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SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Coming off a road victory at Duke, and after the preseason No. 1 Appalachian State fell on the road, the Richmond Spiders (1-0) moved into the No. 1 spot in the first week of the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll. The defending national champions received 24 first-place votes and 696 points overall after defeating the Blue Devils 24-16.
The Mountaineers (0-1) dropped to second place after falling to East Carolina 29-24 in Greenville, N.C. ASU played without quarterback and 2008 Walter Payton award winner Armanti Edwards, as he is still recovering from a foot injury. Appalachian State received three first-place votes and 636 points.
Villanova (1-0) jumped two spots to No. 3 after its road win at Temple, 27-24.
Montana (1-0) dropped one spot to No. 4 coming off a victory against Western State, 38-0. After a one point loss at Iowa, Northern Iowa (0-1) fell one spot to No. 5.
Rounding out the top 10 were James Madison (0-0), William & Mary (1-0), Southern Illinois (0-1), New Hampshire (1-0) and Weber State (0-1). The Tribe, who received the final first-place vote, moved into the Top 10 after a 26-14 victory at Virginia.
Wofford (0-1) fell out of the Top 10 after losing on the road to South Florida, 40-7.
New to the poll this week are No. 23 Eastern Kentucky (0-1) and No. 24 Liberty (0-1).
Ten conferences placed teams in the Top 25 this week. The Colonial Athletic Association leads the way with seven ranked teams, including five of the Top 10 teams. The Big Sky, Missouri Valley, Southern and Southland Conferences are each represented by three teams, while the Ohio Valley Conference has two teams in the poll. Also represented in the poll are the Big South, Great West, Ivy, and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conferences, each by one team.
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.
2009 FCS Coaches Poll ? Week 1 (September 7, 2009)
Team (No. 1 Votes) 2009 Record Points Previous Ranking
1. Richmond (24) 1-0 696 2
2. Appalachian State (3) 0-1 636 1
3. Villanova 1-0 619 5
4. Montana 1-0 602 3
5. Northern Iowa 0-1 595 4
6. James Madison 0-0 555 6
7. William & Mary (1) 1-0 506 14
8. Southern Illinois 0-1 493 7
9. New Hampshire 1-0 481 8
10. Weber State 0-1 447 9
11. Elon 1-0 413 11
12. Central Arkansas 0-1 356 12
13. Cal Poly 0-0 355 13
14. Wofford 0-1 313 10
15. South Carolina State 1-0 270 16
16. McNeese State 1-0 253 15
17. Eastern Washington 1-0 235 17
18. Massachusetts 0-1 234 18
19. Texas State 1-0 189 21
20. Maine 1-0 164 T19
21. Jacksonville State 0-1 100 T19
22. Harvard 0-0 71 22
23. Eastern Kentucky 0-1 65 NR
24. Liberty 0-1 57 NR
25. South Dakota State 0-0 52 23
Others receiving votes (points in parentheses): Holy Cross (48), Hofstra (46), Florida A&M (29), Georgia Southern (29), UT Martin (28), South Dakota (26), Northern Arizona (20), Western Illinois (20), Delaware (16) Grambling State (16), Furman (13), Colgate (12), Montana State (12), Prairie View A&M (11), Jacksonville (5), North Dakota State (4), Eastern Illinois (3), Alabama A&M (2), San Diego (2), Stephen F. Austin (1).