By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State fell out of the AFCA Top 25 on Monday (Oct. 8) after a 28-24 loss at Emporia State. The 4-2 Tigers the third-highest listed team in the receiving votes section this week with 37 votes.
The Tigers were in the AFCA Top 25 for a little over a year after entering last year on September 11. They remained in the top 25 for 16 consecutive releases of the poll (includes final 2017 poll and 2018 preseason poll).
The MIAA has only two ranked teams remaining in the poll. Pittsburg State fell from No. 8 to No. 18 this week after a loss to Northwest Missouri State on Saturday. Both teams are now 5-1. Northwest Missouri moved up a little bit in the poll to No. 13 this week.
Fort Hays State currently sits in a tie for third place in the MIAA standings with Missouri Western and Nebraska-Kearney. The Tigers look to knock off one of the MIAA frontrunners this week in Hays when Pittsburg State comes to town. The game kicks off at 2 pm on Saturday (Oct. 13) at Lewis Field Stadium.
Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for October 8, 2018.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Record | Pts. | Prev. | Week 6 | Next Game |
| 1. | Minnesota St. (29) | 6-0 | 819 | 1 | D. Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 42-20 | Oct. 13 vs. Minot St. (N.D.) |
| 2. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 6-0 | 780 | 2 | D. Dixie St. (Utah), 35-14 | Oct. 13 vs. No. 3 Ferris St. (Mich.) |
| 3. | Ferris St. (Mich.) (4) | 6-0 | 770 | 3 | D. Michigan Tech, 42-24 | Oct. 13 at No. 2 Grand Valley St. (Mich.) |
| 4. | West Georgia | 6-0 | 708 | 5 | D. North Greenville (S.C.), 31-7 | Oct. 13 at No. 10 West Florida |
| 5. | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 6-0 | 665 | 6 | D. No. 19 Harding (Ark.), 7-3 | Oct. 13 at Oklahoma Baptist |
| 6. | Minnesota-Duluth | 6-0 | 630 | 7 | D. Augustana (S.D.), 28-17 | Oct. 13 vs. Southwest Minnesota St. |
| 7. | Texas A&M-Commerce | 5-1 | 594 | 9 | D. No. 4 Midwestern St. (Texas), 20-19 | Oct. 13 vs. No. 16 Tarleton St. (Texas) |
| 8. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | 6-0 | 584 | 10 | D. Delta St. (Miss.), 59-28 | Oct. 13 at Florida Tech |
| 9. | Colorado School of Mines | 6-0 | 525 | 12 | D. Western St. Colorado, 44-16 | Oct. 13 at Fort Lewis (Colo.) |
| 10. | West Florida | 5-1 | 496 | 11 | D. North Alabama, 24-19 | Oct. 13 vs. No. 4 West Georgia |
| 11. | West Chester (Pa.) | 6-0 | 463 | 13 | D. Bloomsburg (Pa.), 17-14 | Oct. 20 at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) |
| 12. | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 5-1 | 450 | 4 | Lost to No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce, 20-19 | Oct. 13 at Texas A&M-Kingsville |
| 13. | Northwest Missouri St. | 5-1 | 448 | 16 | D. No. 8 Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 31-7 | Oct. 13 vs. Nebraska-Kearney |
| 14. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 5-1 | 406 | 15 | D. New Mexico Highlands, 48-3 | Oct. 13 at Colorado Mesa |
| 15. | Southern Arkansas | 6-0 | 356 | 17 | D. Southern Nazarene (Okla.), 21-16 | Oct. 13 at Southeastern Oklahoma St. |
| 16. | Tarleton St. (Texas) | 5-0 | 319 | 21 | D. Eastern New Mexico, 48-28 | Oct. 13 at No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce |
| 17. | Notre Dame (Ohio) | 6-0 | 296 | 20 | D. Fairmont St. (W.Va.), 24-21 | Oct. 13 vs. Urbana (Ohio) |
| 18. | Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | 5-1 | 281 | 8 | Lost to No. 16 Northwest Missouri St., 31-7 | Oct. 13 at Fort Hays St. (Kan.) |
| 19. | Kutztown (Pa.) | 5-0 | 220 | 23 | D. East Stroudsburg (Pa.), 35-33 | Oct. 13 vs. Lock Haven (Pa.) |
| 20. | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 4-1 | 215 | 22 | D. Missouri S&T, 24-17 | Oct. 13 at Quincy (Ill.) |
| 21. | Central Washington | 4-2 | 111 | 25 | D. No. 24 Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 45-31 | Oct. 13 vs. Western Oregon |
| 22. | Tiffin (Ohio) | 6-0 | 93 | NR | D. Malone (Ohio), 38-21 | Oct. 13 vs. Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 23. | Indiana (Pa.) | 4-2 | 71 | 14 | Lost to Slippery Rock (Pa.), 30-27 | Oct. 13 vs. Clarion (Pa.) |
| 24. | Harding (Ark.) | 4-2 | 66 | 19 | Lost to No. 6 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 7-3 | Oct. 13 at Southwestern Oklahoma St. |
| 25. | LIU-Post (N.Y.) | 5-0 | 64 | NR | D. Shippensburg (Pa.), 41-39 | Oct. 13 vs. St. Anselm (N.H.) |
Others Receiving Votes: Ohio Dominican, 57; Davenport (Mich.), 46; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 37; Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 33; Morehouse (Ga.), 23; Florida Tech, 19; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 17; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 17; West Texas A&M, 13; Hillsdale (Mich.), 11; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 7; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 5; Colorado Mesa, 5; Virginia Union, 2; Winona St. (Minn.), 2; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 1.