Behind Southern Illinois' blowout of North Dakota State, the madness arrived before March
Call it the wildest weekend in the history of February college football, but, make no mistake, the FCS results in Week 3 would have been breathtaking if it was October or November.
Starting from the top with No. 1 North Dakota State and the end of its FCS-record 39-game winning streak, eight teams in the Athlon Power Poll suffered losses. That has led to Weber State taking over the top ranking.
Here’s the Athlon FCS Power Poll following Week 3 games:
1. Weber State
(1-0 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 2
Week 3 Result: 49-21 win at Idaho State
Next Game: March 13 vs. UC Davis
2. James Madison
(2-0, 0-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 3
Week 3 Result: 36-16 win over Robert Morris
Next Game: March 6 at Elon
3. North Dakota State
(2-1, 1-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 1
Week 3 Result: 38-14 loss at Southern Illinois
Next Game: March 6 at Missouri State
4. North Dakota
(2-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 13
Week 3 Result: 28-17 win over South Dakota State
Next Game: March 4 vs. No. 12 South Dakota
5. South Dakota State
(1-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 4
Week 3 Result: 28-17 loss at North Dakota
Next Game: March 6 vs. Western Illinois
6. Northern Iowa
(1-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 5
Week 3 Result: 21-0 win at Youngstown State
Next Game: March 6 vs. No. 14 Illinois State
7. Nicholls
(2-0, 0-0 Southland)
Previous Ranking: 8
Week 3 Result: 55-0 win over Lamar
Next Game: March 6 at Northwestern State
8. Villanova
(0-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 7
Week 3 Result: No game
Next Game: March 6 at Stony Brook
Team of the Week
9. Southern Illinois
(2-1, 1-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 20
Week 3 Result: 38-14 win over North Dakota State
Romeir Elliott and Javon Williams Jr. both rushed for two touchdowns and the Salukis ended the three-time defending national champ's FCS-record 39-game winning streak. They possessed the ball for 41 minutes, 26 seconds, more than three minutes longer than any NDSU opponent during its Division I era (since 2004).
Next Game: March 6 at Youngstown State
10. Kennesaw State
(1-0 Big South)
Previous Ranking: 6
Week 3 Result: 35-3 win over Shorter
Next Game: March 13 vs. Charleston Southern
11. Sam Houston
(1-0 Southland)
Previous Ranking: 10
Week 3 Result: 43-38 win over Southeastern Louisiana
Next Game: March 13 vs. No. 7 Nicholls
12. South Dakota
(1-0 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 3 Result: 27-20 win at Illinois State
Next Game: March 4 at No. 4 North Dakota
13. Jacksonville State
(4-1, 1-0 Ohio Valley)
Previous Ranking: 16
Week 3 Result: 27-10 win over Tennessee Tech
Next Game: March 7 at Tennessee State
14. Illinois State
(0-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 9
Week 3 Result: 27-20 loss to South Dakota
Next Game: March 6 at No. 6 Northern Iowa
15. New Hampshire
(0-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 15
Week 3 Result: No game
Next Game: March 5 vs. No. 16 Albany
16. Albany
(0-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 17
Week 3 Result: No game
Next Game: March 5 at No. 15 New Hampshire
17. Southeast Missouri
(1-1, 1-0 Ohio Valley)
Previous Ranking: 22
Week 3 Result: 47-7 win at Eastern Illinois
Next Game: March 7 vs. Murray State
18. Idaho
(1-0 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 23
Week 3 Result: 28-21 win over Eastern Washington
Next Game: March 6 vs. UC Davis
19. Southeastern Louisiana
(0-1 Southland)
Previous Ranking: 11
Week 3 Result: 43-38 loss at Sam Houston
Next Game: March 6 vs. McNeese
20. Eastern Washington
(0-1 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 3 Result: 28-21 loss at Idaho
Next Game: March 6 vs. Northern Arizona
21. Monmouth
(0-0 Big South)
Previous Ranking: 19
Week 3 Result: No game
Next Game: March 13 at Robert Morris
22. Chattanooga
(1-1, 1-0 Southern)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 3 Result: 24-13 win over Wofford
Next Game: March 6 at THe Citadel
23. Furman
(1-1 Southern)
Previous Ranking: 14
Week 3 Result: 14-13 loss at VMI
Next Game: March 6 vs. Samford
24. Delaware
(0-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 21
Week 3 Result: No game
Next Game: March 6 vs. Maine
25. Incarnate Word
(1-0 Southland)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 3 Result: 48-20 win at McNeese
Next Game: March 6 at Lamar
— 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.fcs.football. He appears frequently on radio shows and podcasts to discuss everything FCS. Follow him on Twitter @CraigHaley.
(Photo courtesy of Southern Illinois Athletics)
