. Total hatred. Fun for everyone. | 3 |
| 4 |  | North Dakota State | Bison annihilated Youngstown State. A win at home vs. South Dakota gives them the MVFC auto and would probably be a top 4-5 seed. | 5 |
| 5 |  | Villanova | Wildcats beat Stony Brook and travel to Delaware. A win there and Villanova is a likely lock for a seed and would be the CAA autobid. | 7 |
| 6 |  | East Tennessee State | Bucs beat Western Carolina handily. Now, they get Mercer at home for the SoCon title. Who had that match-up 12 weeks ago? | 9 |
| 7 |  | Eastern Washington | Eagles looked very convincing in their win at UC-Davis, in a fog bowl. A win at Portland State will likely put them in the seed area. | 8 |
| 8 |  | Sacramento State | Hornets did a pretty good number on Portland State and could still win the Big Sky. Tough finisher at UC-Davis. A win should be a seed. | 12 |
| 9 |  | Tennessee-Martin | Skyhawks crushed Tenn Tech. SEMO losing clinches the OVC autobid. Now they go to SEMO. A loss could cost them a seed though. | 11 |
| 10 |  | Kennesaw State | Owls took North Alabama's best shot, still prevailed. Home game vs. Monmouth is for the Big South automatic bid. Might be safe anyway? | 10 |
| 11 |  | UC Davis | Aggies dropped the fog bowl game to Eastern Washington. Still, if they can win at home vs. Sacramento State, they might land a seed. | 4 |
| 12 |  | Missouri State | Bears won a back-and-forth second half game over Northern Iowa. A big win at Dixie State and help, the last national seed is possible. | 13 |
| 13 |  | Montana | Grizzlies jumped on Northern Arizona and never allowed them in the game. If they can win against Montana State, maybe a low seed. | 14 |
| 14 |  | Southern Illinois | Salukis nailed Indiana State for their 7th win. An at-large should be safe. A home win over Youngstown State will lock that 100%. | 15 |
| 15 |  | Southeastern Louisiana | Lions pour points like water on Northwestern State. Traditional final Thursday game vs. Nicholls coming. A win + UIW loss = SLC title. | 16 |
| 16 |  | South Dakota State | Jackrabbits lose in tragic fashion at South Dakota. With only six D-I wins, a win at home vs. North Dakota might be needed to lock. | 6 |
| 17 |  | Incarnate Word | Cardinals win nailbiter over Nicholls. Now a win at Houston Baptist clinches the Southland. Still a playoff lock regardless. | 17 |
| 18 |  | Jackson State | Tigers beat Southern to clinch the SWAC East. A home win vs. Alcorn State would end their season. A SWAC title game will be waiting. | 18 |
| 19 |  | South Dakota | A huge win vs. SDSU gets the Coyotes their 7th D-I win. Should be a playoff lock. A win at NDSU and maybe they sneek a final seed. | 19 |
| 20 |  | Mercer | Bears won a defensive struggle vs. Chattanooga. Travel to ETSU for the SoCon championship this week. A loss, are they still in? | 24 |
| 21 |  | Dartmouth | Big Green dominated Cornell and are now a win from clinching the Ivy League title because of their head-to-head win over Princeton. | NR |
| 22 |  | Stephen F. Austin | Lumberjacks are positioning themselves for a potential at-large by beating Central Arkansas. A win at Lamar will make them a true bubbler. | NR |
| 23 |  | Rhode Island | Rams beat New Hampshire to set up their playoff lives in the final week. A win at Elon should solidify an at-large. | NR |
| 24 |  | Monmouth | Hawks creamed Robert Morris and set up the Big South title game at Kennesaw State. A loss and the resume might not be enough. | NR |
| 25 |  | Princeton | Tigers beat Yale and have a chance to win the Ivy League. But no playoffs, which is sad. | NR |
