SDSU at No. 5, USD at No. 8 in first FCS selection committee in-season top-10 rankings

The NCAA Football Selection Committee has placed four Missouri Valley Football Conference teams within the top-eight seed positions in their initial in-season top-10 rankings. South Dakota State University is currently ranked fifth, while South Dakota University occupies the eighth spot. Montana State University leads the committee's rankings at number one, with Tarleton State University close behind in second place.

Youngstown State University leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference, followed by Stephen F. Austin University, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, South Dakota, Austin Peay University, and Harvard University. Tarleton State University and Stephen F. Austin University are the top two ranked teams in the Stats Perform Top 25 rankings, with Tarleton State University achieving its first-ever ranking in this category.

Montana State University secured an FBS win over Nevada but lost a match against Idaho in the Big Sky Conference. Tarleton State University defeated an FCS opponent, Bowling Green, in September. The Missouri Valley Football Conference is led by Youngstown State University, who possess a 4-1 conference record, with their lone defeat coming against South Dakota State University.

North Dakota and the University of San Diego (USD) both have a 3-1 conference record and are set to face each other in Vermillion this weekend. South Dakota University and Northern Iowa are also 2-1 in league play. The Jackrabbiots will face Murray State on Saturday before hosting South Dakota on October 31 in Brookings. The committee will issue their second and final in-season update on Thursday, November 5 at 1 p.m., using results from games played up to October 17 as a snapshot of where the teams stand heading into the final four weeks of the regular season.