The Big Sky is a warzone. The Missouri Valley is collecting ranked teams like trading cards. And three programs near the Top 10 are separated by just two voting points.
Welcome to Week 7 of FCS football, where the rankings are getting increasingly interesting.
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South Dakota State remains No. 1 in the Oct. 12 AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, but the bigger stories lie beneath the top spot. Undefeated contenders are building very different résumés, conference races are challenging national perceptions and one quarterback has turned the Big Sky upside down.
Here are five things the latest FCS football rankings reveal about the 2026 season.
Big Sky Ty
Northern Arizona quarterback Ty Pennington accounted for six touchdowns in a 49-44 upset of then no. 3 Montana, throwing for 322 yards and a touchdown, rushing for four scores, and catching another.
Pennington earned Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Northern Arizona climbed to No. 10, its first Top 10 appearance since 2013.
The bigger story? Montana State and Montana have both suffered major upsets, leaving Montana, Northern Arizona, Cal Poly and Weber State tied atop the Big Sky at 3-1.
Under coach Brian Wright, the Lumberjacks aren't simply climbing the rankings. They're challenging the assumption that the conference belongs to the Montana schools.
Tarleton, SFA And Lehigh: Who Has The Best Résumé?
Tarleton State, Stephen F. Austin, and Lehigh, are all 6-0 and ranked Nos. 2–4, but their résumés tell different stories.
No. 2 Tarleton: Todd Whitten's Texans have beaten FBS Bowling Green 20-13 and then-No. 8 Austin Peay 40-32 on the road. They're averaging 39.5 points per game.
No. 3 Stephen F. Austin: Colby Carthel's Lumberjacks average 38.3 points while allowing just 15.2, with 23 sacks through six games.
No. 4 Lehigh: Kevin Cahill's Mountain Hawks allow only 11.8 points and 80.3 rushing yards per game while rushing for 262.5 themselves.
Tarleton has the marquee victories, SFA has balance, and Lehigh has one of the country's stingiest defenses.
Three perfect records. Three completely different formulas. Eighteen wins.
Yet 5-1 South Dakota State Football remains No. 1.
The Missouri Valley Of Death
The Missouri Valley Football Conference isn't just benefiting from its reputation. It's backing it up.
MVFC teams are 19-4 against nonconference FCS opponents, an 82.6% winning percentage that leads the subdivision.
Six MVFC teams are ranked:
No. 1 South Dakota State (5-1)
No. 6 Youngstown State (5-2)
No. 9 South Dakota (5-2)
No. 13 Illinois State (4-2)
No. 15 North Dakota (5-2)
No. 25 Northern Iowa (3-2)
The CAA Problem: Two's Company, Four's A Crowd
Campbell and Monmouth are the CAA's only ranked teams, but four programs remain unbeaten in conference play.
No. 18 Campbell: 5-1 overall, 2-0 CAA
No. 20 Monmouth: 4-2 overall, 3-0 CAA
Stony Brook: 4-2 overall, 2-0 CAA
Bryant: 4-2 overall, 2-0 CAA
Campbell averages 34 points per game and has lost only to FBS Florida. Monmouth leads the conference, though its three CAA wins have come by a combined 16 points.
Stony Brook may have the most intriguing case for a Top 25 spot. The Seawolves have won three straight, while Khalid Bueno leads the FCS with 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
Bryant remains undefeated in CAA play despite a nonconference loss to Brown.
The poll recognizes two CAA contenders. The standings suggest the championship race has at least four.
Every Vote Counts
One voting point separates a Top 10 ranking from the team immediately outside it.
Here's how close the latest AFCA poll is:
No. 10 Northern Arizona: 398 points
No. 11 Austin Peay: 397 points
No. 12 UC Davis: 396 points
Northern Arizona just upset Montana. Austin Peay lost 40-32 to undefeated Tarleton. UC Davis was idle.
Three different results, yet the coaches placed all three programs within two voting points.
Northern Arizona has the momentum and the Top 10 spot, but Austin Peay and UC Davis are practically alongside the Lumberjacks.
As the playoff race develops, every result matters. And as Austin Peay can tell you, every vote counts.
Where Can I See The Latest FCS Football Rankings?
The AFCA FCS Coaches Poll is released weekly during the college football season.
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