After eight weeks of the Fall 2021 FCS football season, Montana State is the highest-ranked Big Sky Conference team in the country.
The Bobcats beat Idaho State 27-9 on Saturday to move to 7-1 on the season. With the win, the Cats climb from No. 8 to No. 6 in both the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll.
MSU, which has won seven in a row, now enters its bye week before a monumental Oct. 30 showdown on the road against Eastern Washington. EWU's loss to Weber State over the weekend drops the Eagles from No. 2 to No. 7, making Montana State the highest-ranked Big Sky team in the national rankings.
Montana remains at No. 11 in the Stats poll and moves up to No. 11 in the coaches poll after dispatching Idaho 34-14 on Saturday. The Griz return home to face Southern Utah (1-7) on Oct. 30.
Sam Houston (6-0) remains No. 1 in the country, while fellow unbeaten North Dakota State (7-0) follows at No. 2. As for the rest of the Big Sky, UC Davis (7-1) sits at No. 9 in both polls, while Sacramento State (5-2) moves up from No. 19 to No. 15 in the Stats poll and from unranked to No. 23 in the coaches poll. Weber State (3-4) re-enters the polls at No. 23 after dropping out for one week.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Sam Houston (44) | 6-0 | 1,244 | 1 |
| 2 | North Dakota State (6) | 7-0 | 1,201 | 3 |
| 3 | Southern Illinois | 6-1 | 1,136 | 4 |
| 4 | Villanova | 6-1 | 1,101 | 5 |
| 5 | James Madison | 6-1 | 1,023 | 7 |
| 6 | Montana State | 7-1 | 979 | 8 |
| 7 | Eastern Washington | 7-1 | 963 | 2 |
| 8 | Southeastern Louisiana | 6-1 | 909 | 9 |
| 9 | UC Davis | 7-1 | 814 | 10 |
| 10 | South Dakota State | 5-2 | 744 | 6 |
| 11 | Montana | 5-2 | 736 | 11 |
| 12 | Kennesaw State | 6-1 | 709 | 12 |
| T-13 | ETSU | 7-1 | 627 | 14 |
| T-13 | UT Martin | 6-1 | 627 | 13 |
| 15 | Sacramento State | 5-2 | 525 | 19 |
| 16 | Northern Iowa | 4-3 | 492 | 20 |
| 17 | Missouri State | 4-3 | 343 | 17 |
| 18 | VMI | 5-2 | 332 | 21 |
| 19 | Princeton | 6-0 | 310 | 22 |
| 20 | Jackson State | 6-1 | 285 | 24 |
| 21 | South Dakota | 5-3 | 228 | 15 |
| 22 | UIW | 5-2 | 223 | 16 |
| 23 | Weber State | 3-4 | 166 | NR |
| 24 | Rhode Island | 5-2 | 125 | 18 |
| 25 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-2 | 105 | NR |
Dropped Out: Delaware (23), Dartmouth (25)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): William & Mary 52, Prairie View A&M 46, Harvard 37, Chattanooga 31, Mercer 31, North Dakota 29, Delaware 24, Stephen F. Austin 10, Jacksonville State 9, Florida A&M 8, Duquesne 7, Dartmouth 6, Columbia 5
FCS Coaches Poll
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Sam Houston (27) | 6-0 | 675 | 1 |
| 2 | North Dakota State | 7-0 | 642 | 3 |
| 3 | Southern Illinois | 6-1 | 603 | 4 |
| 4 | Villanova | 6-1 | 599 | 5 |
| 5 | James Madison | 6-1 | 567 | 6 |
| 6 | Montana State | 7-1 | 511 | 8 |
| 7 | Eastern Washington | 7-1 | 493 | 2 |
| 8 | Southeastern Louisiana | 6-1 | 489 | 9 |
| 9 | UC Davis | 7-1 | 445 | 10 |
| 10 | Kennesaw State | 6-1 | 433 | 11 |
| 11 | Montana | 5-2 | 359 | 12 |
| 12 | UT Martin | 6-1 | 357 | 13 |
| 13 | South Dakota State | 5-2 | 336 | 7 |
| 14 | East Tennessee State | 7-1 | 329 | 14 |
| 15 | Princeton | 6-0 | 270 | 17 |
| 16 | Jackson State | 6-1 | 234 | 20 |
| 17 | Northern Iowa | 4-3 | 207 | 24 |
| 18 | VMI | 5-2 | 183 | 23 |
| 19 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-2 | 175 | 22 |
| 20 | Missouri State | 4-3 | 148 | 18 |
| 21 | Harvard | 5-1 | 134 | 16 |
| 22 | South Dakota | 5-3 | 121 | 15 |
| T-23 | Sacramento State | 5-2 | 66 | NR |
| T-23 | Weber State | 3-4 | 66 | NR |
| 25 | Rhode Island | 5-2 | 59 | 19 |
Dropped Out: Jacksonville St. (21), Delaware (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Chattanooga, 53; William & Mary, 27; Holy Cross, 21; Stephen F. Austin, 21; Monmouth (N.J.), 20; Prairie View A&M, 19; North Dakota, 18; Mercer, 16; Delaware, 15; Florida A&M, 14; Columbia, 10; Dartmouth, 9; Jacksonville St., 8; Yale, 8; UIW, 7; Nicholls, 3; Elon, 2; Furman, 2; Davidson, 1.
