To emphasize the depth of Big Sky teams this season, consider four-time defending champ Weber State is .500 in conference play and tied for seventh place.
Better yet, look at the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, where five of the top 12 ranked teams are from the Big Sky.
Montana State (8-1) led the impressive contingent at No. 3 in the national media poll following a top-five win at Eastern Washington. It marked the Bobcats’ highest ranking since they were No. 3 on Sept. 16, 2013.
Only top-ranked and defending FCS champion Sam Houston (8-0) and James Madison (8-1) were ahead of Montana State in the rankings, which included No. 6 UC Davis, No. 7 Eastern Washington, No. 9 Montana and No. 12 Sacramento State from the Big Sky.
Ten different conferences had a ranked team, including the SWAC with two after Prairie View entered at No. 24 – the Panthers’ first appearance since Sept. 17, 2010. Jackson State was No. 18.
A national media panel selects the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 (Nov. 8)
1. Sam Houston (8-0, 4-0 AQ7), 1,250 points (50 first-place votes)
Previous Ranking: 1; Week 10 Result: 59-10 win over Dixie State
2. James Madison (8-1, 5-1 CAA), 1,180
Previous Ranking: 3; Week 10 Result: 51-14 win over Campbell
3. Montana State (8-1, 6-0 Big Sky), 1,168
Previous Ranking: 4; Week 10 Result: 23-20 win at then-No. 5 Eastern Washington
4. South Dakota State (7-2, 4-2 Missouri Valley), 1,045
Previous Ranking: 9; Week 10 Result: 27-19 win over then-No. 2 North Dakota State
5. North Dakota State (8-1, 5-1 Missouri Valley), 1,015
Previous Ranking: 2; Week 10 Result: 27-19 loss at then-No. 9 South Dakota State
6. UC Davis (8-1, 5-1 Big Sky), 1,005
Previous Ranking: 8; Week 10 Result: 40-24 win at Northern Arizona
7. Eastern Washington (7-2, 4-2 Big Sky), 889
Previous Ranking: 5; Week 10 Result: 23-20 loss to then-No. 4 Montana State
8. Villanova (7-2, 5-1 CAA), 872
Previous Ranking: 10; Week 10 Result: 35-0 win at Elon
9. Montana (7-2, 4-2 Big Sky), 799
Previous Ranking: 11; Week 10 Result: 35-0 win at Northern Colorado
10. Kennesaw State (8-1, 5-0 Big South), 778
Previous Ranking: 12; Week 10 Result: 45-21 win at Robert Morris
11. ETSU (8-1, 5-1 Southern), 723
Previous Ranking: 14; Week 10 Result: 27-20 win over then-No. 18 VMI
12. Sacramento State (7-2, 6-0 Big Sky), 624
Previous Ranking: 16; Week 10 Result: 41-9 win over Cal Poly
13. UT Martin (8-1, 4-0 Ohio Valley), 622
Previous Ranking: 15; Week 10 Result: 41-20 win over Tennessee State
14. Southeastern Louisiana (7-2, 5-1 Southland), 613
Previous Ranking: 6; Week 10 Result: 55-52 loss at then-No. 22 UIW
15. Southern Illinois (6-3, 4-2 Missouri Valley), 603
Previous Ranking: 7; Week 10 Result: 38-28 loss to then-No. 17 Missouri State
16. Missouri State (6-3, 5-2 Missouri Valley), 596
Previous Ranking: 17; Week 10 Result: 38-28 win at then-No. 7 Southern Illinois
17. UIW (7-2, 5-1 Southland), 516
Previous Ranking: 22; Week 10 Result: 55-52 win over then-No. 6 Southeastern Louisiana
18. Jackson State (8-1, 6-0 SWAC), 385
Previous Ranking: 19; Week 10 Result: 41-21 win over Texas Southern
19. South Dakota (6-3, 4-2 Missouri Valley), 338
Previous Ranking: 23; Week 10 Result: 42-21 win at Western Illinois
20. Northern Iowa (5-4, 3-3 Missouri Valley), 257
Previous Ranking: 13; Week 10 Result: 17-10 OT loss at Illinois State
21. VMI (6-3, 4-2 Southern), 173
Previous Ranking: 18; Week 10 Result: 27-20 loss at then-No. 14 ETSU
22.(tie) Chattanooga (6-3, 5-1 Southern), 160
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked; Week 10 Result: 35-10 win at Wofford
22.(tie) Dartmouth (7-1, 4-1 Ivy), 160
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked; Week 10 Result: 31-7 win over then-No. 20 Princeton
24. Prairie View A&M (7-1, 6-0 SWAC), 109
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked; Week 10 Result: 24-20 win over Alabama State
25. William & Mary (6-3, 4-2 CAA), 79
Previous Ranking: 20(tie); Week 10 Result: 24-3 loss at Delaware
Dropped Out: Princeton (20 tie), Weber State (24), Eastern Kentucky (25)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Mercer 58, Stephen F. Austin 54, Princeton 50, Florida A&M 46, Rhode Island 33, Eastern Kentucky 15, Delaware 8, Monmouth 7, Nicholls 7, Harvard 5, Holy Cross 3
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Voters – Stats Perform: Craig Haley, Gary Reasons. ASUN: Patrick McCoy, Mike Parris. Big Sky Conference: Doug Kelly, Tyson Rodgers, Larry Weir.Big South Conference: Brian Cleary, Matt Harmon, Mark Simpson. CAA Football: Scott Klatzkin, Greg Madia, Rob Washburn. Ivy League: Rick Bender, Craig Larson. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Bill Hamilton, Maurice Williams. Missouri Valley Football Conference: Dom Izzo, Mike Kern, Randy Reinhardt. Northeast Conference: Tad Maury, Ralph Ventre. Ohio Valley Conference: Neal Bradley, Kyle Schwartz. Patriot League: Eric Malanowski, Ryan Sakamoto. Pioneer Football League: Cody Bush, Jack Cronin. Southern Conference: David Fox, Jeff Hartsell, Phil Perry. Southland Conference: Zack Carlton, Josh Yonis. Southwestern Athletic Conference: Ronnie Johnson, Travis Jarome, Andrew Roberts. Western Athletic Conference: Josh Criswell, Chris Thompson. National Representatives: Josh Buchanan, Riley Corcoran, Sam Herder, Emory Hunt, Brett Huston, Kyle Kensing, Brandon Lawrence, Jon Passman, Lawrence Smith, Phil Sokol, Reggie Thomas, Jamie Williams.