Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - It didn't take Richmond long to reclaim the top spot in The Sports Network FCS Top-25 poll. The Spiders, the defending national champions, used a 24-16 victory over Duke to springboard back on top.
Appalachian State had a big comeback at East Carolina fall short, 29-24, and dropped from No. 1 to No. 2. The Mountaineers have been ranked at the top of the preseason poll in four consecutive seasons.
Richmond received 103 out of 122 first-place votes and easily outdistanced ASU with 3,042 points to 2,740. Appalachian State had 10 first-place votes, while Villanova, Northern Iowa and William & Mary received three first-place ballots each and South Carolina State picked up one.
After coming from behind for a 27-24 victory over crosstown rival Temple on Thursday night, Villanova leaped two spots in the new poll, from fifth to third.
Northern Iowa remained at No. 4 after dropping a heartbreaking 17-16 decision to Iowa, which was ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press. The Panthers led most of the way and had two field goals blocked in the final seconds.
Montana stuffed Western State 38-0, but actually fell two slots after beating a Division II school. The Grizzlies moved from third to fifth, swapping places with Villanova. James Madison was idle and remained in the sixth position.
The rest of the top 10 featured some juggling from the preseason poll. William & Mary skyrocketed from 14th to seventh following a 26-14 win at Virginia.
Southern Illinois slid from seventh to eighth, despite a strong showing at former-FCS powerhouse Marshall. The Salukis lost 31-28.
New Hampshire defeated St. Francis 24-14 and dropped from eighth to ninth and Elon jumped from 11th to 10th with a 56-0 blanking of Davidson.
Two teams, Wofford and Weber State, fell out of the top-10, following losses to FBS opponents. Wofford tumbled from 10th to 14th with a 40-7 loss at South Florida, while Weber State skidded from ninth to 11th with a tough 29-22 loss at Wyoming.
Cal Poly remained at No. 12 in an off week, while Central Arkansas stayed in 13th after a 25-20 loss to Hawaii.
South Carolina State used its 34-31 victory over Grambling to jump one place into 15th in the new poll. Grambling was ranked 25th last week, but dropped out of the poll.
McNeese State lost a spot to No. 16 after a narrow 27-24 victory over Division II Henderson State, with Massachusetts remaining at No. 17 following a tough 21-17 setback at Kansas State.
Eastern Washington stayed at the No. 18 slot by earning a 35-14 win over Division II's Eastern Oregon.
Texas State and Maine swapped the 19th and 20th positions. Texas State moved up by thumping Angelo State 48-28 and Maine dropped down when it was pushed to overtime before beating St. Cloud State 34-27 in overtime. Both opponents were Division II teams.
Completing the poll were South Dakota State at No.21, followed by Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Harvard and Holy Cross. South Dakota State moved up a slot in an idle week, while Harvard slipped from 23rd to 24th as it waits for its opener.
Eastern Kentucky moved from 24th to 22nd after falling 19-13 to Indiana. Jacksonville State skidded two places to 23rd, while Holy Cross beat Patriot League foe Georgetown 20-7 to remain at No. 25.
Sports Network's FCS College Football Poll
|
Team (First-place votes) |
Record |
Points |
Previous Rank |
|
1. Richmond Spiders (103) |
1-0 |
3,042 |
2 |
|
2. Appalachian State Mountaineers (10) |
0-1 |
2,740 |
1 |
|
3. Villanova Wildcats (3) |
1-0 |
2,705 |
5 |
|
4. Northern Iowa Panthers (3) |
0-1 |
2,651 |
4 |
|
5. Montana Grizzlies |
1-0 |
2,615 |
3 |
|
6. James Madison Dukes |
0-0 |
2,235 |
6 |
|
7. William & Mary Tribe (3) |
1-0 |
2,204 |
14 |
|
8. Southern Illinois Salukis |
0-1 |
1,980 |
7 |
|
9. New Hampshire Wildcats |
1-0 |
1,952 |
8 |
|
10. Elon Phoenix |
1-0 |
1,846 |
11 |
|
11. Weber State Wildcats |
0-1 |
1,826 |
9 |
|
12. Cal Poly Mustangs |
0-0 |
1,453 |
12 |
|
13. Central Arkansas Bears |
0-1 |
1,350 |
13 |
|
14. Wofford Terriers |
0-1 |
1,262 |
10 |
|
15. South Carolina State Bulldogs (1) |
1-0 |
1,229 |
16 |
|
16. McNeese State Cowboys |
1-0 |
1,109 |
15 |
|
17. Massachusetts Minutemen |
0-1 |
1,027 |
17 |
|
18. Eastern Washington Eagles |
1-0 |
905 |
18 |
|
19. Texas State Bobcats |
1-0 |
805 |
20 |
|
20. Maine Black Bears |
1-0 |
709 |
19 |
|
21. South Dakota State Jackrabbits |
0-0 |
475 |
22 |
|
22. Eastern Kentucky Colonels |
0-1 |
467 |
23 |
|
23. Jacksonville State Gamecocks |
0-1 |
430 |
21 |
|
24. Harvard Crimson |
0-0 |
361 |
23 |
|
25. Holy Cross Crusaders |
1-0 |
348 |
25 |
|
Others receiving votes: Georgia Southern 212, Liberty 183, Eastern Illinois 167, Delaware 158, Florida A&M 158, Furman 146, Colgate 123, Tennessee-Martin 106, Grambling 103, Western Illinois 103, Samford 87, North Dakota State 71, Alabama A&M 61, Hofstra 50, Montana State 50, Penn 48, Northern Arizona 38, Prairie View 38, Rhode Island 37, Hampton 36, Brown 33, Murray State 24, Stephen F. Austin 20, Southern 18, Gardner-Webb 17, San Diego 16, Jacksonville 14, Youngstown State 14, Southeast Missouri State 13, Southern Utah 12, Norfolk State 11, South Dakota 10, Coastal Carolina 7, Southeastern Louisiana 7, Tennessee State 7, Towson 7, Yale 7, Lafayette 6, Virginia Military 6, Chattanooga 5, Stony Brook 4, UC Davis 4, Albany 3, Jackson State 3, Central Connecticut State 2, Duquesne 2, Tennessee Tech 2. |