Gridiron Power Index 10/18/2023 – Fighting Hawks Upend GPI This Week
BETHLEHEM, PA – Once again, a shift of power in the Missouri Valley Conference has rocked the GPI this week.
Partially thanks to North Dakota’s dismantling of North Dakota State 49-24, the Fighting Hawks leaped up to No. 7 in the GPI, and the Bison fell to No. 10, with the impacts of that shift shuffling a lot of teams in the Gridiron Power Index this week.
Six Missouri Valley Football Conference teams dot the Top 25: South Dakota State (1), South Dakota (3), Southern Illinois (6), North Dakota (7), North Dakota (10) and Youngstown State (19). The next best conference represented is the Big Sky with 5 teams.
The 2023 version of the GPI is comprised of five different human polls (FCS Stats Perform Top 25, FCS Coaches, Reddit FCS, Any Given Saturday, and the FCS Fans Nation Media) and five different historic and respected computer polls (Laz Index, Massey Ratings, Sagarin Ratings, Keeper Ratings, and Dwiggins Ratings). All five computer rankings were at one time a part of the original GPI.
The highest and lowest rankings are dropped, and the remaining polls are averaged. Whenever possible “Others Receiving Votes” have been included in the index.
GPI Top 25,Week of 10/11/2023
| GPI RANK | TEAM | CONF | W-L | LAST | RAW GPI SCORE |
| 1 | South Dakota State | MFVC | 6-0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Montana State | Big Sky | 5-1 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | South Dakota | MVFC | 5-1 | 6 | 6.25 |
| 4 | Sacramento State | Big Sky | 5-1 | 5 | 6.625 |
| 5 | Idaho | Big Sky | 5-2 | 3 | 7.875 |
| 6 | Southern Illinois | MVFC | 5-1 | 7 | 8.625 |
| 7 | North Dakota | MVFC | 4-2 | 13 | 8.875 |
| 8 | Montana | Big Sky | 6-1 | T16 | 9.125 |
| 9 | Furman | SoCon | 5-1 | 10 | 9.625 |
| 10 | North Dakota State | MVFC | 4-2 | 4 | 9.75 |
| 11 | Western Carolina | SoCon | 5-1 | 8 | 10.625 |
| 12 | Delaware | CAA | 5-1 | T9 | 12.25 |
| 13 | Harvard | Ivy | 5-0 | 14 | 13.625 |
| 14 | Incarnate Word | Southland | 5-1 | T16 | 14.375 |
| T15 | Holy Cross | Patriot | 4-2 | 11 | 14.75 |
| T15 | UT Martin | BSC-OVC | 5-1 | 12 | 14.75 |
| 17 | Austin Peay | UAC | 4-2 | 18 | 16 |
| 18 | Central Arkansas | UAC | 5-2 | 20 | 18.5 |
| 19 | Youngstown State | MVFC | 3-3 | 15 | 20.875 |
| 20 | William and Mary | CAA | 4-2 | 19 | 21.75 |
| 21 | Villanova | CAA | 5-2 | NR | 21.875 |
| 22 | Chattanooga | SoCon | 5-2 | NR | 22 |
| 23 | North Carolina Central | MEAC | 5-1 | 22 | 22.375 |
| 24 | UC Davis | Big Sky | 4-3 | NR | 24 |
| 25 | Florida A&M | SWAC | 5-1 | 24 | 15.5 |
