News/Commentary

Coaches' Poll: Furman to 2nd, Idaho to 5th, Montana State Drops to 8th

October 30, 2023 by CollegeFootballPoll.com Staff and AFCA.com

The AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 poll had another shakeup with seven ranked teams going down. South Dakota State took care of business against then-No. 9 South Dakota, 37-3, and remained in the top spot while the loss only dropped the Coyotes three places to No. 12. Furman is the new No. 2 team thanks to Montana State’s 24-21 loss to Idaho. The Bobcats dropped to No. 8 while the Vandals rose to No. 5. Montana blanked Northern Colorado, 40-0, and moved up to No. 3.

No. 4 UIW continued its win streak and took control of first place in the Southland Conference with a 17-7 win over Lamar. After losing their first game of the season to FBS-member UTEP, the Cardinals have rolled off seven straight victories to move to 7-1 on the season. Next up for UIW is a Homecoming game against Nicholls on November 4.

There are four Top 25 matchups this coming Saturday with the biggest being No. 1 South Dakota State hosting No. 10 North Dakota State. No. 2 Furman travels to No. 13 Chattanooga with the Paladins leading the Southern Conference and the Mocs in second.

Another important Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup sees No. 11 Southern Illinois hosting No. 12 South Dakota. The final Top 25 matchup is an interesting Big Sky contest as No. 3 Montana hosts No. 7 Sacramento State. The Grizzlies want to take sole possession of first place while the Hornets want to keep pace in second.

Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. Last Next
1 South Dakota St. (25) 8-0 625 1 D. (9) South Dakota, 37-3 11/4 (10) North Dakota St.
2 Furman 7-1 577 3 D. East Tennessee St., 16-8 11/4 at (13t) Chattanooga
3 Montana 7-1 544 5 D. Northern Colorado, 40-0 11/4 (7) Sacramento St.
4 UIW 7-1 533 4 D. Lamar, 17-7 11/4 Nicholls
5 Idaho 6-2 515 8 D. (2) Montana St., 24-21 11/4 at Northern Colorado
6 Delaware 7-1 507 6 D. Towson, 51-13 11/4 Elon
7 Sacramento St. 6-2 471 7 D. Idaho St., 51-16 11/4 at (3) Montana
8 Montana St. 6-2 458 2 L. (8) Idaho, 24-21 11/4 Northern Arizona
9 North Carolina Central 7-1 407 10 D. South Carolina St., 62-28 11/4 Norfolk St.
10 North Dakota St. 6-2 398 11 D. Murray St., 38-6 11/4 at (1) South Dakota St.
11 Southern Illinois 6-2 380 12 D. Western Illinois, 63-0 11/4 (12) South Dakota
12 South Dakota 6-2 330 9 L. (1) South Dakota St., 37-3 11/4 at (11) Southern Illinois
13t. Chattanooga 7-2 296 15 D. VMI, 24-23 11/4 (2) Furman
13t. Florida A&M 7-1 296 14 D. Prairie View A&M, 45-7 11/4 at Alabama A&M
15 North Dakota 5-3 260 17 D. Indiana St., 36-33 OT 11/4 at Murray St.
16 Lafayette 7-1 241 19 D. Georgetown (D.C.), 35-25 11/4 Colgate
17 Austin Peay 6-2 218 20 D. North Alabama, 49-39 11/4 at Eastern Kentucky
18 UT Martin 6-2 179 13 L. Gardner-Webb, 38-34 11/4 at Tennessee Tech
19 Harvard 6-1 137 23 D. Dartmouth, 17-9 11/4 at Columbia
20 Western Carolina 5-3 124 16 L. Mercer, 45-38 11/4 at Wofford
21 Holy Cross 5-3 120 22 D. Fordham, 49-47 11/4 at Lehigh
22 Villanova 6-2 107 NR D. Stony Brook, 48-13 11/4 at New Hampshire
23 Northern Iowa 5-3 105 NR D. Illinois St., 24-21 11/4 Western Illinois
24 William & Mary 5-3 83 24 D. Monmouth (N.J.), 31-28 11/4 at Albany
25 Central Arkansas 5-3 73 18 L. Tarleton, 25-23 11/4 at North Alabama

Dropped Out: New Hampshire (20t), UC Davis (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Mercer, 50; Youngstown St., 44; Fordham, 27; Albany, 23; Illinois St., 7; New Hampshire, 5; Eastern Illinois, 3; Princeton, 2; Davidson, 1; Samford, 1.

For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com.