UC Davis challenges the elite, Montana State and North Dakota State continue to battle in Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll

We are entering week 12 in college football, which means that we are just a couple of weeks away from the FCS playoffs getting underway. As we get deeper into this season, the games are starting to mean a ton more. Division races are heating up, great teams are solidifying themselves, and bubble teams are […]

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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UC Davis Aggies running back Lan Larison (3) flips the ball into the air after scoring a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

We are entering week 12 in college football, which means that we are just a couple of weeks away from the FCS playoffs getting underway. As we get deeper into this season, the games are starting to mean a ton more. Division races are heating up, great teams are solidifying themselves, and bubble teams are attempting to bolster their resumes.

In my recent Stats Perform FCS top 25 ranking, there were some major shakeups. We saw several teams previously ranked in the top 25 who struggled mightily last week, with various upsets throughout the landscape. There are also a couple of different tiers of the list that makes it incredibly hard to decipher, and to separate accordingly.

The conversation around my list always seems to begin with me continuing to hold firm with Montana State as the top overall team. There is a strong argument for North Dakota to be at No. 1, and honestly, I have no issue with anyone that believes that. Luckily there is going to be a little bit of clarity this weekend when the Bobcats take on UC Davis, who has been making a strong case as one of the top teams in FCS this season as well.

The faller this week was Southeast Missouri State. They are still a formidable team that has a solid foundation to work off of, but they are coming off of a troubling loss to Lindenwood. Quarterback Paxton DeLaurent and this talented passing game need to get back on track after their worst showing of the season.

Here are my updated top 25 teams.

  1. Montana State (10-0)
  2. North Dakota State (9-1)
  3. South Dakota State (8-2)
  4. UC Davis (9-1)
  5. South Dakota (7-2)
  6. UIW (Incarnate Word) (8-2)
  7. Mercer (9-1)
  8. Idaho (7-3)
  9. Villanova (8-2)
  10. Montana (7-3)
  11. Richmond (8-2)
  12. Southeast Missouri State (8-2)
  13. Tarleton State (8-2)
  14. Rhode Island (8-2)
  15. Abilene Christian (7-3)
  16. Stony Brook (8-2)
  17. Illinois State (7-3)
  18. UT Martin (7-3)
  19. Chattanooga (6-4)
  20. Central Arkansas (6-4)
  21. Harvard (7-1)
  22. Duquesne (7-2)
  23. East Tennessee State (6-4)
  24. Jackson State (8-2)
  25. Northern Arizona (6-4)

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