The FCS Wedge

A few upsets and some ranked-vs-ranked matchups shuffled up the AGS Top 25 in week 7. The top of it remained pretty calm once again though as the top 5 went unchanged with South Dakota State taking the top spot getting 39 of 46 first place votes. They were again followed by Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and Villanova in that order in the #2-#5 spots.

Teams on the rise this week were headlined by Chattanooga who moved up 5 spots to #15 after winning their 3rd straight game. Rhode Island moved up 4 spots to #17 after their 4th straight win and Tennessee-Martin climbed up 5 spots as well to #19 with their own 3 game win streak. Missouri State moved into the top 25 for the first time since the 2022 season coming in at #21. Towson cracked the top 25 for the first time since the 2019 season at #24 and CAA league-mate New Hampshire climbed back into the top 25 to round it out at #25.

As for teams going the other way Idaho fell 5 spots to #11 after getting pummeled by #2 Montana State. Abilene Christian plummeted 11 spots down to #22 after being upset by North Alabama. Illinois State tumbled 7 spots to barely hang in the top 25 at #25 following a big loss to Missouri State. A trio of Big Sky teams in Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, and Weber State all fell out of the top 25 after taking week 7 losses.

In terms of conference representation the CAA and MVFC led the way placing 6 teams each into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky with 4, the SOCON and UAC with 3 each, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. There were 7 conferences represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Montana State Bobcats
Most significant loss: Abilene Christian Wildcats

Dropped out of the poll:
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Lafayette Leopards
Lamar Cardinals
Nicholls Colonels
Southern Illinois Salukis
Weber State Wildcats

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There were eight teams in last week’s AGS Top 25 that took losses in week 6, six of which were to lower or unranked teams, so we got quite the shake up this week. Things did stay calm at the top however as South Dakota State continued their string of #1 rankings taking 39 of 45 first place votes. They were once again followed by Montana State, North Dakota State, and South Dakota, in that order, in the #2-#4 spots. Vilanova slid up a spot to move back into the top 5 at #5.

There were plenty of teams taking advantage of the upsets this week and making corresponding moves up the rankings starting with Idaho, Mercer, and Southeast Missouri State who each moved up 4 spots to #6, #8, and #9 respectively. For Mercer it was their highest ever ranking in the AGS Poll and for SEMO it tied for their highest ranking ever. Abilene Christian moved up 6 spots to #11, also their highest ever ranking in the AGS Poll, following a big win over Central Arkansas. Illinois State bounced back up 7 spots to #17 after dominating MVFC rival SIU. Chattanooga also made a 4 spot to jump to #20 after nipping ETSU. Tennessee-Martin and Weber State each got back into the top 25 after brief absences coming in at #24 and #25, respectively.

As for teams going in the opposite direction North Dakota fell 5 spots to #10 after a convincing road loss to 3rd ranked NDSU. Central Arkansas and William & Mary each slid 4 spots to #12 and #16, respectively, after week 6 upsets. Montana continued to slide down the polls dropping 6 spots this week to #15 after losing at home to Big Sky rival Weber State. East Tennessee State fell 7 spots to #23 due to their aforementioned loss to Chattanooga. New Hampshire and Southern Illinois each fell out of the top 25 after taking week 6 losses.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky led the way placing 7 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the MVFC with 5, the CAA with 4, the SOCON and UAC with 3 each, and the OVC with 2 teams in the top 25. Once again 7 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Abilene Christian Wildcats
Most significant loss: Montana Grizzlies

Dropped out of the poll:
Brown Bears
McNeese Cowboys
Monmouth Hawks
Northern Iowa Panthers
Wofford Terriers

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Week 4 was relatively uneventful within the AGS Top 25 with only 2 teams from last week’s top 25 dropping games to lower ranked FCS foes. So the top 5 was unchanged from last week with South Dakota State once again taking the top spot with 41 of the 48 first place votes. They were again followed by Montana State, Idaho, North Dakota State, and South Dakota in the #2-#5 spots, respectively.

Leading the charge up the polls this week was Southeast Missouri State who got a 3 spot bump up to #14 after an impressive win over previously top 10 ranked Southern Illinois. East Tennessee State made their first appearance in that AGS Top 25 since early in the 2022 season moving up 9 spots to #19. CAA league-mates Rhode Island and New Hampshire both climbed into the top 25 for the first time this season coming in at #24 and #25, respectively.

As for teams falling this week Southern Illinois tumbled 8 spots down to #15 due to their previously mentioned loss to SEMO. Despite being idle Chattanooga fell 5 spots down to #23. Lafayette dropped out of the top 25 after an upset loss to Columbia. Western Carolina and Furman both fell out of the top 25 after dropping their week 4 contests.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way once again placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and CAA with 5 each, the SOCON with 4, and the UAC with 3 teams in the top 25. A season low 7 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
Most significant loss: Lafayette Leopards

Dropped out of the poll:
Campbell Fighting Camels
Elon Phoenix
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
Youngstown State Penguins

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As we continue into the 2024 season and the FBS vs FCS matchups start to become less common we’re seeing more and more movement within the AGS Top 25 as 7 teams in last week’s top 25 took losses to FCS foes in week 3. The #1 spot was unchanged once again as South Dakota State maintained their stranglehold on it picking up 37 of 47 first place votes. Montana State and Idaho each slid up a spot to #2 and #3, respectively, as North Dakota State dipped 2 spots down to #4. South Dakota made it a three MVFC teams in the top 5 as they slid up a spot to #5.

As for other teams climbing this week Mercer moved up 4 spots to #12 after a big win over SOCON rival Chattanooga. Lafayette and Southeast Missouri State took advantage of some turmoil in front of them each rising 4 spots to #15 and #17, respectively. Everyone from spots #21-#25 was new to the top 25 this week. Abilene Christian made their first appearance ever in the AGS Top 25 coming in at #21. Wofford made their first appearance in the top 25 since the spring 2021 season coming in at #23. Richmond, Western Carolina, and Furman each reappeared in the top 25 after brief absences coming in at #22, #24, and #25, respectively.

Teams falling this week were headlined by Chattanooga who fell 6 spots into a tie at #18 due to their aforementioned loss to Mercer and an 0-3 start. Albany, Nicholls, Elon, Weber State, and Youngstown State all fell out of the top 25 after taking week 3 losses.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way once again placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and SOCON with 5 each and the CAA and UAC with 3 teams each in the top 25. Once again 8 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: Mercer Bears
Most significant loss: Youngstown State Penguins

Dropped out of the poll:
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
St. Francis Red Flash

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Week 2 in the AGS Top 25 got a bit of a shake up with 6 teams in last week’s top 25 dropping games to FCS foes. The top stayed the same though as South Dakota State took the #1 spot once again receiving 44 of the 50 first place votes. They were again followed by North Dakota State at #2 and Montana State slid up 1 spot to #3. Idaho moved into the top 5 rising 2 spots to #4 and Villanova maintained their position at #5.

Other teams on the rise this week were led by North Dakota, who moved up 11 spots to #9 after a big home win over previously #3 ranked Montana. Mercer and Youngstown State took advantage of some shuffling in front of them moving up 7 spots each to #16 and #17, respectively. Southeast Missouri State used a double OT victory over OVC rival UT-Martin to shoot up 15 spots and into the top 25 at #21. Weber State also made their first appearance in the top 25 this season rising 5 spots to #22. Elon was another team cracking the top 25 for the first time this season rising up 7 spots to #23 and Tarleton slid back into the top 25 after a one-week absence rounding it out at #25.

Teams going in the opposite direction were led by Montana who fell 4 spots to #7 after their previously mentioned loss to UND. There were a quartet of teams falling out of the top 25 this week after taking some surprising week 2 losses; those teams were Furman, Richmond, Western Carolina, and Tennessee-Martin.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way once again placing 7 teams into the top 25. The were followed by the Big Sky with 6, the CAA with 4, and the SOCON, Southland, and UAC with 2 teams each in the top 25. Once again 8 conferences were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Most significant win: North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Most significant loss: Montana Grizzlies

Dropped out of the poll:
Austin Peay Governors
Eastern Illinois Panthers
Eastern Washington Eagles
Holy Cross Crusaders
Missouri State Bears
North Carolina Central Eagles
Rhode Island Rams

Join the discussion here: AGS Poll Results 2024 Week 2 (anygivensaturday.com)

The 2024 season is underway and with it comes the first release of the AGS Poll this season with some actual games to put behind the results. The poll stayed pretty clam compared to how volatile early season polls typically are with only one FBS win amongst the entire subdivision (Montana State over New Mexico in week 0). South Dakota State maintained their hold on the #1 spot but behind them North Dakota State switched spots with Montana as those two came in at #2 and #3, respectively. Montana State and Villanova maintained their positions at #4 and #5, respectively.

There wasn’t much for teams on the rise this week as the only two teams in the previous top 25 to move more than 2 spots up were Sacramento State, who moved up 3 spots to #8, and Western Carolina, who moved up 4 spots to #16. Mercer cracked the top 25 for the first time this season moving up 4 spots to #23.

Likewise, there wasn’t much movement downward as a trio of teams dropped 3 spots after underwhelming performances in their week 1 FBS matchup; Chattanooga dropped to #12, Lafayette dropped to #21, and Illinois State dropped to #25. The only team to fall further than that was Albany who ceded 4 spots to come in at #16. Tarleton and Weber State both fell out of the top 25 after appearing there in the preseason.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way again placing 7 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky with 5, the CAA and SOCON with 4 each, and the Southland with 2 teams in the top 25. There were 8 conferences represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Rank	Change	Team	Total Points	First Place Votes
1	–	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	1140	37
2	1	North Dakota State Bison	1061	3
3	-1	Montana Grizzlies	1037	2
4	–	Montana State Bobcats	1035	4
5	–	Villanova Wildcats	950
6	1	Idaho Vandals	902
7	-1	South Dakota Coyotes	901
8	3	Sac State Hornets	640
9	1	Southern Illinois Salukis	635
10	-2	Furman Paladins	624
11	2	Central Arkansas Bears	621
12	-3	Chattanooga Mocs	590
13	-1	Richmond Spiders	537
14	2	William & Mary Tribe	469
15	–	Incarnate Word Cardinals	444
16	4	Western Carolina Catamounts	396
17	–	UC Davis Aggies	395
18	-4	Albany Great Danes	366
19	–	Nicholls Colonels	286
20	2	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	282
21	-3	Lafayette Leopards	234
22	-1	Tennesee-Martin Skyhawks	188
23	4	Mercer Bears	169
24	1	Youngstown State Penguins	165
25	-3	Illinois State Redbirds	129
ORV:
26	-2	Tarleton Texans	119
27	-2	Weber State Wildcats	107
28	NR	Abilene Christian Wildcats	93
29	1	Northern Iowa Panthers	57
30	-1	Elon Phoenix	56
31	1	North Carolina Central Eagles	42
32	NR	Missouri State Bears	39
32T	NR	Rhode Island Rams	39
34	1	Florida A&M Panthers	37
35	NR	Eastern Washington Eagles	34
36	NR	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	32
37	6	Austin Peay Governors	31
38	-7	Eastern Illinois Panthers	17
39	-3	Harvard Crimson	10
40	-6	Holy Cross Crusaders	9

Most significant win: Montana State Bobcats
Most significant loss: Furman Paladins

Dropped out of the poll:
Alabama State Hornets
Alcorn State Braves
Duquesne Dukes
New Hampshire Wildcats
Yale Bulldogs

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?362950-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-1