Week 3 FCS Football Top 25 Rankings
September 19, 2021 · Jason Groomes
| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  |
South Dakota State |
SDSU (2-0) had the week off. They will start MVFC action next week at Indiana State. | 1 |
| 2 |  |
Sam Houston | SHSU (2-0) took this week off in preparation for a tough AQ7 road opener at Central Arkansas. | 2 |
| 3 |  |
Montana | UM (2-0) enjoyed a week of rest before this week’s home game vs. Cal Poly. Trap game? At Eastern Washington after that. | 3 |
| 4 |  |
James Madison | JMU (3-0) won pretty convinvingly at Weber State. No doubt they’re for real now. They’ll take this week to celebrate it. | 4 |
| 5 |  |
North Dakota State | NDSU (3-0) rolled into Towson and rolled out the same – undefeated. Bison will take the traditional MVFC bye week before conference play. | 5 |
| 6 |  |
Southern Illinois | SIU (2-1) gave Dayton a home opening beating, Saluki-style. They’ll host Illinois State next week to start MVFC play. | 9 |
| 7 |  |
UC Davis | UC-D (3-0) whistled a victory tune against Dixie State. Next week, they’ll travel to Utah and see how Weber State is feeling. | 10 |
| 8 |  |
Delaware | UD (2-1) has been impressive, but Rutgers was just too much to handle. They’ll have a week off before hosting Albany. | 6 |
| 9 |  |
Eastern Washington | EWU (3-0) had a tough time at Western Illinois, but this offense is scary! Possible trap game at Southern Utah coming up. | 8 |
| 10 |  |
Montana State | MSU (2-1) showed they can handle the Pioneer League, beating San Diego after Drake. They get the Vikings in Portland State next. | 11 |
| 11 |  |
Weber State | WSU (1-2) had a rough go at home against James Madison. Next week’s home tilt with UC-Davis won’t be easy either. | 7 |
| 12 |  |
East Tennessee State | ETSU (3-0) stayed undefeated, beating Delaware State at home. SoCon play starts next week at Samford. | 13 |
| 13 |  |
Northern Iowa | UNI (2-1) was never in jeopardy at home vs. St. Thomas. Now the MVFC traditional bye week before hosting Youngstown State. | 14 |
| 14 |  |
Jacksonville State | JSU (2-1) followed their huge Florida State win with a hard fought victory over North Alabama. A surprising UT-M visits next week. | 12 |
| 15 |  |
Southeastern Louisiana | SLU (2-1) took their offense to Central Connecticut State and left a lot of points on the scoreboard. This week they can recharge – bye. | 15 |
| 16 |  |
North Dakota | UND (2-1) thumped Drake, to no one’s surprise. MVFC’s newest member will also take the traditional bye. | 16 |
| 17 |  |
Villanova |
VU (3-0) won a tough game against fellow cupcaker, Richmond. Get to stay in state, but Penn State is not a fun place to visit. | 17 |
| 18 |  |
Missouri State | MSU (1-1) was on sabatical this week. They open MVFC action at home against a 2-1 South Dakota. | 19 |
| 19 |  |
Austin Peay | APSU (2-1) treated Morehead State very rudely. Will make a trip to former conference foe, Eastern Kentucky next week. | 18 |
| 20 |  |
Central Arkansas | UCA (1-2) got into the win column by beating in-state Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Next week’s visit from SHSU will be a lot tougher. | 21 |
| 21 |  |
VMI | VMI (2-1) travelled to Cornell and came home with a win. Their conference schedule starts at home with Wofford. | 20 |
| 22 |  |
Monmouth | MU (2-1) opened Big South play by turning away Charleston Southern. Resume buildng chance at home vs. Holy Cross next. | 23 |
| 23 |  |
Furman | FU (2-1) can’t be blamed for losing at FBS NC State. Home conference opener next week with Mercer. | 24 |
| 24 |  |
New Hampshire | UNH (3-0) has started undefeated, but little fanfare. A win at FBS Pittsburgh would definitely change that narrative. | 25 |
| 25 |  |
Jackson State | JSU (2-1) nearly pulled the upset of FBS Louisiana-Monroe. Next week is a gimme game against sub-FCS Delta State. | NR |
