INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Lamar University is ranked 10^th in the most recent FCS Top 10 Committee Rankings, which were release Thursday afternoon. It marks the first Big Red has landed in the rankings. For the complete top 10 list fans can click HERE.
 
The Cardinals jumped in the top 10 after their impressive road win at UT Rio Grande Valley Saturday handing the Vaqueros their first home lost in program history. The victory moved Big Red to 7-2 on the season and 5-1 in Southland Conference play.
 
The committee rankings are comprised of the FCS playoff and top 10 in-season rankings using human selection structure alongside specific on-field metrics and regional feedback. The committee consists of athletic directors representing FCS conferences (including the 11 conferences with automatic bids).
 
The Cardinals, who have spent the entire 2026 season inside the nation's top 25, will play host to No. 2 Stephen F. Austin Saturday in Beaumont. The contest, which is the STATS Perform FCS game of the week, 10^th-ranked Cardinals against Lumberjacks who enter the week third in the poll.
 
A victory Saturday would not guarantee the Cardinals of the Southland's automatic qualifier, but it would put LU in the driver seat. Lamar is pursuing its first Southland Conference title since the 1971.
 
The Cardinals enter the weekend showdown having won six of their past seven games. The Lumberjacks on the other hand have sat atop the conference standings since day one and travel to Beaumont with a 9-0 overall record with a 6-0 mark in SLC play.