Stephen F. Austin remains No. 1 in my 2026 FCS power and Elo ratings after Week 8. The Lumberjacks are 8–0, with Youngstown State and South Dakota State still second and third in power. Montana State moves ahead of Harvard for fourth, while the unbeaten Crimson remain second in Elo.
This edition uses the reports generated October 25. Comparisons are against the Week 7 reports in last week’s post. These are my model ratings, not a national poll.
FCS Power Ratings Top 25
Stephen F. Austin leads at 123.461, ahead of Youngstown State by 0.238 and South Dakota State by 0.635. Its scoring margin reaches 216 points, with 331 scored and 115 allowed. The Lumberjacks’ rating slips by 0.130 from last week, but their lead grows as the two teams behind them also decline.
| Rank | School | W | L | T | PF | PA | Power | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stephen F. Austin |
8 | 0 | 0 | 331 | 115 | 123.461 | 112.393 |
| 2 |  Youngstown State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 313 | 185 | 123.223 | 117.871 |
| 3 |  South Dakota State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 297 | 126 | 122.826 | 114.609 |
| 4 |  Montana State |
7 | 1 | 0 | 316 | 163 | 122.449 | 115.549 |
| 5 |  Harvard |
6 | 0 | 0 | 171 | 77 | 122.377 | 113.081 |
| 6 |  South Dakota |
7 | 2 | 0 | 339 | 218 | 122.138 | 116.914 |
| 7 |  Northern Arizona |
6 | 2 | 0 | 253 | 241 | 121.236 | 119.050 |
| 8 |  Tarleton State |
8 | 0 | 0 | 335 | 181 | 120.666 | 110.376 |
| 9 |  Lamar |
6 | 2 | 0 | 246 | 180 | 119.658 | 115.077 |
| 10 |  North Dakota |
6 | 3 | 0 | 316 | 227 | 119.387 | 116.637 |
| 11 |  Tennessee Tech |
7 | 1 | 0 | 266 | 172 | 118.970 | 113.392 |
| 12 |  Austin Peay |
7 | 2 | 0 | 305 | 168 | 118.940 | 112.269 |
| 13 |  Campbell |
7 | 1 | 0 | 263 | 199 | 118.939 | 112.292 |
| 14 |  Montana |
5 | 3 | 0 | 302 | 224 | 118.805 | 115.892 |
| 15 |  East Tennessee State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 267 | 175 | 118.743 | 112.028 |
| 16 |  Illinois State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 281 | 130 | 118.635 | 12.993 |
| 17 |  Incarnate Word |
4 | 4 | 0 | 284 | 226 | 118.084 | 116.568 |
| 18 |  Idaho State |
5 | 3 | 0 | 267 | 166 | 117.540 | 112.996 |
| 19 |  Abilene Christian |
4 | 4 | 0 | 175 | 202 | 117.357 | 118.911 |
| 20 |  Northern Iowa |
3 | 4 | 0 | 171 | 196 | 117.061 | 118.566 |
| 21 |  Idaho |
3 | 5 | 0 | 239 | 303 | 116.765 | 120.216 |
| 22 |  Weber State |
5 | 4 | 0 | 323 | 311 | 116.741 | 115.716 |
| 23 |  Mercer |
6 | 2 | 0 | 245 | 137 | 116.686 | 110.893 |
| 24 |  Princeton |
4 | 2 | 0 | 122 | 86 | 116.680 | 113.215 |
| 25 |  UC Davis |
5 | 3 | 0 | 256 | 248 | 116.386 | 114.196 |
Montana State climbs from fifth to fourth at 122.449, a gain of 0.760. The Bobcats are 7–1 and have outscored opponents 316–163. Harvard moves from fourth to fifth despite improving to 6–0; its rating falls from 122.704 to 122.377. Rankings reflect the changing strength of the full schedule, so another win does not guarantee a rating increase.
Tennessee Tech makes the biggest climb among teams that were in last week’s power top 25, rising from 19th to 11th at 7–1. Its rating improves by 0.726 to 118.970. Austin Peay sits only 0.001 ahead of Campbell in 12th and 13th. Montana rebounds from 17th to 14th, while Northern Iowa falls from 11th to 20th after its record moves to 3–4.
Idaho State, Idaho and UC Davis enter this week’s power top 25; Lehigh, Cornell and Colgate drop out. Stephen F. Austin, Harvard and Tarleton State remain the unbeaten teams in the top 25. Tarleton State is 8–0 but ranks eighth, with a 110.376 schedule rating compared with Northern Arizona’s 119.050 in seventh.
FCS Elo Ratings Top 25
Stephen F. Austin remains first at 1625.705, with Harvard second at 1623.652. That leaves a 2.053 gap, down from 2.901 last week. Youngstown State, South Dakota State, Montana State and South Dakota keep positions three through six.
| Rank | School | W | L | T | PF | PA | ELO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen F. Austin |
8 | 0 | 0 | 331 | 115 | 1625.705 |
| 2 | Harvard |
6 | 0 | 0 | 171 | 77 | 1623.652 |
| 3 | Youngstown State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 313 | 185 | 1622.485 |
| 4 | South Dakota State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 297 | 126 | 1618.756 |
| 5 | Montana State |
7 | 1 | 0 | 316 | 163 | 1617.668 |
| 6 | South Dakota |
7 | 2 | 0 | 339 | 218 | 1616.394 |
| 7 | Northern Arizona |
6 | 2 | 0 | 253 | 241 | 1610.556 |
| 8 | Tarleton State |
8 | 0 | 0 | 335 | 181 | 1608.948 |
| 9 | Campbell |
7 | 1 | 0 | 263 | 199 | 1602.265 |
| 10 | Lamar |
6 | 2 | 0 | 246 | 180 | 1602.240 |
| 11 | North Dakota |
6 | 3 | 0 | 316 | 227 | 1601.882 |
| 12 | Tennessee Tech |
7 | 1 | 0 | 266 | 172 | 1601.619 |
| 13 | Austin Peay |
7 | 2 | 0 | 305 | 168 | 1598.749 |
| 14 | East Tennessee State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 267 | 175 | 1597.958 |
| 15 | Illinois State |
6 | 2 | 0 | 281 | 130 | 1597.647 |
| 16 | Montana |
5 | 3 | 0 | 302 | 224 | 1596.374 |
| 17 | Incarnate Word |
4 | 4 | 0 | 284 | 226 | 1594.412 |
| 18 | Princeton |
4 | 2 | 0 | 122 | 86 | 1592.734 |
| 19 | Abilene Christian |
4 | 4 | 0 | 175 | 202 | 1590.759 |
| 20 | Idaho State |
5 | 3 | 0 | 267 | 166 | 1589.092 |
| 21 | Northern Iowa |
3 | 4 | 0 | 171 | 196 | 1588.917 |
| 22 | Mercer |
6 | 2 | 0 | 245 | 137 | 1586.846 |
| 23 | Idaho |
3 | 5 | 0 | 239 | 303 | 1586.083 |
| 24 |  Chattanooga |
5 | 3 | 0 | 181 | 106 | 1586.069 |
| 25 | Weber State |
5 | 4 | 0 | 323 | 311 | 1585.668 |
Northern Arizona rises from ninth to seventh in Elo, gaining 3.348 points. Montana State adds 5.143 while holding fifth, and South Dakota adds 4.368 while holding sixth. Their gains narrow the gap to South Dakota State in fourth.
Tennessee Tech moves from 18th to 12th, up 5.805 Elo points. North Dakota falls from eighth to 11th as its record moves to 6–3. Princeton drops from 11th to 18th, and Northern Iowa falls from 14th to 21st.
The two systems agree on 24 of their top 25 teams. Chattanooga is 24th in Elo but 26th in power; UC Davis is 25th in power but 28th in Elo. Campbell is ninth in Elo and 13th in power. Power and Elo use different scales, so their numerical gaps should not be compared directly.
Strength of Schedule Through Week 8
These values come from the SOS column in my FCS power ratings. They measure schedules already played, not remaining opponents. Higher values indicate tougher opposition.
Top 5 Toughest Schedules
| Rank | School | Record | Power Rank | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho |
3–5 | 21 | 120.216 |
| 2 |  Portland State |
2–6 | 43 | 119.776 |
| 3 |  Utah Tech |
1–7 | 80 | 119.436 |
| 4 |  Eastern Washington |
2–6 | 34 | 119.369 |
| 5 | Northern Arizona |
6–2 | 7 | 119.050 |
Idaho has the highest published SOS at 120.216, followed by Portland State and Utah Tech. Idaho is 3–5 but ranks 21st in power. Northern Arizona has the fifth-highest SOS overall and the highest among the power top ten, helping explain its seventh-place ranking despite a 253–241 scoring margin.
Some low-end SOS values remain unusual, including Illinois State at 12.993 and Duquesne at 43.418. Those values need verification before being used to identify the easiest schedules, so this edition retains last week’s focus on the toughest five.
Stephen F. Austin still sets the pace, but the top six power teams are separated by only 1.323 points. Montana State’s rise and Tennessee Tech’s eight-place climb are the clearest changes near the top this week.
All rankings can be found on the 2026 FCS rankings page.