FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State Football moved up in the latest D2Football.com Top 25 Poll to No. 20, the position they started the season in, after a 26-7 win over Nebraska-Kearney in the MIAA opener this past weekend. Now 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA, the Tigers will face No. 10 ranked Pittsburg State (1-2, 0-1 MIAA) this Saturday (Sept. 20) in Pittsburg. FHSU continues to receive votes in the latest AFCA Top 25 Poll.
Fort Hays State will be the fourth-straight ranked opponent Pittsburg State faces to open the 2025 season. The Gorillas are ranked in both of the latest AFCA and D2Football.com Top 25 Polls. The Gorillas hold a No. 18 ranking in the latest AFCA poll. Pittsburg State started the year with a loss to the No. 1 team in the country, Ferris State, then lost their MIAA opener on the road to a then No. 19/17 ranked Central Oklahoma squad. The Gorillas bounced back last week for a win over then No. 3/5 ranked Grand Valley State when they held a No. 24 ranking by the AFCA and No. 16 by D2Football.com. The win moved the Gorillas back up in both polls this week to No. 18/10.
Fort Hays State started the year at No. 20 in the D2Football.com Top 25 and receiving votes in the AFCA poll, but fell out of both after a loss to a then No. 13/12 ranked Angelo State squad in the season opener. Angelo State is still unbeaten on the season and is up to No. 6 in both polls this week. FHSU then knocked off No. 5/6 ranked CSU Pueblo on the road to move back into the D2Football.com Top 25 at No. 22 last week, and back into the receiving votes section of the AFCA poll. The win over Nebraska-Kearney bumped the Tigers up two spots in the latest D2Football.com poll and they received the sixth-most votes of the teams among the receiving votes section of the AFCA poll.
The Tigers will be looking to snap a four-game losing string to the Gorillas on Saturday. FHSU's last win in Pittsburg was in 2019, when the Gorillas held a No. 19/21 ranking.
D2Football.com Top 25 Poll - September 15, 2025
Rank Team Record Prev
1 Ferris State 3-0 1
2 Harding 2-0 2
3 Kutztown 2-0 4
4 West Florida 3-0 7
5 Western Colorado 2-0 6
6 Angelo State 3-0 8
7 UT Permian Basin 2-0 10
8 Central Oklahoma 1-1 12
9 Slippery Rock 2-0 9
10 Pittsburg State 1-2 16
11 Minnesota Duluth 3-0 NR
12 CSU Pueblo 2-1 13
13 Augustana 3-0 11
14 Minnesota State 2-1 3
15 Grand Valley State 2-1 5
16 California 2-0 14
17 Lenoir-Rhyne 2-1 17
18 West Alabama 3-0 18
19 Central Washington 1-1 21
20 Fort Hays State 2-1 22
21 Johnson C Smith 3-0 23
22 Indianapolis 2-1 25
23 Colorado School of Mines 2-0 24
24 Michigan Tech 3-0 NR
25 Virginia Union 1-1 15
AFCA Top 25 Poll - September 15, 2025
Rank School (1st votes) Record Pts. Prev.
1 Ferris St. (31) 3-0 775 1
2 Harding 2-0 719 2
3 West Florida 3-0 688 5
4 Slippery Rock 2-0 669 4
5 Kutztown 2-0 648 6
6 Angelo St. 3-0 622 8
7 Western Colorado 2-0 569 9
8 California (Pa.) 2-0 501 10
9 Augustana (S.D.) 3-0 487 11
10 Grand Valley St. 2-1 477 3|
11 UT-Permian Basin 2-0 474 12
12 Colorado St.-Pueblo 2-1 391 14
13 West Alabama 3-0 375 17
14 Minnesota St. 2-1 352 7
15 Central Oklahoma 1-1 347 15
16 Minnesota-Duluth 3-0 299 24t
17 Central Washington 1-1 263 18t
18 Pittsburg St. 1-2 221 24t
19 Lenoir-Rhyne 2-1 205 21
20 Valdosta St. 2-1 161 22
21 Johnson C. Smith 3-0 103 NR
22 Virginia Union 1-1 101 13
23 Wingate 2-0 89 NR
24 Michigan Tech 3-0 83 NR
25 Sioux Falls 3-0 76 NR
Receiving Votes: UIndy, 70; Delta St., 69; Colorado School of Mines, 60; Charleston, 38; Ashland, 35; Fort Hays St., 34; Henderson St., 9; Indiana (Pa.), 8; Ouachita Baptist, 8; Southern Arkansas, 8; Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 7; Fairmont St., 6; Frostburg St., 6; Carson-Newman, 5; UNC Pembroke, 5; Findlay, 4; Albany St., 3; Clarion, 2; Edward Waters, 2; Anderson, 1.