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SAINT LOUIS, Mo. (KELO.com) — Six Missouri Valley Football teams are ranked in the Top 25 again this week heading into the final two weeks of the regular-season race.
Missouri State, which closes out its conference slate against nationally ranked UNI on Saturday in Springfield had the biggest leap in the coaches poll, climbing six spots.
Meanwhile, South Dakota State and North Dakota State are both ranked in the Top 5 of the Stats Perform weekly rankings.
American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – November 8, 2021
WACO, TEX.– Montana State used a great defensive effort to hold Eastern Washington, one of the best offenses in the country, to just 314 total yards of offense while running back Isaiah Ifanse ran for 217 yards to help lead the Bobcats to a 23-20 win. The victory moved Montana State to No. 3 in this week’s AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll while Eastern Washington fell to No. 8. Montana State is now in a tie with Sacramento State for the top spot in the Big Sky Conference with two games left in the regular season.
Losses by 10 teams in the top-25 caused a major shakeup in the poll. Sam Houston still sits No. 1 with 28 first-place votes, but the rest of the top-five is different. Thanks to South Dakota State’s upset win over then-No. 2 North Dakota State, James Madison jumps into the second spot. The loss dropped the Bison to No. 6 while South Dakota State rose five spots to No. 7. UC Davis and Kennesaw State round out the top-five.
UIW and Dartmouth enter the poll for the first time this season. The Cardinals are 7-2 and ranked No. 21 after upsetting then-No. 6 Southeastern Louisiana, 55-52, while Dartmouth is 7-1 and ranked No. 23 thanks to their upset, 31-7 victory over then-No. 16 Princeton. The win puts UIW in the driver’s seat for the Southland Conference crown while Dartmouth is in a three-way tie for the Ivy title.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Pts. | Prev. | Next Game |
| 1 | Sam Houston (28) | 700 | 1 | Nov. 13 vs. No. 25 Eastern Kentucky |
| 2 | James Madison | 668 | 3 | Nov. 13 at William & Mary |
| 3 | Montana St. | 631 | 4 | Nov. 13 vs. Idaho |
| 4 | UC Davis | 561 | 7 | Nov. 13 vs. No. 8 Eastern Washington |
| 5 | Kennesaw St. | 539 | 8 | Nov. 13 at North Alabama |
| 6 | North Dakota St. | 532 | 2 | Nov. 13 at Youngstown St. |
| 7 | South Dakota St. | 525 | 12 | Nov. 13 at No. 17 South Dakota |
| 8 | Eastern Washington | 498 | 5 | Nov. 13 at No. 4 UC Davis |
| 9 | Montana | 489 | 10 | Nov. 13 at Northern Arizona |
| 10 | UT Martin | 464 | 11 | Nov. 13 at Tennessee Tech |
| 11 | Villanova | 435 | 13 | Nov. 13 vs. Stony Brook |
| 12 | East Tennessee St. | 391 | 14 | Nov. 13 at Western Carolina |
| 13 | Southeastern Louisiana | 373 | 6 | Nov. 13 vs. Northwestern St. |
| 14 | Missouri St. | 333 | 20 | Nov. 13 vs. No. 24 Northern Iowa |
| 15 | Jackson St. | 272 | 17 | Nov. 13 at Southern |
| 16 | Southern Illinois | 258 | 9 | Nov. 13 at Indiana St. |
| 17 | South Dakota | 247 | 21 | Nov. 13 vs. No. 7 South Dakota St. |
| 18 | Sacramento St. | 217 | 22 | Nov. 13 vs. Portland St. |
| 19 | Chattanooga | 147 | 25 | Nov. 13 at Mercer |
| 20 | VMI | 112 | 18 | Nov. 13 at Furman |
| 21 | UIW | 105 | NR | Nov. 13 at Nicholls |
| 22 | Princeton | 88 | 16 | Nov. 13 vs. Yale |
| 23 | Dartmouth | 77 | NR | Nov. 13 vs. Cornell |
| 24 | Northern Iowa | 69 | 15 | Nov. 13 at No. 14 Missouri St. |
| 25 | Eastern Kentucky | 51 | 19 | Nov. 13 at No. 1 Sam Houston |
Others Receiving Votes: Stephen F. Austin, 38; Monmouth (N.J.), 36; Delaware, 35; William & Mary, 34; Mercer, 32; Prairie View A&M, 32; Florida A&M, 29; Holy Cross, 22; Harvard, 15; Davidson, 8; Nicholls, 8; Central Arkansas, 7; Rhode Island, 5; Yale, 3.
(The MVFC contributed this report/news release.)
