FCS Football: Top 25 Power Poll Following Week 4
There was a lot of movement even with nearly one-third of the ranked teams idle but Pierre Strong and South Dakota State kept on winning, posting a dominant 45-0 win over Indiana State
Zoe Wang/SDSU Athletics
With eight teams in the Athlon FCS Top 25 Power Poll sitting out with byes during the fourth full weekend of the season, the rankings could have remained relatively status quo.
Try telling that to No. 9 Jacksonville State, which took a big tumble, and, even worse, No. 18 Monmouth, No. 20 Central Arkansas, and No. 21 Austin Peay, which got bounced from the rankings. Overall, six ranked teams suffered losses.
It’s the way the FCS has gone in recent years, just not in the early weeks this season.
Here’s the Athlon FCS Power Poll following Week 4 games:
1. James Madison
(3-0, 1-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 1
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 at No. 25 New Hampshire
2. South Dakota State
(3-0, 1-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 2
Week 4 Result: 44-0 win at Indiana State
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Dixie State
3. North Dakota State
(3-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 3
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 at No. 12 North Dakota
4. Sam Houston
(3-0, 1-0 AQ7)
Previous Ranking: 4
Week 4 Result: 45-35 win at Central Arkansas
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Stephen F. Austin (in Houston)
5. Montana
(3-0, 1-0 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 5
Week 4 Result: 39-7 win over Cal Poly
Next Game: Oct. 2 at No. 10 Eastern Washington
6. Montana State
(3-1, 1-0 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 6
Week 4 Result: 30-17 win at Portland State
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Northern Colorado
7. Southern Illinois
(3-1, 1-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 7
Week 4 Result: 35-17 win over Illinois State
Next Game: Oct. 2 at Western Illinois
8. UC Davis
(4-0, 1-0 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 10
Week 4 Result: 17-14 win at Weber State
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Idaho
9. Delaware
(2-1, 1-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 9
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. UAlbany
10. Eastern Washington
(4-0, 1-0 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 11
Week 4 Result: 50-21 win at Southern Utah
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. No. 5 Montana
11. Villanova
(3-1, 1-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 8
Week 4 Result: 38-17 loss at Penn State
Next Game: Oct. 9 at James Madison
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12. North Dakota
(2-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. No. 3 North Dakota State
13. Northern Iowa
(2-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 13
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Youngstown State
14. Missouri State
(2-1, 1-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 16
Week 4 Result: 31-23 win over South Dakota
Next Game: Oct. 2 at Illinois State
15. ETSU
(4-0, 1-0 Southern)
Previous Ranking: 22
Week 4 Result: 55-48 OT win at Samford
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Wofford
16. Southeastern Louisiana
(2-1, 0-0 Southland)
Previous Ranking: 17
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 at McNeese
17. Weber State
(1-3, 0-1 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 15
Week 4 Result: 17-14 loss to UC Davis
Next Game: Oct. 2 at Cal Poly
18. Kennesaw State
(2-1, 0-0 Big South)
Previous Ranking: 23
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. No. 22 Jacksonville State
19. VMI
(3-1, 1-0 Southern)
Previous Ranking: 25
Week 4 Result: 31-23 win over Wofford
Next Game: Oct. 2 at The Citadel
20. UT Martin
(3-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley)
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Week 4 Result: 34-31 win at Jacksonville State
Next Game: Oct. 9 vs. Murray State
21. Rhode Island
(3-0, 1-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 24
Week 4 Result: Open week
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Stony Brook
22. Jacksonville State
(2-2, 0-0 AQ7)
Previous Ranking: 14
Week 4 Result: 34-31 loss to UT Martin
Next Game: Oct. 2 at No. 18 Kennesaw State
Team of the Week
23. Princeton
(2-0, 0-0 Ivy)
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Week 4 Result: 63-0 win over Stetson
The preseason favorite in the Ivy League has posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1965, pounding Stetson behind quarterback Cole Smith’s five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) and seven sacks.
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. Columbia
24. UIW
(2-2, 1-0 Southland)
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Week 4 Result: 31-0 win over McNeese
Next Game: Oct. 2 at Northwestern State
25. New Hampshire
(3-1, 2-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 19
Week 4 Result: 77-7 loss at Pittsburgh
Next Game: Oct. 2 vs. No. 1 James Madison
— Written by Craig Haley, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Haley has covered the FCS level since 1999 and is the national writer for www.TheAnalyst.com. He appears frequently on radio, TV and podcasts to discuss everything FCS. Follow him on Twitter @CraigHaley.
