Texans now top-3 in country in both polls ahead of top-10 ranked matchup at Austin Peay

STEPHENVILLE — Saturday will feature the first top-10 ranked matchup in United Athletic Conference history, with the Texans now top-three in both polls and Austin Peay cracking the top-10 in both, as well.

Tarleton State Football rose one spot in each of the major FCS rankings this week, up to No. 2 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, after its Legends Game win over Chicago State this past weekend.

The Texans’ No. 2 ranking in the AFCA Coaches Poll is their tied-best ranking in program history. They’ve been ranked as high as No. 2 in both polls, which happened last year in October, after winning at EKU.

In the AFCA Coaches Poll, Tarleton State earned 614 points, with No. 1 South Dakota State at 648 points. The Texans surpassed former No. 1 ranked Montana State, who lost to Idaho on Friday. The Texans are one of two UAC teams in this poll now, with Austin Peay at No. 8, and West Florida dropping out. 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.

In the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, the Texans earned 1,305 points, trailing No. 1 South Dakota State (1,419 points), and No. 2 Montana (1,345 points). Tarleton State surpassed Montana State in the rankings. The Texans are one of two UAC teams in the poll with Austin Peay at No. 9, and West Florida dropped out.

The Texans have been ranked in 33 straight iterations of the polls, dating back to the preseason polls in 2024. Tarleton State is one of six teams to have been ranked in each poll over the past three seasons, along with Illinois State, Montana, Montana State, South Dakota State and UC Davis.

Tarleton State is one of five teams in the FCS still undefeated on the year, along with Lehigh, SFA, Jackson State and Harvard. The Texans have started 5-0 for the second straight season, their first such stretch since 2018-19. They went a combined 23-2 in those seasons. Since the beginning of 2025, the Texans are 16-1 in the regular season.

The Texans will clash with Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday at 6 p.m.

AFCA FCS Coaches Poll

1. South Dakota State
2. Tarleton State
3. Montana
4. Stephen F. Austin
5. Lehigh
6. Montana State
7. North Dakota
8. Austin Peay
9. Youngstown State
10. Lamar
11. UC Davis
12. South Dakota
13. Illinois State
14. Northern Arizona
15. Richmond
16. Tennessee Tech
17. Idaho State
18. Mercer
19. Harvard
20. Campbell
21. South Carolina State
22. Jackson State
23. Colgate
24. Monmouth
25. Southeastern Louisiana

Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll

1. South Dakota State
2. Montana
3. Tarleton State
4. North Dakota
5. Lehigh
6. Montana State
7. Stephen F. Austin
8. Youngstown State
9. Austin Peay
10. South Dakota
11. Lamar
12. Illinois State
13. Northern Arizona
14. UC Davis
15. Tennessee Tech
16. Idaho State
17. Campbell
18. Harvard
19. Richmond
20. Mercer
21. South Carolina State
22. Jackson State
23. Colgate
24. ETSU
25. Southern Illinois