RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team continues to receive votes in the Week 4 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches Poll announced Monday.
The Vaqueros (2-2, 1-1 Southland Conference) received seven votes in Monday's poll, the sixth-most among teams receiving votes that are not in the top 25. UTRGV was open Week 4 and will be back in action Saturday at 6 p.m. at East Texas A&M for a conference contest.
UTRGV is one of five Southland teams recognized in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. Stephen F. Austin sits at No. 5 after a 5-0, 2-0 SLC start to the season. Lamar (3-1, 1-0 SLC) is 13
th, while Southeastern (3-2, 1-1 SLC) and UIW (2-2, 1-0 SLC) are receiving votes.
The Vaqueros lead the Southland in total defense, limiting opponents to 323.3 yards/game, with linebacker
Spencer Rich leading the charge and ranking first in the conference with 37 tackles (9.25 tackles/game).
AFCA FCS Coaches Poll – September 28, 2026
| Rank |
School (1st votes) |
Rec. |
Pts. |
Prev. |
Week 4 |
Next Game |
| 1 |
Montana St. (25) |
5-0 |
625 |
1 |
D. No. 17 Northern Arizona, 28-14 |
Oct. 2 at Idaho |
| 2 |
South Dakota St. |
4-1 |
590 |
2 |
D. Eastern Illinois, 42-7 |
Oct. 3 at No. 11 Illinois St. |
| 3 |
Tarleton St. |
4-0 |
568 |
3 |
Idle |
Oct. 3 vs. Chicago St. |
| 4 |
Montana |
4-1 |
550 |
4t |
D. No. 9 UC Davis, 62-22 |
Oct. 3 vs. Northern Colorado |
| 5 |
Stephen F. Austin |
5-0 |
521 |
6 |
D. Northeastern St., 63-14 |
Oct. 3 vs. UIW |
| 6 |
Lehigh |
5-0 |
484 |
7 |
D. Penn, 20-7 |
Oct. 3 vs. Fordham |
| 7 |
North Dakota |
4-1 |
467 |
8 |
D. Indiana St., 42-35 |
Oct. 3 vs. Murray St. |
| 8 |
Tennessee Tech |
4-0 |
429 |
10 |
D. Wofford, 42-38 |
Oct. 3 at Western Carolina |
| 9 |
Austin Peay |
4-1 |
420 |
11 |
D. UT Martin, 35-12 |
Oct. 3 vs. New Haven |
| 10 |
Youngstown St. |
3-2 |
386 |
13 |
D. No. 12 South Dakota, 47-28 |
Oct. 3 at No. 25 Southern Illinois |
| 11 |
Illinois St. |
4-1 |
370 |
4t |
Lost to Northern Iowa, 28-21 |
Oct. 3 vs. No. 2 South Dakota St. |
| 12 |
South Carolina St. |
5-0 |
329 |
14 |
D. Bethune-Cookman, 31-21 |
Oct. 3 vs. The Citadel |
| 13 |
Lamar |
3-1 |
322 |
15 |
D. Nicholls, 49-18 |
Oct. 3 vs. Northwestern St. |
| 14 |
Idaho St. |
4-0 |
311 |
16 |
D. Southern Utah, 28-24 |
Oct. 3 vs. No. 19 Northern Arizona |
| 15 |
UC Davis |
3-2 |
236 |
9 |
Lost to No. 4t Montana, 62-22 |
Oct. 3 vs. Eastern Washington |
| 16 |
South Dakota |
3-2 |
223 |
12 |
Lost to No. 13 Youngstown St., 47-28 |
Oct. 3 vs. Indiana St. |
| 17 |
Richmond |
4-1 |
196 |
19 |
D. Furman, 13-9 |
Oct. 3 at Lafayette |
| 18 |
West Florida |
3-1 |
193 |
20 |
D. Southeast Missouri St., 20-17 |
Oct. 3 at ACU |
| 19 |
Northern Arizona |
3-2 |
175 |
17 |
Lost to No. 1 Montana St., 28-14 |
Oct. 3 at No. 14 Idaho St. |
| 20 |
Colgate |
4-1 |
155 |
23t |
D. No. 22 Villanova, 28-21 |
Oct. 3 at No. 22 Harvard |
| 21 |
Mercer |
3-2 |
117 |
23t |
D. ACU, 34-17 |
Oct. 3 at VMI |
| 22 |
Harvard |
2-0 |
82 |
25 |
D. Brown, 14-10 |
Oct. 3 vs. No. 20 Colgate |
| 23 |
Jackson St. |
4-0 |
72 |
NR |
D. Southern, 35-17 |
Oct. 3 at Alabama A&M |
| 24 |
Campbell |
4-1 |
71 |
NR |
D. Hampton, 44-20 |
Oct. 3 at North Carolina Central |
| 25 |
Southern Illinois |
3-2 |
57 |
NR |
D. Murray St., 46-6 |
Oct. 3 vs. No. 10 Youngstown St. |
Dropped Out: Yale (18), Rhode Island (21), Villanova (22)
Others Receiving Votes: Elon, 55; Yale, 22; Alabama St., 19; Prairie View A&M, 17; Southeastern Louisiana, 14;
UTRGV, 7; Furman, 6; Monmouth (N.J.), 6; Chattanooga, 5; Stony Brook, 5; Cal Poly, 4; Dartmouth, 4; St. Thomas (Minn.), 4; Cal Poly, 4; Delaware St., 3; Villanova, 2; Bryant, 1; Northern Iowa, 1; UIW, 1.
