Montana State v New Mexico
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In Week 0, the Montana State Bobcats, who were favored by the way, took down the New Mexico Lobos of the FBS. While the Bobcats were favored, it's a big deal any time an FCS team knocks off an FBS opponent. 

Last weekend, we had a couple of near upsets on the books featuring teams from the FCS:

  • Colorado 31, North Dakota State 26
  • Arkansas State 34, Central Arkansas 31
  • Middle Tennessee 32, Tennessee Tech 25
  • Texas Tech 52, Abilene Christian 51 (OT)
  • New Mexico State 23, Southeast Missouri State 16

And there were some other games that were really close either at halftime or in the third quarter before the bottom fell out. It goes to show you how there isn't much of a difference between the Group of Five and the upper echelon of the FCS. I've always been a big proponent of the coaching and development that takes place at the FCS level, which definitely explains a lot of these upsets and near-upsets each season. 

With regards to the FCS Power Rankings, you don't want to penalize a team too much for losing to an FBS opponent; you can definitely add context and put the game in its proper perspective. However, there is a new No. 1 in our rankings this week based on what they did against an FBS foe and for how they followed that up the next week against an FCS one. 

FCS Power Rankings
TeamRankRecordBreakdown
1. Montana State2-0After an epic comeback victory in Week 0 vs. New Mexico, the Bobcats made quick work of Utah Tech last weekend. They are your new No. 1 team in the FCS.
2. South Dakota State0-1I'm not going to hold a loss against a good Oklahoma State team against the Jackrabbits. But I did expect them to look much better than they did, especially in the trenches.
3. North Dakota State0-1QB Cam Miller played his best game as a Bison against Colorado. If that's going to be the case moving forward, then NDSU will be a problem. 
4. Villanova1-0The Wildcats ran for 246 yards on the ground against Youngstown State, with QB Connor Watkins rushing for more than 100 of those yards. Defensively, though, Villanova was probably even more impressive.
5. Montana1-0The Grizzlies had to out-claw and out-scratch their way in order to get the 29-24 victory against Missouri State. It wasn't pretty, but good teams tend to find a way to get the job done.
6. Idaho0-1The Vandals almost pulled off the biggest upset last week, losing to Oregon 24-14. What impressed me the most is how they matched the Ducks physicality within the trenches. Unfortunately, losing starting QB Jack Layne for an extended period of time could prove to be costly.
7. South Dakota1-0A 45-3 thumping of Division II Northern State helped the Coyotes shake off the preseason rust as they prepare to take on Wisconsin this Saturday. 
8. Sacramento State0-1Leading the entire first half against San Jose State had many believing the Hornets were going to pull off the upset; however, a second half surge by the Spartans meant the upset bid came up short. This week, Sac State takes on another Mountain West foe in Fresno State.
9. Central Arkansas0-1A controversial call late in the game took away a potential upset away from the Bears, but they looked like the better team against Arkansas State. This Bears defense has some serious dudes on it.
10. William & Mary1-0It was good to see Tribe RB Bronson Yoder back out there against VMI. He is going to be huge for this offense at full health, especially the running game. We'll see if they can pull off the upset this weekend vs. Coastal Carolina. 
11. Incarnate Word1-0WR Jalen Walthall grabbed five receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown to help the Cardinals take care of business against Northern Colorado 28-7.
12. Southern Illinois0-1It was a good news/bad news situation for the Salukis vs. BYU. The good news is that dual-threat QB DJ Williams is going to cause defenses fits this season. The bad news is that the secondary has to hope last week was an aberration and not a sign of things to come.
13. Chattanooga0-1The Mocs were no match for the Tennessee Volunteers. We'll see if they can fare much better this weekend vs. another FBS opponent, Georgia State. What a rough schedule to begin the season for Chattanooga.
14. Florida A&M2-0QB Daniel Richardson has been as good as advertised for the Rattlers. FAMU is picking up right where it left off last season under new coach James Colzie. Huge challenge this weekend though against the Miami Hurricanes.
15. Richmond0-1Despite the score against Virginia, I thought the Spiders defense more than held its own. That's something positive they can take away from a 34-13 loss to the Cavaliers. Spiders held Virginia to 3 of 11 on third downs. 
16. Albany1-0At the end of the day, the team able to operate with more efficiency, fewer penalties and fewer turnovers ultimately will be the one to win the game. That's exactly how the Great Danes were able to escape with a win over Long Island.
17. Lafayette0-1The Leopards couldn't keep the Patriot League's winning streak over Buffalo going, taking one on the chin 30-13. It was an uncharacteristic sloppy day for the Lafayette offense. 
18. Furman0-1Last weekend's 76-0 loss vs Ole Miss is definitely a "burn the tape" type situation. Nothing about last week's game told us anything about what we should expect from the Paladins this season.
19. Tarleton State1-1After losing to Baylor last weekend, the Texans have two more road games before returning home on September 28. The good news is the next two games are against FCS foes. 
20. Elon0-1We learned vs. Duke that this team is going to be extremely tough in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They also have a stable of talented backs as well. I may be too low here on the Phoenix. 
21. Western Carolina0-1The Catamounts were the most impressive out of the FCS-vs.-FBS games in Week 1 They dominated NC State in the trenches for the majority of the game. Let's see if that is something they can build on this upcoming week vs. Campbell.
22. UC Davis0-1It was a 14-13 game at halftime vs. Cal. If QB Miles Hastings doesn't toss three interceptions, we're potentially having a different conversation about UC Davis in this ranking. They could have pulled off the shocker. 
23. Nicholls0-1The Colonels were a game opponent vs. in-state Louisiana Tech. I came away highly impressed with how Nicholls played on defense. Expect them to be competitive in the Southland Conference this season.
24. North Dakota0-1Solid defense and an efficient offense is what kept North Dakota in the game vs. Iowa State. It just couldn't generate any explosive plays on offense and gave up some big plays in the passing game, both of which doomed it in Ames.
25. North Carolina Central1-0Don't look now, but the Eagles may have found themselves another special back in J'Mari Taylor. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior ran for 128 yards and two scores vs. Alabama State. He's got the vision, speed and elusiveness to be a home-run threat.