STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State Football is in the top-five in both of the major national rankings entering the regular season finale, the polls revealed on Monday.
The Texans elevated a spot in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll to No. 5, and remained at No. 5 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
Tarleton State just won its 10th game of the season, the seventh time in program history the Texans have reached double-digit wins, as they improved to 10-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play with a 61-0 romping of North Alabama. The Texans’ 61-point victory marked their largest margin of victory in 11 years (80-14 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville on Oct. 11, 2014) and their largest shutout win in 23 years (62-0 vs. SW Assemblies of God on Aug. 29, 2022).
In the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, the Texans earned 1,166 points, behind North Dakota State (1,400 points), Montana (1,327 points), Montana State (1,301 points) and Lehigh (1,194 points). The Texans surpassed Tennessee Tech, who flipped with Tarleton State’s previous rank, after a loss to Kentucky. 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.
In the latest AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, Tarleton State earned 505 points, with North Dakota State at 599 points, Montana at 573 points, Montana State at 549 points, and Lehigh at 523 points. The AFCA FCS Coaches Poll is voted on by the panel chosen by random draw, conference by conference plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the AFCA their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top-25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second-place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.
The Texans were ranked No. 5 in the second and final midseason FCS Top 10 release of the season on Nov. 5. The Division I Football Championship Committee decides the 24-team field for the FCS Playoffs. The 2025 championship field will consist of 11 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large selections. The FCS Selection Show will air on November 23 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU. Tarleton State will host an FCS Playoff Selection Show Watch Party at the EECU Center on Nov. 23, as the Texans invite all fans to be part of another chapter of this historic Tarleton State Football season, and witness with the team when and where the Texans will be playing their first playoff game. This is a free event for all to attend at the EECU Center. Doors will open at 10 a.m.
Tarleton State is one of two UAC teams in both rankings, and one of three UAC teams in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. ACU is No. 17 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and No. 18 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, and West Georgia is ranked No. 23 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
The full Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll after Week 12:
1. North Dakota State (11-0, 8-0 MVFC)
Points: 1,400 (56 of 56 first-place votes); Previous Ranking: 1; Week 12: 48-16 win over Northern Iowa; Week 13: St. Thomas
2. Montana (11-0, 7-0 Big Sky)
Points: 1,327; Previous Ranking: 2; Week 12: 63-17 win at Portland State; Week 13: No. 3 Montana State
3. Montana State (9-2, 7-0 Big Sky)
Points: 1,301; Previous Ranking: 3; Week 12: 38-17 win over then-No. 9 UC Davis; Week 13: at No. 2 Montana
4. Lehigh (11-0, 6-0 Patriot)
Points: 1,194; Previous Ranking: 4; Week 12: 27-7 win at Colgate; Week 13: at Lafayette
5. Tarleton State (10-1, 6-1 UAC)
Points: 1,166; Previous Ranking: 6; Week 12: 61-0 win over North Alabama; Week 13: Austin Peay
6. Tennessee Tech (10-1, 7-0 OVC-Big South)
Points: 1,129; Previous Ranking: 5; Week 12: 42-10 loss at Kentucky; Week 13: UT Martin
7. Mercer (9-1, 8-0 SoCon)
Points: 976; Previous Ranking: 8; Week 12: 63-17 win over Chattanooga; Week 13: at Auburn
8. Harvard (9-0, 6-0 Ivy)
Points: 962; Previous Ranking: 7; Week 12: 45-43 win over Penn; Week 13: at Yale
9. Villanova (8-2, 7-1 CAA)
Points: 841; Previous Ranking: 10; Week 12: 30-27 win over Stony Brook; Week 13: Sacred Heart
10. Rhode Island (9-2, 7-0 CAA)
Points: 839; Previous Ranking: 11; Week 12: 45-13 win at Maine; Week 13: Hampton
11. Illinois State (8-3, 5-2 MVFC)
Points: 749; Previous Ranking: 14; Week 12: 35-21 win at then-No. 16 South Dakota State; Week 13: No. 24 Southern Illinois
12. Monmouth (9-2, 6-1 CAA)
Points: 745; Previous Ranking: 12; Week 12: 63-19 win at North Carolina A&T; Week 13: UAlbany
13. North Dakota (7-4, 5-2 MVFC)
Points: 704; Previous Ranking: 13; Week 12: 35-17 win at Murray State; Week 13: No. 22 South Dakota State
14. Stephen F. Austin (9-2, 7-0 Southland)
Points: 696; Previous Ranking: 15; Week 12: 26-15 win over then-No. 19 Lamar; Week 13: at Northwestern State
15. UC Davis (7-3, 5-2 Big Sky)
Points: 679; Previous Ranking: 9; Week 12: 38-17 loss at then-No. 3 Montana State; Week 13: Sacramento State
16. South Dakota (8-4, 6-2 MVFC)
Points: 633; Previous Ranking: 17; Week 12: 53-51 five-OT win at then-No. 21 Southern Illinois; Week 13: No game
17. Abilene Christian (7-4, 6-1 UAC)
Points: 531; Previous Ranking: 18; Week 12: 17-10 win at Eastern Kentucky; Week 13: at Central Arkansas
18. Youngstown State (7-4, 4-3 MVFC)
Points: 477; Previous Ranking: 20; Week 12: 48-29 win over Indiana State; Week 13: at Northern Iowa
19. Lamar (8-3, 5-2 Southland)
Points: 299; Previous Ranking: 19; Week 12: 26-15 loss at then-No. 15 Stephen F. Austin; Week 13: McNeese
20. Jackson State (8-2, 6-1 SWAC)
Points: 289; Previous Ranking: 22; Week 12: 28-13 win over Bethune-Cookman; Week 13: Alcorn State
21. Southeastern Louisiana (8-3, 6-1 Southland)
Points: 271; Previous Ranking: 23; Week 12: 10-7 win at UIW; Week 13: Nicholls
22. South Dakota State (7-4, 3-4 MVFC)
Points: 255; Previous Ranking: 16; Week 12: 35-21 loss to then-No. 14 Illinois State; Week 13: at No. 13 North Dakota
23. Northern Arizona (7-4, 4-3 Big Sky)
Points: 136; Previous Ranking: 24; Week 12: 35-27 win over Cal Poly; Week 13: at Weber State
24. Southern Illinois (6-5, 3-4 MVFC)
Points: 117; Previous Ranking: 21; Week 12: 53-51 five-OT loss to then-No. 17 South Dakota; Week 13: at No. 11 Illinois State
25. New Hampshire (7-4, 5-2 CAA)
Points: 98; Previous Ranking: NR; Week 12: 42-14 win at Bryant; Week 13: Maine
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