It's not often the Football Championship Subdivision Power Rankings focus on an unranked team, but with little movement in the top 25 coming out of Week 10, that's what we're doing with Northwestern State.
The Demons hold the key to the Southland Conference's playoff auto bid, and they could haunt the playoff dreams for a couple of ranked opponents over the next two weeks Despite a 4-5 overall record, Northwestern State is 4-0 in the Southland standings and play No. 22 Southeastern Louisiana and No. 7 Incarnate Word in subsequent weeks. That means they could represent the conference if they win out -- while potentially knocking the Lions out of playoff contention.
Northwestern State has been blown out by Montana, Grambling and Southeast Missouri State, but none of that matters if they win out. That's the beauty of a true playoff. Here's how the rest of the FCS Power Rankings look for Week 11:
Biggest Riser: Incarnate Word -- No. 7 (Last Week: 9)
Biggest Faller: New Hampshire -- No. 20 (LW: 16)
Dropped out: UT Martin
On the Cusp: North Dakota (6-3), North Carolina A&T (6-3), Merrimack (7-2), Florida A&M (7-2), Penn (7-1), Youngstown State (6-3)
FCS Power Rankings
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. South Dakota State | 9-1 | With one game remaining in their regular season, let me remind you that the Jackrabbits were one touchdown drive away vs. Iowa from being undefeated. This will be a tough team to beat come playoff time. |
 | 2. Sacramento State | 9-0 | The Hornets defense has made the last three weeks a bit too close for comfort. You can look at this in one of two ways: it's either helping them toughen up for the playoffs, or making them more susceptible to an early exit. |
 | 3. Montana State | 8-1 | You have to love the way the Bobcats started and closed out their game against Northern Arizona. It's the chaos that happened in between that almost resulted in an upset in Flagstaff. |
 | 4. North Dakota State | 7-2 | Styles make fights, and we'll see the Bison defense challenged by a Southern Illinois passing attack that has the ability to spread the field. |
 | 5. Holy Cross | 9-0 | The Crusaders have proved all season long they are capable of playing any type of game. This team has a chance to make a deep playoff run. |
 | 6. William & Mary | 8-1 | Since their loss to Elon a month ago, the Tribe have been one of the more focused and disciplined teams in the FCS. Both will be put to the test this week against a hard-nosed Villanova squad. |
 | 7. Incarnate Word | 9-1 | The Cardinals' bye week comes at the perfect time as they get two weeks to prepare for Northwestern State, which are undefeated in Southland Conference play. This is a great chance for UIW to secure an outright conference title. |
 | 8. Jackson State | 9-0 | Though the offensive line has improved, we haven't talked enough about how drastically Coach Prime improved the run game with the signing of Delaware State transfer Sy'veon Wilkerson, who is a chunk play machine. |
 | 9. Weber State | 7-2 | Weber State special teams are the gift that keeps on giving on both ends of the spectrum. Though a liability at times, the Wildcats return game is vicious and a legit weapon. |
 | 10. Samford | 8-1 | The Bulldogs have a huge matchup vs. Chattanooga. If they are able to win out against the Mocs and Mercer next weekend, they take home the outright SoCon title. |
 | 11. Richmond | 7-2 | The Spiders offense keeps the pressure on opposing offenses to match points. However, you never want to see them take their foot off the gas defensively as it is a dangerous game to play come playoff time. |
 | 12. Furman | 7-2 | It's great that the Paladins had a bye after their impressive win over Chattanooga because they'll need that ample time to prepare for the high-octane Mercer offense. |
 | 13. Delaware | 7-2 | It was awesome to see Blue Hens QB Nolan Henderson bounce back with a five-touchdown passing day against Monmouth. If he can play like that, or even close to it, Delaware will be a problem. This is the Henderson we've grown accustomed to seeing. |
 | 14. Chattanooga | 7-2 | The Mocs' lone FCS loss was to Furman a few weeks ago, so they are still in good shape for an at-large playoff bid. However, a win vs. Samford could put them back in play for a share of the SoCon title or, at worst, a higher seed in the playoffs. |
 | 15. Mercer | 7-2 | Mercer's mission is simple: win the next two weeks and take home a share of the SoCon. However, the Bears find themselves in a peculiar position; if they split the next two games, the selection committee may question whether or not their resume is strong enough to bypass other teams (which would be absurd). |
 | 16. Idaho | 6-3 | The Vandals are one of the best stories of the FCS season. They could finish the season 8-3, which would put first-year coach Jason Eck atop many Coach of the Year ballots. |
 | 17. Princeton | 8-0 | Princeton takes on Yale in the Ivy League game of the week. No opponent has scored more than 19 points against this Tigers defense, which, pound for pound, may be the best in the FCS. |
 | 18. Fordham | 7-2 | Style points and getting incrementally better defensively should be the goal for Fordham. I hate that it has to be this way because of how many view the Patriot League because the Rams are a legit squad with a great coach. They should be an at-large bid regardless. |
 | 19. Southeast Missouri State | 7-2 | The Redhawks made quick work of Tennessee State 42-0, marking an impressive rebound after their loss to Eastern Kentucky a couple of weeks ago. |
 | 20. New Hampshire | 6-3 | New Hampshire has put itself into an interesting spot with its loss last weekend to Richmond. This upcoming game against Rhode Island could be an elimination game for an at-large bid. |
 | 21. Elon | 7-3 | The Phoenix wrap up their season this weekend against Hampton and will wait for the outcome of the Rhode Island-New Hampshire game. Elon lost to both teams and will get a boost from the loser of that game. |
 | 22. Southeastern Louisiana | 6-3 | The Southland Conference's pivotal matchup this week involves the Lions and Northwestern State, which still are undefeated in conference play. This could potentially be the resume booster the Lions need. |
 | 23. Saint Francis | 7-2 | If Saint Francis and Merrimack take care of business this weekend, it sets up a de facto Northeast Conference championship game next weekend between the two squads. The Red Flash can't overlook Duquesne, though. |
 | 24. Eastern Kentucky | 6-3 | Winners of three straight games, the Colonels have another opportunity to boost their postseason resume, which already has an FBS win on it (Bowling Green), with a victory over Jacksonville State. This is a monumental game for EKU. |
 | 25. St. Thomas | 8-1 | And the Tommies finally make their debut in our FCS Power Rankings. What a great story. Glenn Caruso's team could find itself in the postseason as conference champs if it closes out the rest of the season with wins. |
