Jackson State surges up in the latest FCS polls

After a resounding win over Hampton University, Jackson State has found itself moving up the FCS top 25. Originally listed at 17 to start the season, Jackson State is now ranked 15th headed into a compelling matchup against Charles Huff, who is ironically a Hampton University alumnus, and his new Southern Miss team.

Jackson State looked good in their 28-14 victory over Hampton, particularly their running game. Ahmad Miller had an impressive performance, racking up 172 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries. The entire running back group combined for 283 yards and four touchdowns, with contributions from Miller, Donerio Davenport, and Emari Matthews.

The full list, per Stats Perform and Opta Analyst, is below.

RankTeam (Record)Points (1st Place Votes)Previous RankingWeek 1 ResultWeek 2 Opponent1North Dakota State (1-0)1,397 (53)138-0 win at The Citadelat Tennessee State2South Dakota State (1-0)1,333 (2)320-3 win vs. then-No. 15 Sacramento Stateat No. 3 Montana State3Montana State (0-1)1,274 (1)259-13 loss at OregonNo. 2 South Dakota State4South Dakota (0-1)1,171455-7 loss at Iowa Stateat Lamar5Tarleton State (2-0)1,1641042-0 win at Portland State (Week 0); 30-27 win at Army (Week 1)Mississippi Valley State6Montana (0-0)1,0277No gameCentral Washington7Illinois State (0-1)961635-3 loss at Oklahoma StateMorehead State8UC Davis (1-0)9588No contest vs. then-No. 11 Mercer (Week 0); 31-24 win at Utah Tech (Week 1)at Washington9Rhode Island (1-0, 1-0 CAA)953931-20 win vs. Campbellat Stony Brook10Idaho (0-1)8791213-10 loss at Washington StateSt. Thomas11Lehigh (1-0, 1-0 Patriot)7451421-14 win vs. then-No. 25 RichmondSacred Heart12UIW (1-1, 0-1 Southland)730520-6 loss at Nicholls (Week 0); 31-21 win vs. Eastern Washington (Week 1)No game13Villanova (0-0)71813No gameColgate14Southern Illinois (1-0)4232049-3 win vs. Thomas Moreat Purdue15Jackson State (1-0)4221728-14 win vs. Hamptonat Southern Miss16Abilene Christian (0-1)3961635-7 loss at TulsaNo. 25 Stephen F. Austin17Tennessee Tech (1-0)3712165-0 win vs. CumberlandChattanooga18Sacramento State (0-1)3511520-3 loss at then-No. 3 South Dakota Stateat Nevada19Northern Arizona (0-1)3491938-19 loss at Arizona StateUtah Tech20North Dakota (0-1)325NR38-35 loss at Kansas StatePortland State21Monmouth (1-0)3232242-39 win at Colgateat Fordham22Nicholls (1-1, 1-0 Southland)265NR20-6 win vs. then-No. 5 UIW (Week 0); 38-20 loss at Troy (Week 1)West Georgia23Mercer (0-1)22911No contest vs. then-No. 8 UC Davis (Week 0); 15-10 loss vs. Presbyterian (Week 1)No game24Southern Utah (1-0)226NR46-24 win vs. Idaho Stateat San Diego25Stephen F. Austin (0-1)1462327-0 loss at Houstonat No. 16 Abilene Christian

Dropped Out of Top 25: Western Carolina (18); Stony Brook (24); Richmond (25) 

Randall Barnes is ClutchPoints’ Head of HBCU (Historically Black College or University) content and the founder of HBCU Pulse, a multimedia outlet with the mission to tell the authentic stories of HBCU Life via traditional, digital and social media outlets.