MISSOULA — Montana State has moved up to No. 2 in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, which was released Monday.
The Bobcats are 8-0 for the first time since 1956 after rolling to a 44-14 win at Portland State over the weekend. They trail only No. 1 North Dakota State in the rankings, as the Bison received 40 of 56 first-place votes following their 13-9 win over then-No. 1 South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits slipped to third in the poll.
Montana is also back in the top 10. The Grizzlies (5-2 overall) were idle last week but climbed to No. 9 from the prior No. 11 ranking. Villanova and Mercer, who were both ranked ahead of the Griz last week, fell out of the top 10 after suffering conference losses.
Following NDSU, MSU and SDSU in the poll are No. 4 South Dakota and No. 5 UC Davis. Davis has won seven consecutive games and is tied with Montana State at 4-0 atop the Big Sky Conference standings.
The Big Sky's only other team in the rankings is No. 11 Idaho. Sacramento State and Northern Arizona are among other teams to receive votes. View the complete rankings.
There are only three conference games in the Big Sky this week: No. 9 Montana at Northern Colorado, No. 11 Idaho home versus Eastern Washington, and Sacramento State at Idaho State.
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Third-ranked South Dakota State has another big game on its schedule this week, as the Jackrabbits will host in-state rival and fourth-ranked South Dakota. The only other top-25 matchup this week is No. 14 Mercer vs. No. 24 Western Carolina.
