| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | North Dakota State | NDSU (3-0) went to Delaware and dominated. Next? Oh, #3 UC-Davis. Hopefully, this will be interesting. | 1 |
| 2 |  | James Madison | JMU (2-1) beat down Morgan State. A tough final non-con roadie before CAA play with Chattanooga next week. | 2 |
| 3 |  | UC Davis | UC-D (2-1) had no problems with Lehigh, as expected. Perhaps the biggest road game in history next week at NDSU. | 5 |
| 4 |  | South Dakota State | SDSU (2-1) wins over Long Island or Drake only go so far. Next week at home vs. Southern Utah is the same. Are they MVFC ready? | 6 |
| 5 |  | Towson | Towson (3-0) added a win over Maine with a previous win over The Citadel. Can they hold the top 5 at home against Villanova? | 7 |
| 6 |  | Weber State | WSU (1-2) took their second loss to the FBS, this time at Nevada. They get this week off to prepare for a home date with UNI. | 3 |
| 7 |  | Nicholls | Nicholls (1-1) needed a spirited effort to beat Prairie View A&M. Third road game to start the year at Stephen F. Austin next. | 8 |
| 8 |  | Illinois State | ISUred (2-1) weren't as dominate over Eastern Illinois as would have thought. But still won. Home game with Northern Arizona next. | 9 |
| 9 |  | Jacksonville State | JSU (2-1) followed their surprising opening loss with two top 25 wins. Now they host neighbor North Alabama before OVC play. | 16 |
| 10 |  | Eastern Washington | EWU (1-2) is getting the benefit of the doubt right now, after losing to Jax State. Better beat Idaho next week or they tumble big. | 4 |
| 11 |  | Central Arkansas | UCA (3-0) weather the storm against Abilene Christian, barely. Can they pull the FBS double dip at Hawai'i next week? | 11 |
| 12 |  | Montana State | MSU (2-1) won a tough roadie at Western Illinois. A visit from Norfolk Stte should be a piece of cake. | 13 |
| 13 |  | Northern Iowa | UNI (1-1) had the week off, taking time to get ready for Idaho State. | 14 |
| 14 |  | Kennesaw State | KSU (2-1) took care of Alabama State, no problem. The road trip to Missouri State shouldn't be much harder. | 21 |
| 15 |  | North Carolina A&T | NC A&T (2-1) beat Charleston Southern. They get a bye before starting MEAC play. They shouldn't be challenged the rest of the way. | 22 |
| 16 |  | Elon | Elon (2-1) would likely be top 5-6 had they not lost that opener to NC A&T. A win at FBS Wake Forest might force their way. | 23 |
| 17 |  | Southeastern Louisiana | SELA (1-1) missed a game because of Dorrian and the extra week helped the effort vs. FBS Ole Miss. Host Lamar in SLC next. | 15 |
| 18 |  | Montana | Griz (2-1) lost to FBS Oregon but tumble because of their opponents bad losses. A win over Monmouth would be a good rebound. | 10 |
| 19 |  | Villanova | 'Nova (3-0) has feasted on the Patriot League. A big step up in competition at Towson next week. | NR |
| 20 |  | Chattanooga | Mocs (1-2) were embarrassed by Tennessee. And next week's tilt with James Madison won't be much easier. | 17 |
| 21 |  | Maine | UM (1-2) has lost two straight, but Towson and FBS losses are aceptable. But they better go to Colgate and be dominant. | 18 |
| 22 |  | Furman | Furman (1-2) was giving FBS Virginia Tech fits before falling. SoCon play starts at home with a decent Mercer team. | 19 |
| 23 |  | Southern Illinois | SIU (2-1) has upped their game after opening loss at SEMO. A win at FBS Arkansas State might be worthy of a top 10 ranking. | NR |
| 24 |  | Indiana State | ISUblue (1-2) got their must win over Eastern Kentucky. They have another this week hosting Eastern Illinois. | 24 |
| 25 |  | SE Missouri State | SEMO (1-2) beat SIU, lost to Montana State and lost a clunker to FBS Mizzou. Next week's win vs. WV State will mean nothing. | 20 |
