Eastern Washington is the new No.1 in the FCS Coaches Poll after defeating then-No.2 Montana State, 27-24. The Eagles received 11 first-place votes and tallied 615 total points to take over the top spot.  The Eagles used a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown to defeat Montana State, who received one first-place vote and dropped to No.5. 
The Eagles ascended to the top spot as part of a major shakeup in the poll this week as all ten positions in the top ten are different than last week James Madison rose three spots to No.2 after defeating William & Mary, 27-26, in double overtime. The Dukes received seven first-place votes.  Georgia Southern received two first-place votes and climbed four spots to No.3, after defeating then-No.4 Wofford,17-9.
GSU’s move four spots up the poll was the highest jump this week. North Dakota State received four first-place votes, but dropped to No.4 after falling to unranked Indiana State, which enters this week’s poll at No.25.
Sam Houston State rose two spots to No.6, while the only undefeated team in the top ten, Lehigh, moved three spots to No.7. Old Dominion dropped to No.8 after falling to Villanova, while Wofford fell to No.9.
Stony Brook (No.10) moved up one spot to round out the top ten. Ten conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association has the most teams in the top-25 with five. The Big Sky and Missouri Valley are represented by four teams each, while the Southern Conference and Southland each have three teams in this week’s poll.
The Ohio Valley conference is represented by two teams, and the Big South, Ivy League, Northeast, and Patriot League have one team in the top-25.
The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.

2012 FCS Coaches Week 7 Poll
(October 15, 2012)

Team                (No. 1 Votes)    Record     Points   Last Week
1. Eastern Washington (11)            5-1        615        6
2. James Madison      (7)             5-1        608        5
3. Georgia Southern   (2)             5-1        573        7
4. North Dakota State (4)             5-1        556        1
5. Montana State      (1)             6-1        514        2
6. Sam Houston State  (1)             4-2        510        8
7. Lehigh                             7-0        462       10
8. Old Dominion                       5-1        447        3
9. Wofford                            5-1        439        4
10. Stony Brook                       6-1        422       11
11. Appalachian State                 5-2        390       12
12. Cal Poly                          6-0        356       14
13. Illinois State                    6-1        348       16
14. New Hampshire                     5-2        329       13
15. Northern Arizona                  5-1        262       18
16. Youngstown State                  4-2        252        9
17. Central Arkansas                  5-2        237       17
18. Tennessee State                   7-0        221       20
19. Towson                            3-3        184       19
20. Harvard                           5-0        152       21
21. McNeese State                     4-2        106       15
T-22. Delaware                        4-2        100       22
T-22. Albany                          6-1        100       24
24. Eastern Kentucky                  5-2         93       23
25. Indiana State                     5-2         56       NR

Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota State (48), Villanova (25), Sacramento State (12), Alabama A&M (7), Bethune-Cookman (7), UT Martin (7), The Citadel (4), Samford (4), Eastern Illinois (4).