Week 1 of the 2021 season is in the books and it included 6 wins over FBS opponents so the AGS Top 25 got shook up quite a bit. We start with a new team at the top with South Dakota State edging out Sam Houston by 1 point for the #1 spot. It is the Jackrabbit’s first time ever at #1 in the AGS top 25. James Madison stayed at 3 and Montana jumped up 4 spots to #4 after their impressive win over Washington from the Pac-12. North Dakota State fell one spot to round out the top 5.

As for other teams on the rise Eastern Washington also moved up 4 spots to #7 after getting an win over FBS foe UNLV. UC Davis shot up 13 spots to #12 after cruising to a win over another FBS opponent in Tulsa. East Tennessee State used a win over the SEC’s Vanderbilt to move into the top 25 at #18. Holy Cross, the final team to take down an FBS team this week, also moved into the top 25 coming it at #24.

As for teams going in the opposite direction Monmouth dropped 9 spots after getting dismantled by Middle Tennessee. Jacksonville State also dropped 11 spots to #23 after their own lackluster performance against UAB. Nicholls and Chattanooga both dropped out of the top 25 after taking week 1 losses.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way again putting 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky with 5, the CAA with 4, the AQ7 with 3, and the OVC and SOCON with 2 each. 10 conference were represented (counting the ASUN and WAC separately) in the AGS top 25 this week.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1355 20
2 -1 Sam Houston Bearkats 1354 29
3 James Madison Dukes 1256 2
4 4 Montana Grizzlies 1227 5
5 -1 North Dakota State Bison 1196
6 -1 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 1048
7 4 Eastern Washington Eagles 980
8 -1 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 852
9 Southern Illinois Salukis 919
10 -4 Weber State Wildcats 905
11 3 Montana State Bobcats 657
12 13 UC Davis Aggies 650
13 2 Southeastern Louisiana Lions 603
14 2 Villanova Wildcats 601
15 2 Virginia Military Institute Keydets 516
16 3 Northern Iowa Panthers 497
17 -4 Central Arkansas Bears 443
18 13 East Tennessee State Buccaneers 400
19 4 Austin Peay Governors 384
20 -10 Monmouth Hawks 354
21 -2 Missouri State Bears 347
22 Richmond Spiders 233
23 -11 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 223
24 9 Holy Cross Crusaders 209
25 -4 Murray State Racers 198
ORV:
26 2 Samford Bulldogs 121
27 5 New Hampshire Wildcats 67
28 NR Furman Paladins 65
29 -5 Nicholls Colonels 63
30 -1 Sacred Heart Pioneers 57
31 -13 Chattanooga Mocs 51
32 -2 Sac State Hornets 49
33 Rhode Island Rams 46
34 3 Illinois State Redbirds 45
35 -9 Kennesaw State Owls 31
36T NR Yale Bulldogs 19
36T 1 Princeton Tigers 19
38 NR Youngstown State Penguins 17
39 1 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 13
40T NR Incarnate Word Cardinals 6
40T NR Wofford Terriers 6

Most significant win: Montana Grizzlies
Most significant loss: Chattanooga Mocs

Dropped out of the poll:
Albany Great Danes
Alcorn State Braves
Davidson Wildcats
North Carolina A&T Aggies

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?279126-AGS-Poll-Results-Week-1-2021