Week 5 is complete, and South Dakota State remains first in my 2026 FCS power ratings. Youngstown State, SFA, Montana and Campbell round out the top five. The Jackrabbits also lead Elo, where Youngstown State and SFA hold the next two spots and Harvard moves into fourth.

This begins a weekly FCS update for the rest of the season, following the format of my Week 5 FBS rankings post. The focus here is power ratings, Elo and strength of schedule. This week’s tables use the reports generated October 4, with movement measured against the September 27 Week 4 reports.

The rankings are still settling as more games connect the schedules. Teams have played different numbers of games, and an unbeaten record does not necessarily mean a higher rating than a team tested by a more difficult schedule.

FCS Power Ratings Top 25

South Dakota State holds the top spot at 130.852, with a 4.469 advantage over Youngstown State. The Jackrabbits are 5–1 and have outscored their opponents 245–96. Youngstown State climbs from fourth to second at 4–2, while unbeaten SFA moves from 11th to third at 6–0.

Rank School W L T PF PA Power SOS
1 SOUTH DAKOTA ST. 5 1 0 245 96 130.852 117.165
2 YOUNGSTOWN ST. 4 2 0 221 139 126.383 119.777
3 SFA 6 0 0 230 91 124.303 113.563
4 MONTANA 5 1 0 223 133 123.782 116.079
5 CAMPBELL 5 1 0 204 173 123.546 117.821
6 AUSTIN PEAY 5 1 0 222 97 123.380 112.487
7 HARVARD 3 0 0 65 34 123.002 114.129
8 SOUTH DAKOTA 4 2 0 234 165 122.637 119.464
9 TARLETON ST. 5 0 0 197 108 122.118 110.863
10 IDAHO ST. 4 1 0 185 106 121.866 112.819
11 LAMAR UNIVERSITY 4 1 0 142 101 121.675 115.631
12 ETSU 4 2 0 195 159 121.562 117.651
13 LEHIGH 6 0 0 202 71 121.403 111.436
14 NORTHERN ARIZ. 4 2 0 166 172 121.136 119.812
15 BRYANT 4 1 0 110 112 120.752 114.711
16 MONTANA ST. 5 1 0 222 110 120.586 114.007
17 COLGATE 4 2 0 134 85 120.312 116.718
18 NORTH DAKOTA 5 1 0 255 167 120.301 115.624
19 TENNESSEE TECH 4 1 0 169 124 120.284 115.796
20 PRINCETON 2 1 0 71 28 120.258 116.392
21 WESTERN CARO. 3 3 0 207 203 119.845 119.279
22 UC DAVIS 4 2 0 206 204 119.514 116.396
23 UIW 2 3 0 170 166 119.051 119.266
24 HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 3 3 0 178 154 118.413 -56.643
25 SOUTHEASTERN LA. 3 2 0 162 154 118.097 116.125

SFA has outscored its opponents 230–91, a 139-point margin that comes close to South Dakota State’s 149. The schedule ratings help put those totals in context: South Dakota State is at 117.165 in SOS, compared with SFA’s 113.563. Youngstown State has the tougher schedule of the three at 119.777, giving context to its high ranking despite two losses.

Campbell jumps from 12th to fifth at 5–1. Harvard makes an even larger move, from 34th to seventh, but has played only three games. The Crimson’s 3–0 start is worth watching as the schedule grows; its 65–34 scoring total covers a much smaller sample than the six-game totals around it.

Montana State’s unbelievable 35–34 loss at Idaho is the result that stands out this week. The previously winless Vandals scored a touchdown as time expired, then quarterback Joshua Wood ran in the winning two-point conversion. Montana State entered as the nation’s No. 1 team, though it was fifth in my ratings. Idaho’s game recap captures the dramatic finish.

The loss leaves the Bobcats 5–1 and accompanies an 11-place drop in power, from fifth to 16th. Their rating falls from 125.252 to 120.586, a decline of 4.666. A one-point loss can look modest in the scoring totals, but falling to a team that entered 0–4 changes the picture of an unbeaten contender. The weekly movement also reflects changes elsewhere in the field and in opponent ratings, so the full drop should not be treated as an isolated penalty for that one result.

Idaho State, a separate team from the Idaho squad that beat Montana State, falls from second to tenth after its own first loss. Austin Peay slips from third to sixth despite improving to 5–1. A team’s ranking is relative to the rest of the field, so adding a win does not guarantee a move up.

The published SOS for Houston Christian is -56.643, an apparent outlier. It is reproduced above as reported and excluded from the easiest-schedule comparison below pending verification.

Full FCS power ratings

FCS Elo Ratings Top 25

South Dakota State also remains first in Elo at 1641.952, ahead of Youngstown State by 18.213. Youngstown State rises from sixth to second, and SFA moves from tenth to third. Both measures agree on the top three, even though they use different rating scales.

Rank School W L T PF PA ELO
1 SOUTH DAKOTA ST. 5 1 0 245 96 1641.952
2 YOUNGSTOWN ST. 4 2 0 221 139 1623.739
3 SFA 6 0 0 230 91 1618.936
4 HARVARD 3 0 0 65 34 1617.124
5 CAMPBELL 5 1 0 204 173 1613.385
6 MONTANA 5 1 0 223 133 1610.831
7 AUSTIN PEAY 5 1 0 222 97 1608.909
8 SOUTH DAKOTA 4 2 0 234 165 1607.831
9 LEHIGH 6 0 0 202 71 1605.879
10 TARLETON ST. 5 0 0 197 108 1603.459
11 LAMAR UNIVERSITY 4 1 0 142 101 1603.158
12 IDAHO ST. 4 1 0 185 106 1602.303
13 NORTHERN ARIZ. 4 2 0 166 172 1601.274
14 COLGATE 4 2 0 134 85 1600.995
15 BRYANT 4 1 0 110 112 1600.490
16 ETSU 4 2 0 195 159 1599.843
17 PRINCETON 2 1 0 71 28 1598.948
18 MONTANA ST. 5 1 0 222 110 1598.834
19 TENNESSEE TECH 4 1 0 169 124 1598.439
20 NORTH DAKOTA 5 1 0 255 167 1598.408
21 WESTERN CARO. 3 3 0 207 203 1593.410
22 UIW 2 3 0 170 166 1591.132
23 UC DAVIS 4 2 0 206 204 1591.011
24 CORNELL 2 1 0 80 59 1587.191
25 ILLINOIS ST. 4 2 0 229 106 1587.187

Montana State’s fall is even larger in Elo: fifth to 18th, a 13-place drop. Its rating declines from 1614.388 to 1598.834, down 15.554. Both systems move the Bobcats out of the top five and outside the top 15 after the Idaho loss, even though their 5–1 record still looks strong.

Harvard rises from 19th to fourth in Elo, three spots higher than its power ranking. Lehigh also gets a stronger placement here: ninth in Elo compared with 13th in power. Lehigh is 6–0 and has allowed only 71 points while scoring 202, giving it a 131-point scoring margin.

ETSU goes the other direction, ranking 12th in power and 16th in Elo. Cornell and Illinois State make the Elo top 25 but sit 29th and 27th in power. Houston Christian and Southeastern Louisiana occupy the final two power-ranking spots and fall outside the Elo top 25.

The two lists agree on most of the leading teams, but those differences are useful reminders that there is more than one way to evaluate the results. Power and Elo values are on separate scales; the size of a gap in one should not be compared directly with a gap in the other.

Full FCS Elo ratings

Strength of Schedule Through Week 5

These lists use the SOS column from my FCS power ratings for games played through Week 5. Higher values indicate tougher schedules. This measures the schedule already played, not the remaining schedule, and can change as opponents add results.

Top 5 Toughest Schedules

Rank School Record Power Rank SOS
1 PORTLAND ST. 1–4 39 123.852
2 IDAHO 1–4 37 123.634
3 ABILENE CHRISTIAN 2–4 26 122.861
4 UTAH TECH 0–6 102 121.977
5 EASTERN ILL. 1–4 88 121.275

Portland State has the highest SOS at 123.852, just ahead of Idaho at 123.634. Both are 1–4, but rank 39th and 37th in power. Abilene Christian is 26th at 2–4 against the third-toughest schedule, putting it just outside the top 25 despite its losing record.

Utah Tech is 0–6 against the fourth-toughest schedule, while Eastern Illinois is 1–4 against the fifth-toughest. Those schedules provide context for the records without erasing the results. A difficult schedule and a high team rating are related considerations, not interchangeable conclusions.

Top 5 Easiest Schedules — Excluding SOS Outliers

The source report contains three unusual negative SOS values: Houston Christian (-56.643), Illinois State (-42.195) and Duquesne (-23.094). Those values need verification before being interpreted as schedule strength. This table shows the five lowest SOS values among the remaining teams; it is not an unqualified ranking of every FCS schedule.

Rank School Record Power Rank SOS
1 BUTLER 4–1 99 100.157
2 VALPARAISO 2–3 119 101.897
3 DAVIDSON 2–4 125 102.205
4 DAYTON 3–1 98 103.955
5 MOREHEAD ST. 1–4 127 104.136

Butler has the lowest SOS among the remaining teams at 100.157. Its 4–1 record comes with a power ranking of 99th. Dayton is 3–1 and ranks 98th, while Valparaiso is 2–3 despite outscoring its opponents 158–115. These are examples of why records and scoring margins need schedule context when comparing teams across FCS.

South Dakota State is the clear leader in both overall ratings this week. SFA and Lehigh bring unbeaten six-game records, while Harvard’s rise gives us a smaller-sample contender to follow. Those teams, along with the differences between power and Elo, will be part of the weekly picture as the season develops.

All rankings can be found on the 2026 FCS rankings page.