The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football program is receiving votes in the week 4 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl, marking the program’s first-ever appearance in a national poll.
In their inaugural season, the Vaqueros (4-0) are one of 15 remaining undefeated programs in the FCS and one of six undefeated teams with at least four wins. They received five votes in this week’s AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
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The Vaqueros are the second brand-new FCS program to start 4-0 in their inaugural season since 2008, joining South Alabama (2009).
Led by head coach Travis Bush, the Vaqueros have outscored their opponents 234-34 this season. They have two shutouts and are averaging 58.5 points per game on offense.
Bush said he is thrilled his team is getting some national attention.
“It’s just a credit to our young men and how hard they’ve been working, and how well they’ve performed in these first few games,” Bush told KSAT 12 Sports. “We know we have a tough road ahead of us with eight Southland Conference games in our initial year, but they finished nonconference 4-0, and people have noticed.”
UTRGV opens Southland Conference play at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Southeastern Louisiana, a team receiving votes in the FCS Coaches Poll.
AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl – Sept. 22, 2025
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 4 Result | Next Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota St. (25) | 3-0 | 649 | 1 | Idle | Sept. 27 vs. No. 18 South Dakota |
| 2 | South Dakota St. (1) | 3-0 | 622 | 2 | Idle | Sept. 27 vs. Mercyhurst |
| 3 | Tarleton St. | 5-0 | 598 | 3 | Def. Chattanooga, 52-24 | Oct. 4 vs. Southern Utah |
| 4 | Montana | 3-0 | 552 | 5 | Def. Indiana St., 63-20 | Sept. 27 vs. No. 10 Idaho |
| 5 | Illinois St. | 3-1 | 546 | 4 | Def. North Alabama, 38-36 | Oct. 4 vs. No. 1 North Dakota St. |
| 6 | Montana St. | 2-2 | 525 | 6t | Def. Mercyhurst, 17-0 | Sept. 27 vs. Eastern Washington |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 4-0 | 492 | 6t | Def. LIU, 28-7 | Sept. 27 at Western Michigan |
| 8 | UC Davis | 2-1 | 418 | 9 | Def. Southern Utah, 50-34 | Sept. 27 vs. Weber St. |
| 9 | Lehigh | 4-0 | 402 | 10 | Def. Bucknell, 41-24 | Sept. 27 vs. Penn |
| 10 | Idaho | 2-2 | 381 | 8 | Lost to San Jose St., 31-28 | Sept. 27 at No. 4 Montana |
| 11 | Tennessee Tech | 3-0 | 370 | 12t | Idle | Sept. 27 at Tennessee St. |
| 12 | Southern Illinois | 3-1 | 363 | 11 | Def. Southeast Missouri St., 59-31 | Oct. 4 vs. Indiana St. |
| 13 | ACU | 2-2 | 308 | 15 | Def. No. 20 Austin Peay, 45-31 | Sept. 27 at No. 24 UIW |
| 14 | Monmouth (N.J.) | 3-1 | 296 | 18 | Def. No. 12t Villanova, 51-33 | Oct. 4 vs. Delaware St. |
| 15t | North Dakota | 2-2 | 267 | 17 | Def. Valparaiso, 58-7 | Oct. 4 at Northern Iowa |
| 15t | Northern Arizona | 3-1 | 267 | 19 | Def. No. 14 UIW, 31-23 | Sept. 27 at Portland St. |
| 17 | Jackson St. | 2-1 | 235 | 16 | Idle | Sept. 27 at Southern |
| 18 | South Dakota | 2-2 | 173 | 21 | Def. Drake, 42-21 | Sept. 27 at No. 1 North Dakota St. |
| 19 | Youngstown St. | 3-1 | 149 | 24 | Def. Towson, 31-28 | Oct. 4 vs. No. 2 South Dakota St. |
| 20 | West Georgia | 4-0 | 142 | NR | Def. Eastern Kentucky, 33-12 | Sept. 27 at Southern Utah |
| 21 | Sacramento St. | 2-2 | 128 | 22 | Def. Central Arkansas, 45-16 | Sept. 27 vs. Cal Poly |
| 22 | Villanova | 1-2 | 118 | 12t | Lost to No. 18 Monmouth (N.J.), 51-33 | Sept. 27 vs. William & Mary |
| 23 | Mercer | 2-1 | 82 | 25 | Def. The Citadel, 38-0 | Sept. 27 at East Tennessee St. |
| 24 | UIW | 1-3 | 61 | 14 | Lost to No. 19 Northern Arizona, 31-23 | Sept. 27 vs. No. 13 ACU |
| 25 | Austin Peay | 2-2 | 52 | 20 | Lost to No. 15 ACU, 45-31 | Sept. 27 vs. Utah Tech |
Dropped out: New Hampshire (23)
Others receiving votes: Presbyterian, 51; Lamar, 42; Dartmouth, 31; Lafayette, 26; Harvard, 16; Southeastern Louisiana, 14; Yale, 13; Furman, 11; New Hampshire, 9; Stephen F. Austin, 9; North Carolina Central, 7; East Tennessee St., 5; Gardner-Webb, 5; UT Rio Grande Valley, 5; Richmond, 3; Brown, 2; Chattanooga, 2; Eastern Washington, 1; San Diego, 1; South Carolina St., 1.
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