CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Austin Peay football team suffered its first FCS loss of the season last weekend. In a battle of top 10 teams, the Governors came up just short against the Tarleton State Texans after a failed comeback attempt.
Heading into the matchup, the Govs were a consensus top-10 team. The AFCA Coaches Poll ranked the Govs No. 8 in the country. In contrast, the Stats Perform Media Poll ranked them No. 9. Last Saturday’s matchup was the first regular-season top-10 matchup in the history of Fortera Stadium. With a win, the Govs almost surely would have been a consensus top-five team for the first time.
Unfortunately, the Texans won by a touchdown, so the Govs will have to wait to move back up in the polls. The good news is, the Govs didn’t get punished too harshly for the close loss.
Where are the Govs ranked now?
In this week’s update, the Govs are still in good shape. The AFCA Coaches Poll has the Govs at No. 11, down three spots. The Stats Perform Media Poll has the Govs at No. 12, also down three spots. We’ve seen teams suffer much steeper drops after losing, so you can’t be mad about a three-spot drop.
As for Tarleton, the Stats Perform Media Poll has the team at No. 2, up from No. 3. The AFCA Coaches Poll, meanwhile, already had the Texans at No. 2 last week, so there’s no change. Tarleton received eight total first-place votes in the polls after the impressive win.
No other UAC team is ranked in either poll, but West Florida, Abilene Christian and North Alabama all received votes.
Plenty of time for Govs to move up
It’s disappointing to fall at all, but the good news is there’s plenty of time left for the Govs to recover. The team has five games remaining, all against conference opponents. Two of those five remaining contests are at home, which is good considering the Govs are 9-1 over their last 10 home games.
This upcoming weekend presents a chance for the Govs to make back up a spot or two. The team is heading down to Georgia to take on the West Georgia Wolves, who currently sport a 1-5 record. If the Govs can get a convincing road victory, they should be moving back in the right direction in next week’s polls.
APSU 2026 schedule
Here’s the remaining Austin Peay 2026 football schedule:
- Oct. 17: at West Georgia
- Oct. 24: at North Alabama
- Nov. 7: vs. Eastern Kentucky
- Nov. 14: vs. Abilene Christian
- Nov. 21: at Central Arkansas