FCS STATS Poll, Sept 8 (Griz #5)

[IdaGriz01]

Pollsters did drop MSU one spot and move Tarleton up. They also dropped South Dakota out of the top-10, which I think is totally justified.

Rank, Team (Record), Poll Points [Previous Rank]
1. North Dakota State (2-0), 1,393 points [1]
2. South Dakota State (2-0), 1,351 [2]
3. Tarleton State (3-0), 1,260 [5]
4. Montana State (0-2), 1,202 [3]
5. Montana (1-0), 1,123 [6]
6. Rhode Island (2-0), 1,050 [9]
7. Illinois State (1-1), 1,049 [7]
8. Idaho (1-1), 937 [10]
9. UC Davis (1-1), 885 [8]
10. Lehigh (2-0), 836 [11]
11. Villanova (1-0), 743 [13]
12. South Dakota (0-2), 649 [4]
13. Abilene Christian (1-1), 648 [16]
14. UIW (1-1), 568 [12]
15. Tennessee Tech (2-0), 560 [17]
16. North Dakota (1-1), 535 [20]
17. Southern Illinois (1-1), 510 [14]
18. Northern Arizona (1-1), 409 [19]
19. Jackson State (1-1), 381 [15]
20. Monmouth (2-0), 373 [21]
21. Sacramento State (0-2), 253 [18]
22. Austin Peay (1-1), 233; [NR]
23. New Hampshire (2-0), 132 [NR]
24. Lamar (1-1), 121 [NR]
25. West Georgia (2-0), 110 [NR]

Dropped Out of Top 25: Nicholls (22); Mercer (23); Southern Utah (24); Stephen F. Austin (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Mercer (0-1), 101; Presbyterian (2-0), 100; Harvard (0-0), 86; Southeast Missouri (1-1), 86; ETSU (1-1), 73; Richmond (1-1, 0-1 Patriot), 64; UT Martin (0-2), 59; Youngstown State (2-0), 59; Nicholls (1-2, 1-0 Southland), 52; Eastern Kentucky (1-1), 31; Southern Utah (1-1), 29; Gardner-Webb (1-1), 27; Stephen F. Austin (0-2), 27; South Carolina State (1-1), 14; Stony Brook (0-2, 0-1 CAA), 13; Tennessee State (1-1), 13; Towson (2-0), 9; Western Carolina (0-2), 5; Bryant (1-1), 5; LIU (1-1), 5

 

[Berkeley_Griz]

Looks about right

 

[Griz til I die]

Idaho moves up 2 spots despite a Pioneer League team taking them to the wire. I wouldn't have moved them up at all. I'm sure it's the FCS Fans Nation guy inflating his ballot for them. He thinks Idaho's god's gift to earth.

 

[Harm]

That ugly 0-2 at #4 looks completely out of place.

 

[IdaGriz01]

That ugly 0-2 at #4 looks completely out of place.

Totally agree.

 

[Da Boyz Mom]

All of this just makes you wonder. If the cats don't totally obliterate their next 2 opponents, will the pollsters pay any attention to the actual scores or will they just look at the final result (win) and keep MSU right where they are? I'm just not that confident that the cats are nearly as good as they have been the last few years. And yes, the first few polls are just guesstimates based on the team's record the last year or so, but at the same time leaving an 0-2 team in the top four is just silly IMO.

 

[bigsky33]

All of this just makes you wonder. If the cats don't totally obliterate their next 2 opponents, will the pollsters pay any attention to the actual scores or will they just look at the final result (win) and keep MSU right where they are? I'm just not that confident that the cats are nearly as good as they have been the last few years. And yes, the first few polls are just guesstimates based on the team's record the last year or so, but at the same time leaving an 0-2 team in the top four is just silly IMO.

Yes, looks strange but when you look at the opponents I can see it. The Cats going forward will have live up to it. It all works out.

 

[IdaGriz01]

Yes, looks strange but when you look at the opponents I can see it. The Cats going forward will have lived up to it. It all works out.

Yep. If the kitties don't easily win their next two games (at home, I believe), then they do have problems. Otherwise, they start conference play with a respectable (2-2) record, and all is good.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

Yes, looks strange but when you look at the opponents I can see it. The Cats going forward will have live up to it. It all works out.

That's why it's so stupid. Get a high preseason ranking and lose games, "but, but, the opponents were good", so you keep your high ranking. Then, when you lose games to "lesser" teams (which are "lesser" in ranking only), your ranking goes from 4 to 7 instead of 10 to 16. Then, when the playoffs are seeded, they look at rankings and you get a seed that doesn't match your actual aptitude all because some bloggers thought you were good in August before seeing you play.

Really, a perennial pre-season top 5 FCS team should just schedule all of its non-conference games against top FBS teams. Get the paydays, take the ass-beatings, keep your ranking. You literally can't lose, and it doesn't even matter how you look. It's like the games never even happen. You'd start the season 0-3 on paper only.

 

[Gaeilge1]

Here's an idea!

Why don't we quit paying attention to the polls and the kitties, at least until mid to late October until it really starts to matter! If we are 11-0 going into that final weekend, I like our chances!!

 

[AZGrizFan]

Idaho and Davis totally boat race Rhode Island...if an 0-2 can be #4, there's zero reason to have an artificially inflated 2-0 up there...

 

[EverettGriz]

Yes, looks strange but when you look at the opponents I can see it. The Cats going forward will have live up to it. It all works out.

Yes, they played Oregon. But they weren't competitive. Like, at all. Like, had no business being in the building.

Yes, they played a decent to good (based on what I've seen over two weeks) fcs program. And they lost. At home. And looked terrible doing so.

For soooooo many years the bubs used to say Montana got to the title game all the time because they were ranked high at the start of the year. Difference was the GRIZ won their games. Can you even imagine the shit storm on bcn if the GRIZ started the year 0-2 (they wouldn't) and maintained a top 3 ranking?! Guys like 2506 and Stuber would absolutely lose their fucking minds and need to be locked up for their own protection.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

Here's an idea!

Why don't we quit paying attention to the polls and the kitties, at least until mid to late October until it really starts to matter! If we are 11-0 going into that final weekend, I like our chances!!

Meh. No thanks. It's fun.

 

[SoCal Surfer]

Here's an idea!

Why don't we quit paying attention to the polls and the kitties, at least until mid to late October until it really starts to matter! If we are 11-0 going into that final weekend, I like our chances!!

So do I.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

FCS Coaches' Pole - Weekly SIU Watch:

After being ranked #20 in the preseason pole, our Salukis earned a five-spot jump to #15 with a win last week over a scrappy NAIA transitioning Thomas More squad. This week, the coaches saw more promise out of the Salukis in a loss to Purdue where the SIU showed incredible grit by averaging one point per quarter in the final three quarters. Accordingly, the SIU Salukis earned a climb to #14. Wooo!

2025 FCS Coaches Poll College Football Rankings, Week 3 - ESPN

Find the complete NCAAF Week 3 rankings on ESPN. Includes the full votes and trend for the top 25 NCAAF teams.

www.espn.com

 

[Wolf777]

I love that when we talk playoff committee, there’s no such thing as a good loss, only a quality win.

When it comes to pollsters, it’s well they lost to a really good team close, so they must be good. I do appreciate that some are consistently making their ballots public. I think they all should, so that as a group they can improve the process. Doubt that will happen ever, so just win.