Week 3 FCS Football Top 25 Rankings
September 17, 2017 · CSM Staff
| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  |
James Madison | Dukes (3-0) put up a measly 75 on Norfolk State. Probably won’t do that at home against Maine…or could they? | 1 |
| 2 |  |
North Dakota State | Bison (2-0) took this week off. Apparently they need the rest before hosting Robert Morris. | 2 |
| 3 |  |
South Dakota State | SDSU (3-0) finished non-conference play unbeaten. They’ll take this week off before entering the MVFC Battle Royale. | 3 |
| 4 |  |
Sam Houston State | SHSU (2-0) were idle. They get their two main competitors in the Southland the next two weeks; vs. Nicholls and at UCA. | 4 |
| 5 |  |
Liberty | Flames (3-0) barely slipped by Indiana State. An effort like that against Jacksonville State will result in a loss. | 6 |
| 6 |  |
Villanova | Wildcats (2-1) smash Lafayette. Huge opener in the CAA at Albany next week. | 8 |
| 7 |  |
Jacksonville State | JSU (1-1) took the week off. Already played Chattanooga and Georgia Tech. Might as well play Liberty too. | 7 |
| 8 |  |
Wofford | Wofford (2-0) slept in this week in preparation for their Big South swoon the next two weeks. | 10 |
| 9 |  |
Youngstown State | YSU (3-0) has suffered from a lot of off the field news. This just in – on the field, the Penguins are getting together again! | 12 |
| 10 |  |
Richmond | Spiders (2-1) put an end to Howard’s fairy tale season. They open CAA play against a surprising 2-1 Elon. | 13 |
| 11 |  |
Western Illinois | WIU (2-0) took this week off, jumped the gun on their next game. NOW, they go to Coastal Carolina. | 14 |
| 12 |  |
South Dakota | Coyotes (3-0) chewed up the Fighting Hawks. Not too many have looked more impressive than they have. | 21 |
| 13 |  |
New Hampshire | Hey, Wildcats (2-1), what was that? FBS win hangover, whipped by Holy Cross. They host Rhode Island in their CAA opener. | 5 |
| 14 |  |
Citadel | Bulldogs (3-0) snuck by ETSU. Not impressive at all. Maybe they were looking ahead to the roadie at Samford in two weeks. | 15 |
| 15 |  |
Tennessee State | Tigers (3-0) beat Florida A&M to stay perfect. Big OVC opener at Tennessee-Martin next week. | 16 |
| 16 |  |
Central Arkansas | Bears (2-1) whooped SE Louisiana. Now they sit and watch Nicholls take a shot at Sam Houston before they get theirs. | 17 |
| 17 |  |
Eastern Washington | Eagles (1-2) get in the win column, crushing Fordham. Big Sky from here on out, why not just start at Montana? Done! | 19 |
| 18 |  |
Samford | Samford (2-1) was beaten down at Georgia, no shame in that. But SoCon plays starts now, at Western Carolina first. | 9 |
| 19 |  |
Nicholls | Colonels (2-1) beat Prairie View worse than SHSU did. Guess where they go next? | 24 |
| 20 |  |
North Dakota | UND (1-2) might wanna reconsider a move to the MVFC after what South Dakota did to them. They host Montana State next. | 11 |
| 21 |  |
North Carolina A&T | Aggies (3-0) beat the FBS for a second straight year. Will be in the playoff hunt if they don’t win the MEAC. Morgan State next. | NR |
| 22 |  |
Illinois State | Redbirds (2-0) jump into the Top 25, beat Eastern Illinois. Get a jump on MVFC play at Missouri State next week. | NR |
| 23 |  |
Albany | Danes (2-1) beat Monmouth and jump in the Top 25. A win next week at home against Villanova will keep them here. | NR |
| 24 |  |
UT-Martin | Skyhawks (2-1) get a big win at Chattanooga. If they can beat Tennessee State, they might be the OVC’s favorite. | NR |
| 25 |  |
Southern Utah | Thunderbirds (2-1) win a tough one over Northern Iowa. They look to keep the momentum at Sacramento State next week. | NR |
