STEPHENVILLE — With just two weeks left of the regular season, Tarleton State Football was elevated to No. 5 in one of the two major rankings, and its ranking remained unchanged in the other, announced on Monday.
The Texans jumped two spots in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll to No. 5, surpassing Tennessee Tech and Monmouth. In the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, the Texans were ranked No. 6, unchanged from last week.
Tarleton State enters Week 12 at 9-1 overall and 5-1 in United Athletic Conference play. There are two regular season games remaining for the Texans, both at Memorial Stadium. Tarleton State hosts North Alabama on Military Appreciation on Saturday at 6 p.m., and will conclude the regular season campaign against Austin Peay on Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. on Senior Day. If the Texans win both, they will win at least a share of the United Athletic Conference championship. Tarleton State could clinch at least a share this Saturday, as well, with an Abilene Christian loss at Eastern Kentucky and a Tarleton State win vs. North Alabama.
Last week, the Texans were ranked No. 5 in the second and final midseason FCS Top 10 release of the season. 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 November 23 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU.
In the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll on Monday, Tarleton State earned 480 points, with North Dakota State at 599 points, Montana at 573 points, Montana State at 527 points, and Lehigh at 514 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.
In the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll on Monday, the Texans earned 1,130 points, behind North Dakota State (1,399 points), Montana (1,327 points), Montana State (1,300 points), Lehigh (1,196 points) and Tennessee Tech (1,157 points). 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.
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. 18 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll and No. 20 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, and West Georgia is ranked No. 24 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
The full Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll after Week 11:
1. North Dakota State (10-0, 7-0 MVFC)
Points: 1,399 (55 of 56 first-place votes); Previous Ranking: 1; Week 11: 15-10 win at then-No. 13 North Dakota; Week 12: Northern Iowa
2. Montana (10-0, 6-0 Big Sky)
Points: 1,327; Previous Ranking: 2; Week 11: 29-24 win over Eastern Washington; Week 12: at Portland State
3. Montana State (8-2, 6-0 Big Sky)
Points: 1,300 (1 first-place vote); Previous Ranking: 3; Week 11: 66-14 win over Weber State; Week 12: No. 9 UC Davis
4. Lehigh (10-0, 5-0 Patriot)
Points: 1,196; Previous Ranking: 4; Week 11: 38-3 win over Holy Cross; Week 12: at Colgate
5. Tennessee Tech (10-0, 7-0 OVC-Big South)
Points: 1,157; Previous Ranking: 5; Week 11: 21-9 win at Eastern Illinois; Week 12: at Kentucky
6. Tarleton State (9-1, 5-1 UAC)
Points: 1,130; Previous Ranking: 6; Week 11: No game; Week 12: North Alabama
7. Harvard (8-0, 5-0 Ivy)
Points: 956; Previous Ranking: 9; Week 11: 31-14 win at Columbia; Week 12: Penn
8. Mercer (8-1, 7-0 SoCon)
Points: 916; Previous Ranking: 12; Week 11: 49-47 win at then-No. 24 Western Carolina; Week 12: Chattanooga
9. UC Davis (6-3, 4-2 Big Sky)
Points: 890; Previous Ranking: 11; Week 11: 28-14 win at Idaho; Week 12: at No. 3 Montana State
10. Villanova (7-2, 6-1 CAA)
Points: 888; Previous Ranking: 10; Week 11: 28-10 win at Towson; Week 12: Stony Brook
11. Rhode Island (8-2, 6-0 CAA)
Points: 800; Previous Ranking: 14; Week 11: 34-20 win at Elon; Week 12: at Maine
12. Monmouth (8-2, 5-1 CAA)
Points: 661; Previous Ranking: 7; Week 11: 34-13 loss to New Hampshire; Week 12: at North Carolina A&T
13. North Dakota (6-4, 4-2 MVFC)
Points: 653; Previous Ranking: 13; Week 11: 15-10 loss to then-No. 1 North Dakota State; Week 12: at Murray State
14. Illinois State (7-3, 4-2 MVFC)
Points: 629; Previous Ranking: 16; Week 11: 52-20 win at Indiana State; Week 12: at No. 16 South Dakota State
15. Stephen F. Austin (8-2, 6-0 Southland)
Points: 598; Previous Ranking: 17; Week 11: 50-3 win at HCU; Week 12: No. 19 Lamar
16. South Dakota State (7-3, 3-3 MVFC)
Points: 544; Previous Ranking: 8; Week 11: 24-17 loss at then-No. 22 South Dakota; Week 12: No. 14 Illinois State
17. South Dakota (7-4, 5-2 MVFC)
Points: 530; Previous Ranking: 22; Week 11: 24-17 win over then-No. 8 South Dakota State; Week 12: at No. 21 Southern Illinois
18. Abilene Christian (6-4, 5-1 UAC)
Points: 506; Previous Ranking: 18; Week 11: 31-10 win over Utah Tech; Week 12: at Eastern Kentucky
19. Lamar (8-2, 5-1 Southland)
Points: 503; Previous Ranking: 20; Week 11: 14-12 win over then-No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana; Week 12: at No. 15 Stephen F. Austin
20. Youngstown State (6-4, 3-3 MVFC)
Points: 445; Previous Ranking: 21; Week 11: 48-38 win over then-No. 15 Southern Illinois; Week 12: Indiana State
21. Southern Illinois (6-4, 3-3 MVFC)
Points: 242; Previous Ranking: 15; Week 11: 48-38 loss at then-No. 21 Youngstown State; Week 12: No. 17 South Dakota
22. Jackson State (7-2, 5-1 SWAC)
Points: 226; Previous Ranking: 23; Week 11: 42-3 win at Mississippi Valley State; Week 12: Bethune-Cookman
23. Southeastern Louisiana (7-3, 5-1 Southland)
Points: 208; Previous Ranking: 19; Week 11: 14-12 loss at then-No. 20 Lamar; Week 12: at UIW
24. Northern Arizona (6-4, 3-3 Big Sky)
Points: 81; Previous Ranking: NR; Week 11: 49-10 win over Northern Colorado; Week 12: Cal Poly
25. Western Carolina (6-4, 5-1 SoCon)
Points: 75; Previous Ranking: 24; Week 11: 49-47 loss to then-No. 12 Mercer; Week 12: ETSU
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