North Dakota State's 38-14 loss at Southern Illinois on Saturday - its first in 40 games - was not enough to knock the Bison out of first place in this week's rankings. Close, but not quite.
NDSU's ratings points lead shrunk from 13.57 over James Madison to just 1.46 in the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com. The latest edition of the ranking of all 93 FCS teams playing football this spring was released within minutes of the conclusion of the final game on Sunday.
James Madison was a 36-16 home winner over Robert Morris on Saturday.
Southern Illinois moved back in to the top 25 at No. 23. The Salukis had dropped from No. 9 to No. 29 after losing 44-21 at North Dakota a week ago.
Illinois State slipped from 3rd to 8th after a 27-20 loss at South Dakota while the Coyotes rose from 23rd to 16th.
Idle Monmouth slid in to the vacated No. 3 slot. The Hawks don't open their season until March13th, on the road at Robert Morris.
Kennesaw State opened its season with a 35-3 win over D-2 school Shorter and inched upward from 5th to 4th.
Idle Villanova moved from 7th to 5th. The Wildcats open next Saturday (March 6) at Stony Brook.
Another team that has yet to play, Albany, moved from 8th to 6th. The Great Danes open at New Hampshire next Saturday.
Northern Iowa rises from 9th to 7th after a 21-0 win at Youngstown State. The Panthers plunged from 3rd ton 9th a week ago after falling 24-20 to South Dakota State. That same SDSU team lost this week at North Dakota 28-17 which dropped the 'Rabbits from 5th to 11th while the Fighting Hawks moved up from 13th to 12th.
Weber State cracked the top ten by moving into the No. 9 slot on the heels of a 49-21 blowout win at Idaho State. The Wildcats ranked 11th last week.
SEMO rounds out the 10th, moving up from 12th after a crushing 47-7 win at Eastern Illinois.
SEE: Complete Rankings