Stephen F. Austin takes over the top spot in both of my 2026 FCS ratings after Week 7. The Lumberjacks are 7–0, but the power race is tight: Youngstown State and South Dakota State sit within two-tenths of a point of the lead. Harvard is second in Elo and fourth in power at 5–0.
This update follows the format of my previous FCS rankings post, with power ratings, Elo and strength of schedule. The tables use the reports generated October 18. All weekly movement below is measured against the October 11 Week 6 reports, rather than the Week 5 post.
FCS Power Ratings Top 25
Stephen F. Austin rises from fourth to first at 123.591, just 0.076 ahead of Youngstown State and 0.194 ahead of South Dakota State. The Lumberjacks have outscored their opponents 286–91, a 195-point margin. Their power rating improves by 0.765 from last week.
| Rank | School | W | L | T | PF | PA | Power | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stephen F. Austin |
7 | 0 | 0 | 286 | 91 | 123.591 | 112.342 |
| 2 |  Youngstown State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 313 | 185 | 123.515 | 118.221 |
| 3 |  South Dakota State |
5 | 2 | 0 | 255 | 117 | 123.397 | 116.546 |
| 4 |  Harvard |
5 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 70 | 122.704 | 113.810 |
| 5 |  Montana State |
6 | 1 | 0 | 278 | 130 | 121.689 | 114.493 |
| 6 |  South Dakota |
6 | 2 | 0 | 313 | 195 | 121.596 | 116.650 |
| 7 |  Tarleton State |
7 | 0 | 0 | 286 | 175 | 121.103 | 111.124 |
| 8 |  Northern Arizona |
6 | 2 | 0 | 253 | 241 | 120.922 | 118.500 |
| 9 |  North Dakota |
6 | 2 | 0 | 293 | 201 | 120.912 | 116.682 |
| 10 |  Lamar |
5 | 2 | 0 | 211 | 170 | 119.318 | 115.688 |
| 11 |  Northern Iowa |
3 | 3 | 0 | 154 | 176 | 119.282 | 119.731 |
| 12 |  Campbell |
6 | 1 | 0 | 228 | 193 | 119.242 | 113.373 |
| 13 |  Austin Peay |
6 | 2 | 0 | 278 | 147 | 119.117 | 111.992 |
| 14 |  Illinois State |
5 | 2 | 0 | 264 | 120 | 118.646 | 3.428 |
| 15 |  East Tennessee State |
5 | 2 | 0 | 229 | 175 | 118.623 | 114.686 |
| 16 |  Lehigh |
6 | 1 | 0 | 240 | 119 | 118.557 | 112.085 |
| 17 |  Montana |
5 | 3 | 0 | 302 | 224 | 118.495 | 115.598 |
| 18 |  Princeton |
4 | 1 | 0 | 115 | 51 | 118.467 | 112.483 |
| 19 |  Tennessee Tech |
6 | 1 | 0 | 238 | 159 | 118.244 | 112.821 |
| 20 |  Cornell |
3 | 2 | 0 | 157 | 138 | 118.231 | 116.934 |
| 21 |  Incarnate Word |
3 | 4 | 0 | 246 | 220 | 117.867 | 117.612 |
| 22 |  Abilene Christian |
4 | 4 | 0 | 175 | 202 | 117.618 | 119.692 |
| 23 |  Mercer |
6 | 2 | 0 | 245 | 137 | 117.239 | 111.396 |
| 24 |  Weber State |
5 | 3 | 0 | 290 | 273 | 117.183 | 115.444 |
| 25 |  Colgate |
4 | 3 | 0 | 151 | 112 | 117.045 | 115.428 |
South Dakota State drops from first to third after its record moves to 5–2. Its power rating falls from 129.559 to 123.397, a decline of 6.162. Youngstown State remains second at 6–2 even as its rating declines from 125.154 to 123.515. The change at the top reflects both Stephen F. Austin’s improvement and the movement of the teams ahead of it.
Montana State climbs from ninth to fifth at 6–1, gaining 1.151 rating points. North Dakota makes the largest jump among this week’s power top ten, moving from 18th to ninth as its rating increases from 117.749 to 120.912. Northern Arizona remains eighth at 6–2 despite a modest 253–241 scoring margin; its 118.500 SOS is the highest among the top ten.
Princeton moves from 27th to 18th at 4–1. Incarnate Word and Weber State also enter the power top 25, while Idaho State, UC Davis and Yale fall out. Lehigh slips from seventh to 16th after taking its first loss, leaving Stephen F. Austin, Harvard and Tarleton State as the unbeaten teams in this week’s power top 25.
FCS Elo Ratings Top 25
Stephen F. Austin also moves from fourth to first in Elo, rising from 1621.739 to 1626.083. Harvard remains second at 1623.182, only 2.901 behind. Youngstown State stays third, and South Dakota State drops from first to fourth.
| Rank | School | W | L | T | PF | PA | ELO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen F. Austin |
7 | 0 | 0 | 286 | 91 | 1626.083 |
| 2 | Harvard |
5 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 70 | 1623.182 |
| 3 | Youngstown State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 313 | 185 | 1622.186 |
| 4 | South Dakota State |
5 | 2 | 0 | 255 | 117 | 1620.416 |
| 5 | Montana State |
6 | 1 | 0 | 278 | 130 | 1612.525 |
| 6 | South Dakota |
6 | 2 | 0 | 313 | 195 | 1612.026 |
| 7 | Tarleton State |
7 | 0 | 0 | 286 | 175 | 1608.363 |
| 8 | North Dakota |
6 | 2 | 0 | 293 | 201 | 1607.549 |
| 9 | Northern Arizona |
6 | 2 | 0 | 253 | 241 | 1607.208 |
| 10 | Campbell |
6 | 1 | 0 | 228 | 193 | 1601.142 |
| 11 | Princeton |
4 | 1 | 0 | 115 | 51 | 1600.930 |
| 12 | Lamar |
5 | 2 | 0 | 211 | 170 | 1599.604 |
| 13 | Lehigh |
6 | 1 | 0 | 240 | 119 | 1599.293 |
| 14 | Northern Iowa |
3 | 3 | 0 | 154 | 176 | 1598.820 |
| 15 | Austin Peay |
6 | 2 | 0 | 278 | 147 | 1597.291 |
| 16 | Illinois State |
5 | 2 | 0 | 264 | 120 | 1596.940 |
| 17 | Cornell |
3 | 2 | 0 | 157 | 138 | 1596.484 |
| 18 | Tennessee Tech |
6 | 1 | 0 | 238 | 159 | 1595.814 |
| 19 | East Tennessee State |
5 | 2 | 0 | 229 | 175 | 1595.389 |
| 20 | Montana |
5 | 3 | 0 | 302 | 224 | 1593.173 |
| 21 | Incarnate Word |
3 | 4 | 0 | 246 | 220 | 1592.095 |
| 22 | Abilene Christian |
4 | 4 | 0 | 175 | 202 | 1591.640 |
| 23 | Colgate |
4 | 3 | 0 | 151 | 112 | 1589.682 |
| 24 | Mercer |
6 | 2 | 0 | 245 | 137 | 1589.000 |
| 25 | Weber State |
5 | 3 | 0 | 290 | 273 | 1586.390 |
South Dakota State’s Elo falls by 29.379, from 1649.795 to 1620.416. The Jackrabbits remain close to the leaders, but no longer have the separation they enjoyed a week ago. Harvard holds second even though its own Elo declines by 8.584, another example of why a ranking and a rating can move differently.
Montana State climbs from tenth to fifth, while North Dakota rises from 19th to eighth. Princeton makes a ten-place move from 21st to 11th, seven spots higher than its power ranking. Lehigh falls from seventh to 13th but still places three spots higher in Elo than in power.
Both systems select the same 25 teams this week, with differences in their order. Northern Iowa is 11th in power and 14th in Elo; East Tennessee State is 15th in power and 19th in Elo. The scales are different, so a numerical gap in power should not be compared directly with a gap in Elo.
Strength of Schedule Through Week 7
These lists use the SOS column from my FCS power ratings for games played through Week 7. Higher values indicate tougher schedules. These are schedules already played, and the values can change as opponents add results.
Top 5 Toughest Schedules
| Rank | School | Record | Power Rank | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Utah Tech |
0–7 | 99 | 121.022 |
| 2 |  Idaho |
2–5 | 28 | 120.925 |
| 3 |  Portland State |
2–5 | 38 | 120.472 |
| 4 | Northern Iowa |
3–3 | 11 | 119.731 |
| 5 | Abilene Christian |
4–4 | 22 | 119.692 |
Utah Tech has the highest published SOS at 121.022, narrowly ahead of Idaho at 120.925. Utah Tech is 0–7 and ranks 99th in power; Idaho is 2–5 but ranks 28th. Portland State is also 2–5 and sits 38th.
Northern Iowa and Abilene Christian show how schedule strength can put a middling record in context. Northern Iowa is 3–3 and ranks 11th in power against the fourth-toughest schedule. Abilene Christian is 4–4 and ranks 22nd against the fifth-toughest.
Stephen F. Austin leads both overall ratings this week, but the narrow power gaps leave little separation among the top three. Harvard’s unbeaten start and the climbs by Montana State and North Dakota add to the teams worth following as the season continues.
All rankings can be found on the 2026 FCS rankings page.