North Carolina A&T jumped into the Top 10 of the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll at No. 6 this week after two straight outstanding performances. The Aggies upset then-No. 6 Jacksonville State, 20-17, on August 25, then traveled to East Carolina and handed the Pirates a 28-23 loss on Sunday after sitting through a one-day weather delay. This vaulted them to No. 6 overall in the latest FCS Coaches Poll.
RELATED ARTICLE: North Dakota State Starts No. 1 In First-Ever AFCA FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll
North Dakota State still sits at No. 1 with all 26 first-place votes. The Bison are followed by James Madison, South Dakota State, Sam Houston State and Eastern Washington, who round out the Top 5.
Montana had the biggest gain in the poll, jumping from No. 25 to No. 16 after beating then-No. 11 Northern Iowa, 26-23. The biggest loser this week was New Hampshire, who fell 13 spots to No. 22 after its loss to Maine.
There are two Top 25 matchups coming up this week. In the first matchup, No. 5 Eastern Washington travels to No. 20 Northern Arizona in a key Big Sky Conference battle while the second contest has No. 15 Elon hosting No. 21 Furman.
2018 American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches’ Poll – September 3, 2018
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Record | Pts. | Previous Rank | Season Opener | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota St. (26) | 1-0 | 650 | 1 | D. Cal Poly, 49-3 | Sept. 15 vs. North Alabama |
| 2 | James Madison | 0-1 | 614 | 2 | Lost to NC State, 24-13 | Sept. 8 at Norfolk St. |
| 3 | South Dakota St. | 0-0 | 585 | 3 | Sept. 1 at Iowa St. – cancelled | Sept. 8 vs. Montana St. |
| 4 | Sam Houston St. | 0-0 | 565 | 4 | Idle | Sept. 8 vs. Prairie View A&M |
| 5 | Eastern Washington | 1-0 | 524 | 7 | D. Central Washington, 58-17 | Sept. 8 at No. 20 Northern Arizona |
| 6 | North Carolina A&T | 2-0 | 479 | 14 | D. East Carolina, 28-23 | Sept. 8 vs. Gardner-Webb |
| 7 | Wofford | 1-0 | 461 | 11 | D. The Citadel, 28-21 | Sept. 8 vs. VMI |
| 8 | Kennesaw St. | 0-1 | 447 | 5 | Lost to Georgia St., 24-20 | Sept. 6 at Tennessee Tech |
| 9 | Samford | 1-0 | 434 | 10 | D. Shorter, 66-9 | Sept. 8 at Florida St. |
| 10 | Nicholls | 1-0 | 392 | 17 | D. Kansas, 26-23 (OT) | Sept. 8 at Tulane |
| 11 | Villanova | 1-0 | 368 | 19 | D. Temple, 19-17 | Sept. 8 at Lehigh |
| 12 | Jacksonville St. | 0-1 | 348 | 6 | Lost to No. 14 North Carolina A&T, 20-17 | Sept. 8 vs. Mississippi Valley St. |
| 13 | Weber St. | 0-1 | 315 | 8 | Lost to Utah, 41-10 | Sept. 8 at Cal Poly |
| 14 | McNeese | 1-0 | 296 | 18 | D. Northern Colorado, 17-14 | Sept. 8 at Houston Baptist |
| 15 | Elon | 0-1 | 250 | 13 | Lost to South Florida, 34-14 | Sept. 8 vs. No. 21 Furman |
| 16 | Montana | 1-0 | 248 | 25 | D. No. 11 Northern Iowa, 26-23 | Sept. 8 vs. Drake |
| 17 | Central Arkansas | 0-1 | 247 | 15 | Lost to Tulsa, 38-27 | Sept. 8 vs. Murray St. |
| 18 | Northern Iowa | 0-1 | 206 | 12 | Lost to No. 25 Montana, 26-23 | Sept. 15 at Iowa |
| 19 | Illinois St. | 1-0 | 205 | 20 | D. Saint Xavier, 46-0 | Sept. 8 vs. Eastern Illinois |
| 20 | Northern Arizona | 1-0 | 175 | NR | D. UTEP, 30-10 | Sept. 8 vs. No. 5 Eastern Washington |
| 21 | Furman | 0-1 | 102 | 21 | Lost to Clemson, 48-7 | Sept. 8 at No. 15 Elon |
| 22 | New Hampshire | 0-1 | 95 | 9 | Lost to Maine, 35-7 | Sept. 8 vs. Colgate |
| 23 | Stony Brook | 0-1 | 79 | 22 | Lost to Air Force, 38-0 | Sept. 8 vs. Bryant |
| 24 | Austin Peay | 0-1 | 59 | 23 | Lost to Georgia, 45-0 | Sept. 8 vs. Presbyterian |
| 25 | Maine | 1-0 | 54 | NR | D. No. 9 New Hampshire, 35-7 | Sept. 8 at Western Kentucky |
Dropped Out: Delaware (16), Youngstown St. (24)
Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota, 46; Delaware, 40; Sacramento St., 27; UC Davis, 23; Yale, 22; San Diego, 20; Colgate, 18; Montana St., 11; Rhode Island, 11; Dayton, 9; Western Carolina, 9; Youngstown St., 5; Southeastern Louisiana, 4; Alabama St., 3; Charleston Southern, 3; Grambling St., 1.