KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The unbeaten Montana Tech football team remained atop in the NAIA's Football Performance Index, the national office announced Monday. 

The Orediggers, 6-0 on the year and fresh off Saturday's 49-21 home win over Dakota State, were No. 4 in the weekly Massey Ratings and seventh in the Netting Professionals NAIA coaches' top 25. 

Montana Tech's FPI rating — a data-driven metric that evaluates teams based on their wins and strength of schedule — topped the national rankings for a second-straight week with a score of 31.67. 

The Massey Ratings, an independent system that accounts for strength of schedule, independently ranks teams based on offense and defense, and weights home and road wins differently, held the Orediggers at No. 4 after the win. 

Tech was also No. 1 in the latest Area Ratings Committee rankings for the NAIA's West region, last released October 2. 

Despite Saturday's lopsided win, the NAIA's coaches dropped Montana Tech two spots to No. 7 in their top 25 rankings. Tech remained the highest-ranked Frontier Conference team in the poll and was joined by No. 8 Montana Western, No. 14 Carroll, and No. 22 College Idaho. The Orediggers have wins over all three squads. 

The NAIA's football selection committee accounts for the FPI, Massey Ratings, and ARC ratings in its process for the championship field. It does not use the coaches' poll as a criterion. 

Montana Tech will hit the road this Saturday for a Frontier Conference East Division showdown against MSU-Northern in Havre, with kickoff scheduled for noon. 

Visit Montana Tech athletics' home online, GoDiggers.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news and coverage of the Orediggers. Give Montana Tech athletics a like on Facebook, and follow the Orediggers on X and Instagram at @DiggerAthletics.

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