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
| Rank | School | Record | Points | Previous |
| 1. | Sam Houston (26) | 3-0 | 698 | 1 |
| 2 | James Madison (1) | 3-0 | 658 | 2 |
| 3 | South Dakota St. (1) | 3-0 | 652 | 3 |
| 4 | Montana | 3-0 | 614 | 4 |
| 5 | North Dakota St. | 3-0 | 589 | 5 |
| 6 | Eastern Washington | 4-0 | 557 | 6 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois | 3-1 | 494 | 8 |
| 8 | UC Davis | 4-0 | 479 | 10 |
| 9 | Villanova | 3-1 | 426 | 7 |
| 10 | Delaware | 2-1 | 425 | 11 |
| 11 | North Dakota | 2-1 | 400 | 13 |
| 12 | Montana St. | 3-1 | 387 | 12 |
| 13 | Northern Iowa | 2-1 | 365 | 14 |
| 14 | East Tennessee St. | 4-0 | 334 | 17 |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana | 2-1 | 317 | 16 |
| 16 | Missouri St. | 2-1 | 275 | 18 |
| 17 | Jacksonville St. | 2-2 | 224 | 9 |
| 18 | Weber St. | 1-3 | 158 | 15 |
| 19 | Chattanooga | 1-2 | 143 | 23 |
| 20 | Kennesaw St. | 2-1 | 127 | T-24 |
| 21 | Richmond | 2-2 | 115 | 21 |
| 22 | VMI | 3-1 | 102 | NR |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 3-0 | 87 | NR |
| T-24. | Holy Cross | 3-1 | 67 | NR |
| T-24. | UT Martin | 3-1 | 67 | NR |
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.
