It is crunch time as we enter Week 10 for the Football Championship Subdivision. Last week, we saw some big upsets, with Delaware, Southeast Missouri State and Penn all going down. Meanwhile, Chattanooga, Fordham and Idaho all took tough losses to ranked conference foes.
Montana, the former No. 1 team in these very rankings, fell out entirely. On a three-game losing streak, the Grizzlies now find themselves firmly on the FCS playoff "Bubble Watch." It looks like the Griz will have to win out and pull off the shocker in the Brawl of the Wild vs. Montana State at the end of the season to secure an at-large bid.
As a result, a bevy of teams take advantage by moving up significantly in this week's FCS Power Rankings.
Samford has won six straight games since their loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. These Bulldogs have done it in a multitude of ways: offense, special teams, and last weekend vs. the Citadel, we saw a dominant defensive performance. Right now the 'Dawgs from Birmingham hope to keep this momentum going as they wrap up the season against VMI, Chattanooga and Mercer.
Staying in the SoCon, Furman moves up seven spots in the rankings, the biggest jump of the week, thanks in part to its 24-20 victory over Chattanooga. That Paladin defense deserves a ton of credit for how it kept the Mocs sputtering throughout the game.
How many teams will the SoCon have in the FCS Playoffs? You can legitimately make a case for Chattanooga, Furman, Mercer and Samford. A lot will depend on how other conferences fare, but you have to tip your cap to the SoCon for what it's done so far.
And in a story that no one is talking about, North Carolina A&T has put together a nice run since their loss to Duke back in mid-September. The Aggies have ripped off five straight wins and find themselves atop the Big South Conference standings after an impressive win against Campbell. QB Jalen Fowler is starting to settle in and is playing tremendous football.
Here's how the FCS Power Rankings look heading into Week 10.
Biggest Riser: Furman -- No. 12 (Last Week: 19)
Biggest Fall: Southeast Missouri State -- No. 20 (LW: 13)
Dropped Out: Montana, Illinois State, Penn, Austin Peay
On the Cusp: Villanova (5-3), Florida A&M (6-2), Penn (6-1), St. Thomas (7-1), North Dakota (5-3)
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. South Dakota State | 8-1 | After their big win over North Dakota State two weeks ago, the Jackrabbits avoided the vaunted "let down" by putting up back-to-back 49-point games. They look like the most complete team in the FCS. |
 | 2. Sacramento State | 8-0 | The Hornets have victories over Colorado State and Northern Iowa, and now they have knocked off perennial Big Sky powers in Montana and Eastern Washington, as well as Idaho. Next up, No. 7 Weber State. |
 | 3. Montana State | 7-1 | Unfortunately, the Bobcats won't get their chance at playing Sacramento State this season unless it is in the playoffs. That would be just fine by Montana State. |
 | 4. North Dakota State | 6-2 | When you don't beat yourselves with penalties and turnovers, and you are excellent on third downs and inside the red zone, you will be hard to beat. That is North Dakota State football right now. |
 | 5. Holy Cross | 8-0 | Huge win for coach Bob Chesney over Fordham in the de facto Patriot League title game. It took a gutsy 2-point conversion in overtime for the Crusaders to get the 53-52 victory. Chesney saved his gassed defense by going for the win. |
 | 6. William & Mary | 7-1 | The Tribe got the defensive stop on the last play of a 31-30 win over Rhode Island as the Rams went for 2 and the win. |
 | 7. Weber State | 7-1 | The Wildcats defense showed up and showed out vs. the Montana Grizzlies in a 24-21 win, making it a struggle all through the game. The special teams still have to be concerning, however, after giving up a 100-yard kickoff return. |
 | 8. Jackson State | 8-0 | Shutting out a solid Southern team 35-0 was impressive in its own right. However, seeing QB Shedeur Sanders' 42-yard touchdown scamper and DB Shilo Sanders' interception I'm sure was the icing on the "Who is SWAC" cake for Coach Prime. |
 | 9. Incarnate Word | 8-1 | The Cardinals' 35-7 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce was arguably their most impressive of the season. It was a great defensive showing against a Lions team that was surging. |
 | 10. Samford | 7-1 | Samford played a masterful game against an option team in the Citadel. Doing what you have to do vs. an offense like that, like forcing three turnovers, while maximizing each offensive possession is impressive. |
 | 11. Richmond | 6-2 | The Spiders made light work of Maine, jumping out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead. It was 28-7 at the start of the fourth quarter and the game was never in jeopardy. A big game this weekend vs. New Hampshire awaits. |
 | 12. Furman | 7-2 | The Paladins defense played the run on and the pass well in last week's win over Chattanooga. Furman shut down the run game, allowing only 2.5 yards per carry, and picked off Mocs QB Preston Hutchinson twice. |
 | 13. Delaware | 6-2 | The passing game seems a bit flat for the Blue Hens. They were a bit uninspiring vs. Morgan State two weeks ago and once again vs. Elon, which ended up plucking their feathers in a 27-7 loss. |
 | 14. Chattanooga | 6-2 | The Mocs have to do two things in order to win games: run, and hold on to, the ball. They didn't do either against Furman, which is why they lost the game. |
 | 15. Mercer | 7-2 | Nice bounce-back win for the Bears last weekend. They face another huge test this week against Furman. Mercer needs to be impressive against the Paladins with playoff committee eyes watching. |
 | 16. New Hampshire | 6-2 | The lone undefeated team in Colonial Athletic Association play, the Wildcats have been excellent, and their defense will be put to the test this weekend against Richmond's passing attack. |
 | 17. Princeton | 7-0 | What's been the key ingredient for the Tigers' dominant defensive performances? They don't allow opposing QBs to get away with bad passes. Princeton has picked off 14, which is tied for second in both Division I subdivisions. |
 | 18. Fordham | 6-2 | With their offensive output, the Rams will be in every game with a legitimate chance to win. At some point, however, their defense could be what knocks them out -- or keeps them out of the playoffs completely. |
 | 19. Idaho | 5-3 | The Vandals defense couldn't get off the field on Sacramento State's final drive, which proved costly. Despite that, you have to like the fight of this team. |
 | 20. Southeast Missouri State | 6-2 | SEMO's loss to Eastern Kentucky does hurt from an at-large bid perspective, but it wasn't a conference game and the Redhawks can still win at least a share of the Ohio Valley if they win out. |
 | 21. Elon | 6-3 | Getting the upset win over a top-10 Delaware team definitely vaults you back into the top 25. The question now becomes whether or not consistency will keep the Phoenix here. |
 | 22. Southeastern Louisiana | 5-3 | The Lions have been ranked periodically and are starting to peak at the right time. We are looking at a potential at-large bid by the end of the regular season. |
 | 23. Saint Francis | 6-2 | The Northeast Conference doesn't get a lot of credit nationally, but what the Red Flash are doing should definitely be discussed more. They've mowed down the competition and are riding a five-game winning streak. |
 | 24. UT Martin | 5-3 | The Skyhawks are on the last leg of a three-game nonconference swing, facing Kennesaw State this weekend before the stretch run of Ohio Valley games. While the Owls are down this season, this game is still huge from an at-large bid perspective. It's about the resume now for UT Martin. |
 | 25. Eastern Kentucky | 5-3 | The Colonels have a big game this weekend vs. Central Arkansas, which could ultimately decide which team gets to represent the ASUN-WAC in the FCS playoffs. |
