Gridiron Power Index 10/4/2023 – South Dakota Coyotes Upend GPI
BETHLEHEM, PA – South Dakota’s shock 24-19 upset of the North Dakota State Bison last weekend caused a firestorm in the Gridiron Power Index on October 4th, 2023.
The Coyotes, who went from being unranked to 8th in the GPI, were one of four teams who appeared in the GPU for the first time this year, thanks to a cavalcade of massive upsets.
In addition to South Dakota, Albany’s resounding 31-10 win over Villanova put them into the Top 25 at No. 22, and Harvard’s 38-28 win over Holy Cross bumped them to No. 18.
Elon’s 14-6 upset win over William and Mary saw the Tribe plummet six spots to 14, but the Phoenix couldn’t rise to higher than 27th, just outside the rankings.
And in the Big Sky, Sacramento State, Weber State and Idaho survived tough league challenges, with the Vandals’ tight 44-36 win over Eastern Washington a battle of ranked 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 10/4/2023
| GPI RANK | TEAM | CONF | W-L | LAST | RAW GPI SCORE |
| 1 | South Dakota State | MFVC | 4-0 | 1 | 1.25 |
| 2 | Montana State | Big Sky | 4-1 | 3 | 2.625 |
| 3 | Southern Illinois | MVFC | 4-0 | 5 | 3.25 |
| 4 | Idaho | Big Sky | 4-1 | 4 | 3.5 |
| 5 | North Dakota State | MVFC | 3-1 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | Sacramento State | Big Sky | 4-1 | 6 | 6.125 |
| 7 | Furman | SoCon | 3-1 | T8 | 8.125 |
| 8 | South Dakota | MVFC | 3-1 | NR | 11.25 |
| 9 | Western Carolina | SoCon | 4-1 | 12 | 11.875 |
| 10 | Holy Cross | Patriot | 3-2 | 7 | 13.625 |
| 11 | Delaware | CAA | 3-1 | 11 | 13.875 |
| 12 | UT Martin | BSC-OVC | 4-1 | 14 | 14.75 |
| 13 | Incarnate Word | Southland | 3-1 | 15 | 15.375 |
| 14 | William and Mary | CAA | 4-1 | T8 | 15.75 |
| 15 | North Dakota | MVFC | 2-2 | 13 | 17.25 |
| 16 | Weber State | Big Sky | 3-2 | 10 | 18 |
| 17 | UC Davis | Big Sky | 3-2 | 18 | 19.625 |
| 18 | Harvard | Ivy | 3-0 | NR | 19.875 |
| 19 | Austin Peay | UAC | 3-2 | 21 | 20.875 |
| 20 | Eastern Washington | Big Sky | 2-3 | 17 | 23.125 |
| 21 | Northern Iowa | MVFC | 2-2 | NR | 23.75 |
| 22 | Albany | CAA | 3-2 | NR | 24.25 |
| 23 | Montana | Big Sky | 4-1 | 22 | 24.375 |
| 24 | Florida A&M | SWAC | 4-1 | T23 | 25 |
| 25 | Chattanooga | SoCon | 4-1 | 25 | 25.25 |
