BY RALPH VENTRE
Elon made the largest leap on Talking Pigskin’s Division I FCS Top 25 ballot following the Week 5 results.
The Phoenix, who cracked the rankings at No. 25 after Week 4, rose 13 spots to No. 12 on the strength of a second consecutive gritty conference victory over a Top 25 team.
After an impressive 35-31 road win over William & Mary in Week 4, Elon outlasted Richmond, 30-27, in overtime on October 1.
Tony Trisciani’s team, which averages 445.6 yards per outing on offense, has won four games in a row following a 42-31 season-opening setback at Southeastern Conference member Vanderbilt. The Phoenix look to extend their win streak when they host fellow CAA member Towson on October 8.
Talking Pigskin’s Top 6 remained unchanged from last week with South Dakota State at No. 1 and reigning FCS national champion North Dakota State slotted second.
Missouri State slides from No. 7 down to No. 10 following its second straight MVFC loss. Bobby Petrino’s team owns the No. 128 rank amongst all Division I programs in the latest Sagarin Ratings, sitting higher than FBS members such as Colorado (134), South Florida (137) and Temple (138).
Jackson State (7), Holy Cross (8) and Weber State (9) all moved up one spot apiece in the Talking Pigskin Top 10.
Mercer makes its season debut on the Talking Pigskin ballot at No. 25. The Bears are one of three Southern Conference member in the Top 25, joining Chattanooga and Samford, who sit at No. 11 and No. 18, respectively, on this week’s Talking Pigskin list. All three SoCon teams sport 4-1 overall records.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Ballot (Ralph Ventre – Week 5)
25. Mercer
24. Fordham
23. Eastern Washington
22. Southeast Missouri State
21. UT Martin
20. North Dakota
19. Southern Illinois
18. Samford
17. Villanova
16. Richmond
15. Incarnate Word
14. Southeastern Louisiana
13. William & Mary
12. Elon
11. Chattanooga
10. Missouri State
9. Weber State
8. Holy Cross
7. Jackson State
6. Delaware
5. Sacramento State
4. Montana State
3. Montana
2. North Dakota State
1. South Dakota State
TALKING PIGSKIN 
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