The Montana State football team keeps climbing.
MSU (6-1) took down a ranked team on the road and won its sixth straight game overall with 13-7 victory over Weber State last Friday. With the win, the Bobcats rise one spot to No. 8 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll.
Meanwhile, Montana lost to unranked Sacramento State at home 28-21. It was Montana's second loss of the season, both of which were to Big Sky Conference teams. The Grizzlies fall out of the Top 10 for the first time in the Fall 2021 season, moving from No. 5 to No. 11 in the Stats poll and No. 12 in the coaches poll.
The Big Sky Conference has five ranked teams in the latest edition of the rankings. Eastern Washington (7-0) remains at No. 2 in the country, while Montana State is now the next-highest team at No. 8.
UC Davis (6-1) recovered from its Oct. 9 loss to Idaho State with a blowout win over Northern Colorado. The Aggies rise to No. 10 in both polls, followed by Montana at No. 11/12.
Sacramento State (4-2) also joins the Stats Perform rankings after beating Montana, coming in at No. 11. The Hornets receive votes in the coaches poll. Weber State (2-4) falls out of both polls but continues to receive votes.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25
| RANKING | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Sam Houston (35) | 5-0 | 1,223 | 1 |
| 2 | Eastern Washington (14) | 7-0 | 1,178 | 2 |
| 3 | North Dakota State (1) | 6-0 | 1,169 | 3 |
| 4 | Southern Illinois | 6-1 | 1,097 | 4 |
| 5 | Villanova | 5-1 | 1,022 | 6 |
| 6 | South Dakota State | 5-1 | 980 | 7 |
| 7 | James Madison | 5-1 | 951 | 8 |
| 8 | Montana State | 6-1 | 919 | 9 |
| 9 | Southeastern Louisiana | 5-1 | 842 | 11 |
| 10 | UC Davis | 6-1 | 750 | 13 |
| 11 | Montana | 4-2 | 694 | 5 |
| 12 | Kennesaw State | 5-1 | 658 | 15 |
| 13 | UT Martin | 5-1 | 583 | 17 |
| 14 | ETSU | 6-1 | 556 | 10 |
| 15 | South Dakota | 5-2 | 521 | 21 |
| 16 | UIW | 5-1 | 518 | 18 |
| 17 | Missouri State | 4-2 | 486 | 20 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 5-1 | 405 | 12 |
| 19 | Sacramento State | 4-2 | 251 | NR |
| 20 | Northern Iowa | 3-3 | 190 | 16 |
| 21 | VMI | 5-2 | 173 | NR |
| 22 | Princeton | 5-0 | 166 | 25 |
| 23 | Delaware | 3-3 | 152 | 14 |
| 24 | Jackson State | 5-1 | 148 | NR |
| 25 | Dartmouth | 5-0 | 120 | NR |
Dropped Out: Weber State (19), North Dakota (22), New Hampshire (23), Jacksonville State (24)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Jacksonville State 104, Harvard 101, Eastern Kentucky 85, Weber State 73, Duquesne 44, North Dakota 27, Prairie View A&M 16, Youngstown State 11, Chattanooga 8, William & Mary 7, Stephen F. Austin 5, Mercer 4
FCS Coaches Poll
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Sam Houston (26) | 5-0 | 674 | 1 |
| 2 | Eastern Washington (2) | 7-0 | 670 | 2 |
| 3 | North Dakota State | 6-0 | 646 | 3 |
| 4 | Southern Illinois | 6-1 | 605 | 4 |
| 5 | Villanova | 5-1 | 581 | 5 |
| 6 | James Madison | 5-1 | 561 | 7 |
| 7 | South Dakota State | 5-1 | 543 | 8 |
| 8 | Montana State | 6-1 | 509 | 9 |
| 9 | Southeastern Louisiana | 5-1 | 453 | 11 |
| 10 | UC Davis | 6-1 | 419 | 12 |
| 11 | Kennesaw State | 5-1 | 409 | 13 |
| 12 | Montana | 4-2 | 376 | 6 |
| 13 | UT Martin | 5-1 | 347 | 16 |
| 14 | East Tennessee State | 6-1 | 312 | 10 |
| 15 | South Dakota | 5-2 | 268 | 21 |
| 16 | Harvard | 5-0 | 246 | 19 |
| 17 | Princeton | 5-0 | 193 | 20 |
| 18 | Missouri State | 4-2 | 184 | 23 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 5-1 | 169 | 14 |
| 20 | Jackson State | 5-1 | 151 | 25 |
| 21 | Jacksonville State | 3-3 | 111 | 22 |
| 22 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-2 | 89 | NR |
| 23 | VMI | 5-2 | 89 | NR |
| 24 | Northern Iowa | 3-3 | 85 | 17 |
| 25 | Delaware | 3-3 | 71 | 15 |
Dropped Out: Weber St. (18), North Dakota (24)
Others Receiving Votes: UIW, 70; Dartmouth, 67; North Dakota, 34; Chattanooga, 33; Weber St., 28; Monmouth (N.J.), 19; Florida A&M, 15; Duquesne, 13; Sacramento St., 10; Holy Cross, 9; Furman, 8; Mercer, 6; New Hampshire, 6; Stephen F. Austin, 6; Yale, 6; Prairie View A&M, 2; Towson, 2; Elon, 1.
