MISSOULA — Heading into the final week of the regular season, Montana State is second and Montana ninth in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, which was released Monday.
The Bobcats (11-0) held steady at No. 2 following last week's 30-28 win at then-No. 4 UC Davis. The Aggies (9-2) fell one spot to No. 5 in the rankings.
North Dakota State is again the No. 1-ranked team. The Bison (10-1) defeated Missouri State 59-21 last week and have now been ranked in a record 200 consecutive polls.
South Dakota State (9-2), which beat Southern Illinois 41-10 last week, is third, followed by South Dakota (8-2) in fourth. The Coyotes, who rallied for a 42-36 win at North Dakota on Saturday, were fifth last week, but swapped places with UC Davis.
Montana (8-3) climbed one place from 10th to ninth in the rankings after its 28-17 win over Portland State. The Grizzlies moved up after Villanova, previously ranked ninth, tumbled to No. 15 after a 40-33 loss at Monmouth.
No. 7 Idaho (8-3) and No. 21 Northern Arizona (7-4) are also ranked from the Big Sky Conference. View the complete poll.
To close out the regular season, No. 2 Montana State hosts No. 9 Montana for the 123rd edition of the Brawl of the Wild. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. with television coverage beginning at 11 a.m. on CBS affiliates across Montana.
The only other top-25 matchup this week features No. 1 North Dakota State at No. 4 South Dakota.
