Missouri Valley places four teams in top-10 FCS poll, USD at No. 11

BROOKINGS — The Missouri Valley Football Conference continues to make its mark nationally, with four teams landing in the top 10 of the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll released Monday, Sept. 7. South Dakota State leads the conference at No. 2 with 1,303 points, holding steady from last week despite a 16-point loss to Big Ten opponent Northwestern on Saturday in Evanston, Illinois. The Jackrabbits fell 34-18 to the Wildcats and are now 1-1 overall. SDSU will look to bounce back when it hosts New Haven at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, in Brookings. Illinois State, the FCS national runner-up last season, moved down one spot to No. 5 with 1,209 points. The Redbirds improved to 2-0 after a 41-10 victory over Western Illinois last week. Illinois State will face Northern Illinois at 6 p.m. Saturday in DeKalb, Illinois. North Dakota made the biggest move among the conference's top-10 teams, climbing from No. 8 to No. 6 with 1,037 points. The Fighting Hawks remained unbeaten at 2-0 after rolling past St. Thomas 62-26. UND travels to Hillsboro, Oregon, to take on Portland State at 9 p.m. Saturday. Youngstown State rounds out the MVFC's top-10 contingent at No. 10 with 939 points, slipping one spot from last week's ranking. The Penguins dropped a 45-13 decision to SEC opponent Kentucky and are 1-1 entering Saturday's home matchup with Duquesne at 1 p.m. in Youngstown, Ohio. Just outside the top 10, South Dakota remained at No. 11 with 901 points. The Coyotes are 2-0 following a 38-23 road win over Northern Colorado and will host Eastern Washington at 1 p.m. Saturday in Vermillion. It will be USD's second-straight game against a Big Sky Conference opponent. 1. Montana State (2-0, 1-0 Big Sky), 1,425 points (57 of 57 first-place votes), No. 1 previous ranking. 2. South Dakota State (1-1), 1,303 points, No. 2 previous ranking. 3. Montana (2-0, 1-0 Big Sky), 1,292 points, No. 3 previous ranking. 4. Tarleton State (2-0), 1,272 points, No. 5 previous ranking. 5. Illinois State (2-0), 1,209 points, No. 4 previous ranking. 6. North Dakota (2-0), 1,037 points, No. 8 previous ranking. 7. UC Davis (2-0, 1-0 Big Sky, 1,003 points, No. 7 previous ranking. 8. Rhode Island (1-1) 994 points, No. 6 previous ranking. 9. Lehigh (2-0, 2-0 Patriot), 941 points, No. 10 previous ranking. 10. Youngstown State (1-1), 939 points, No. 9 previous ranking. 11. South Dakota (2-0), 901 points, No. 11 previous ranking. 12. Tennessee Tech (2-0), 836 points, No. 12 previous ranking. 13. Stephen F. Austin (2-0, 2-0 Southland), 806 points, No. 13 previous ranking. 14. Lamar (1-1), 545 points, No. 14 previous ranking. 15. Austin Peay (1-1), 540 points, No. 15 previous ranking. 16. William & Mary (2-0, 1-0 Patriot), 506 points; No. 17 previous ranking. 17. Idaho State (2-0), 478 points, No. 23 previous ranking. 18. Mercer (2-0), 417 points, No. 19 previous ranking. 19. Yale (0-0), 383 points, No. 16 previous ranking. 20. West Florida (2-0, 1-0 UAC), 317 points, No. 25 previous ranking. 21. Villanova (1-1, 1-1 Patriot), 275 points, No. 18 previous ranking. 22. South Carolina State (2-0), 270 points, No. 21 previous ranking. 23. Abilene Christian (0-2), 196 points, No. 20 previous ranking. 24. Northern Arizona (1-1, 1-0 Big Sky), 160 points, No. 22 previous ranking. 25. Harvard (0-0), 64 points, NR previous ranking.