Fresh off posting thrilling wins, Jacksonville State and Missouri State were rewarded on Monday with the biggest jumps among ranked teams in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
Both teams climbed six spots, Jacksonville State to No. 10 and Missouri State to No. 17 in the national media poll. The former stunned Florida State 20-17 with a game-winning, 59-yard touchdown pass on the final play and the latter beat Central Arkansas 43-34 after a back-and-forth finish in their matchup of ranked teams.
The moves of those two teams, which won conference titles and made the FCS playoffs this past spring, were the exception following a weekend of mostly lopsided scores among FCS teams. Jacksonville State replaced North Dakota in the Top 10, where Sam Houston remained No. 1 as one of seven 2-0 teams.
At No. 23, New Hampshire joined the Top 25 for the first time this season.
A national media panel selects the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 (Sept. 13)
1. Sam Houston (2-0, 0-0 AQ7), 1,214 points (33 first-place votes)
Previous Ranking: 1; Week 2 Result: 52-14 win over Southeast Missouri
2. South Dakota State (2-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 1,190 (9)
Previous Ranking: 2; Week 2 Result: 52-7 win over Lindenwood
3. James Madison (2-0, 1-0 CAA), 1,158 (5)
Previous Ranking: 3; Week 2 Result: 55-7 win over Maine
4. Montana (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky), 1,110 (3)
Previous Ranking: 4; Week 2 Result: 42-7 win over Western Illinois
5. North Dakota State (2-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 1,066
Previous Ranking: 5; Week 2 Result: 64-0 win over Valparaiso
6. Delaware (2-0, 1-0 CAA), 949
Previous Ranking: 6; Week 2 Result: 27-10 win over Saint Francis
7. Eastern Washington (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky), 889
Previous Ranking: 7; Week 2 Result: 63-14 win over Central Washington
8. Southern Illinois (1-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 814
Previous Ranking: 8; Week 2 Result: 31-23 loss at Kansas State
9. Weber State (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky), 771
Previous Ranking: 10; Week 2 Result: 41-3 win at Dixie State
10. Jacksonville State (1-1, 0-0 AQ7), 751
Previous Ranking: 16; Week 2 Result: 20-17 win at Florida State
11. North Dakota (1-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 710
Previous Ranking: 9; Week 2 Result: 48-24 loss at Utah State
12. Villanova (2-0, 0-0 CAA), 674
Previous Ranking: 12; Week 2 Result: 55-3 win over Bucknell
13. Montana State (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky), 664
Previous Ranking: 11; Week 2 Result: 45-7 win over Drake
14. UC Davis (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky), 661
Previous Ranking: 14; Week 2 Result: 53-7 win at San Diego
15. Southeastern Louisiana (1-1, 0-0 Southland), 511
Previous Ranking: 13; Week 2 Result: 45-42 loss at Louisiana Tech
16. ETSU (2-0, 0-0 Southern), 497
Previous Ranking: 15; Week 2 Result: 45-14 win over UVA Wise
17. Missouri State (1-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 377
Previous Ranking: 23; Week 2 Result: 43-34 win over then-No. 19 Central Arkansas
18. Northern Iowa (1-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 364
Previous Ranking: 21; Week 2 Result: 34-16 win at Sacramento State
19. Austin Peay (1-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley), 336
Previous Ranking: 17; Week 2 Result: 54-17 loss at Ole Miss
20. Monmouth (1-1, 0-0 Big South), 297
Previous Ranking: 20; Week 2 Result: 26-23 win at Fordham
21. Richmond (2-0, 0-0 CAA), 261
Previous Ranking: 25; Week 2 Result: 31-3 win over Lehigh
22. VMI (1-1, 0-0 Southern), 146
Previous Ranking: 18; Week 2 Result: 60-10 loss at Kent State
23. New Hampshire (2-0, 2-0 CAA), 127
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked; Week 2 Result: 26-14 win over Towson
24. Kennesaw State (1-1, 0-0 Big South), 121
Previous Ranking: 22; Week 2 Result: 45-17 loss at Georgia Tech
25. Central Arkansas (0-2, 0-0 AQ7), 105
Previous Ranking: 19; Week 2 Result: 43-34 loss at then-No. 23 Missouri State
Dropped Out: Holy Cross (24)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Furman 90, Chattanooga 74, Rhode Island 67, Murray State 58, Alabama A&M 56, Jackson State 48, Duquesne 32, Nicholls 29, Stephen F. Austin 11, Samford 7, Merrimack 4, Sacramento State 3, Holy Cross 2