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FCS polls: Montana State rises to No. 11, Montana holds at No. 4

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Conference play is in full swing across the college football landscape, and the Montana and Montana State squads are holding relatively steady in the polls after four weeks.

Montana State rose to No. 11 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll, up from No. 13 last week. The Bobcats overcame a slow start to beat Portland State on the road 30-17 on Saturday. MSU stayed at No. 12 in the FCS Coaches Poll, and will look forward to hosting Northern Colorado on Oct. 2 with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

After a 39-7 dismantling of Cal Poly on Saturday, Montana didn't budge from No. 4 in either poll, remaining the highest-ranked Big Sky Conference team in the Top 25. Next, the Grizzlies will take on No. 6 Eastern Washington (4-0) in a pivotal road game that will be broadcast on ESPN 2. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. (MT).

As for the rest of the Big Sky, UC Davis rose to No. 8 in both polls after beating Weber State (1-3) 17-14 on Saturday. Weber State dropped from No. 14 to No. 19 in the Stats poll and No. 15 to No. 18 in the coaches poll.

The full rankings can be found below.

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll

1. Sam Houston (3-0, 1-0 AQ7), 1,208 points (32 first-place votes)

Previous Ranking: 1; Week 4 Result: 45-35 win at then-No. 25 Central Arkansas

2. South Dakota State (3-0, 1-0 Missouri Valley), 1,195 (10)

Previous Ranking: 2; Week 4 Result: 44-0 win at Indiana State

3. James Madison (3-0, 1-0 CAA), 1,162 (5)

Previous Ranking: 3; Week 4 Result: Open week

***4. Montana (3-0, 1-0 Big Sky), 1,089 (3)

Previous Ranking: 4; Week 4 Result: 39-7 win over Cal Poly

5. North Dakota State (3-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 1,070

Previous Ranking: 5; Week 4 Result: Open week

6. Eastern Washington (4-0, 1-0 Big Sky), 964

Previous Ranking: 6; Week 4 Result: 50-21 win at Southern Utah

7. Southern Illinois (3-1, 1-0 Missouri Valley), 909

Previous Ranking: 7; Week 4 Result: 35-17 win over Illinois State

8. UC Davis (4-0, 1-0 Big Sky), 859

Previous Ranking: 12; Week 4 Result: 17-14 win at then-No. 14 Weber State

9. Delaware (2-1, 1-0 CAA), 842

Previous Ranking: 8; Week 4 Result: Open week

10. North Dakota (2-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 785

Previous Ranking: 10; Week 4 Result: Open week

***11. Montana State (3-1, 1-0 Big Sky), 757

Previous Ranking: 13; Week 4 Result: 30-17 win at Portland State

12. Villanova (3-1, 1-0 CAA), 692

Previous Ranking: 11; Week 4 Result: 38-17 at Penn State

13. ETSU (4-0, 1-0 Southern), 637

Previous Ranking: 15; Week 4 Result: 55-48 OT win at Samford

14. Southeastern Louisiana (2-1, 0-0 Southland), 574

Previous Ranking: 16; Week 4 Result: Open week

15. Northern Iowa (2-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 528

Previous Ranking: 17; Week 4 Result: Open week

16. Missouri State (2-1, 1-0 Missouri Valley), 527

Previous Ranking: 18; Week 4 Result: 31-23 win over South Dakota

17. Jacksonville State (2-2, 0-0 AQ7), 352

Previous Ranking: 9; Week 4 Result: 34-31 loss to UT Martin

18. VMI (3-1, 1-0 Southern), 338

Previous Ranking: 22; Week 4 Result: 31-23 win over Wofford

19. Weber State (1-3, 0-1 Big Sky), 319

Previous Ranking: 14; Week 4 Result: 17-14 loss to then-No. 12 UC Davis

20. Kennesaw State (2-1, 0-0 Big South), 225

Previous Ranking: 23; Week 4 Result: Open week

21. Rhode Island (3-0, 1-0 CAA): 184

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked; Week 4 Result: Open week

22. Richmond (2-2, 0-1 CAA), 130

Previous Ranking: 24; Week 4 Result: 21-10 loss at Virginia Tech

23. UT Martin (3-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley), 124

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked; Week 4 Result: 34-31 win at Jacksonville State

24. UIW (3-1, 1-0 Southland), 120

Previous Ranking: Not Ranked; Week 4 Result: 31-0 win over McNeese

25. New Hampshire (3-1, 2-0 CAA), 116

Previous Ranking: 21; Week 4 Result: 77-7 loss at Pittsburgh

Dropped Out: Austin Peay (19), Monmouth (20), Central Arkansas (25)

Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Austin Peay 86, Alabama A&M 85, Holy Cross 74, Stephen F. Austin 71, Monmouth 35, Central Arkansas 33, Nicholls 33, Murray State 26, Jackson State 22, Chattanooga 20, Duquesne 13, Mercer 11, Princeton 11, Samford 7, South Dakota 6, Eastern Kentucky 4

FCS Coaches Poll

RankSchoolRecordPointsPrevious
1.Sam Houston (26)3-06981
2James Madison (1)3-06582
3South Dakota St. (1)3-06523
4Montana3-06144
5North Dakota St.3-05895
6Eastern Washington4-05576
7Southern Illinois3-14948
8UC Davis4-047910
9Villanova3-14267
10Delaware2-142511
11North Dakota2-140013
12Montana St.3-138712
13Northern Iowa2-136514
14East Tennessee St.4-033417
15Southeastern Louisiana2-131716
16Missouri St.2-127518
17Jacksonville St.2-22249
18Weber St.1-315815
19Chattanooga1-214323
20Kennesaw St.2-1127T-24
21Richmond2-211521
22VMI3-1102NR
23Rhode Island3-087NR
T-24.Holy Cross3-167NR
T-24.UT Martin3-167NR

Dropped Out: Monmouth (N.J.) (19), Austin Peay (20), New Hampshire (22), Central Arkansas (24t)

Others Receiving Votes: Central Arkansas, 47; New Hampshire, 44; Alabama A&M, 41; Stephen F. Austin, 36; Austin Peay, 20; Princeton, 20; Eastern Kentucky, 18; Mercer, 17; Nicholls, 15; Harvard, 12; Monmouth (N.J.), 12; UIW, 10; Gardner-Webb, 9; Jackson St., 8; Charleston Southern, 5; Duquesne, 5; Illinois St., 5; Murray St., 5; North Carolina A&T, 4; Northern Arizona, 3; Northern Colorado, 3; Florida A&M, 1.