The number of unbeaten FCS teams dwindles to nine (thirteen if we include the Ivy league teams which won their openers this week). The defending champion continues to spiral downward into oblivion, as does Villanova; on the other side of the coin, Old Dominion remains undefeated and the soon-to-be vacant Great West finds itself with two teams in the poll. And did South Alabama make it to 20-0? Stay tuned and find out.
Scores and standings: The Sports Network
BIG SKY:
#12 Montana dealt another blow to pre-season #1 and at-the-time #10 Eastern Washington with a 17-14 win. With the win, Montana takes over the #10 spot; Eastern Washington, now 0-3 on the year, is somehow still ranked, hanging on at #21. #5 Montana State moved up a notch after a 43-7 win over D-II Minot State, while #20 Sacramento State’s yo-yo season continued with a 49-17 loss at Weber. Sacramento has gone from 24 to 12 to 20 to gone, and every week Oregon State looks worse as a result.
This week: 1400 ET: PORTLAND STATE (1-0, 2-0) at Texas Christian (2-1; FBS) 1530 ET: WEBER STATE (1-0, 1-2) at NORTHERN COLORADO (0-1, 0-3) 1800 ET: IDAHO STATE (1-0, 2-1) at NORTHERN ARIZONA (0-1, 1-2) 1900 ET: #4 MONTANA STATE (0-0, 2-1) at #21 EASTERN WASHINGTON (0-1, 0-3) 2100 ET: #10 MONTANA (1-0, 2-1) at SACRAMENTO STATE (0-1, 1-2)
Montana State will be looking to drive a dagger into the still-twitching form of the Eagles as they finally open conference play. Suffice it to say that an EWU win puts Montana squarely in the driver’s seat, but let’s remember that Sacramento State has already proven themselves to be utterly schizophrenic and could bite the Grizzlies right where it hurts. The league’s lone unbeaten, Portland State, won’t be after Saturday, while Weber and Idaho should continue their post-FBS-beatdown recovery acts.
BIG SOUTH:
#22 Liberty lost a nail-biter to #13 James Madison, 27-24. Somehow, even though voters felt comfortable leaving an 0-3 team at #21, Liberty was rewarded for this tough loss with an exit from the poll, although they just missed hanging on for #25. The rest of the conference did a collective face-plant Saturday, but none of the results were a surprise. VMI did put up a good fight against #6 Richmond, losing 34-19.
This week: 1230 ET: LIBERTY (0-0, 1-2) at #15 Lehigh (2-1) 1300 ET: PRESBYTERIAN (0-0, 1-2) at Furman (1-1) 1330 ET: Norfolk State (2-1; D-II) at CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (0-0, 0-3) 1400 ET: VIRGINIA MILITARY (0-0, 0-3) at Akron (0-3; FBS) 1600 ET: COASTAL CAROLINA (0-0, 2-1) at North Carolina A&T (1-1) 1800 ET: Lafayette (1-2) at STONY BROOK (0-0, 0-3) IDLE: GARDNER-WEBB (0-0, 1-2)
Liberty’s got a chance to get back into the poll, but expecting a win at Lehigh is probably unwise. Doable, but I wouldn’t hold my breath or anything. Nobody else showed any reason last weekend why we should expect them to win this week, although in fairness to VMI their chief problem this week is the letters “F”, “B”, and “S”. Akron does pretty much stink, but it’s still probably too much to expect a divisional upset here.
Colonial:
We’ve already touched on two of the CAA’s games from last week. #4 William & Mary had entirely too much trouble with D-II New Haven, escaping with a 13-10 victory at home. New Haven’s a damned fine D-II team, but that’s just an unacceptable result, and the Tribe paid with a two-spot drop in the poll, surrendering the CAA’s top-ranked team position to Richmond. #7 Delaware steamrolled their in-state rivals Delaware State 45-0, while #21 Massachusetts got past Rhode Island 36-27.
Outside the rankings, Old Dominion moved to 3-0 with a 45-42 win over Hampton, but remain unranked, and with their 31-15 win over Albany the Black Bears of Maine remain unbeaten against FCS teams (after almost beating FCS Pittsburgh). Villanova continued their effort to convince the Big East that they really will fit in after realignment settles, embarrassing themselves with a 20-9 loss to Monmouth. #11 New Hampshire and unbeaten Towson were idle.
This week: 1200 ET: OLD DOMINION (0-0, 3-0) at #7 DELAWARE (0-0, 2-1) 1300 ET: #17 MASSACHUSSETS (1-0, 2-0) at Boston College (0-3; FBS) 1300 ET: Fordham (1-1) at RHODE ISLAND (0-1, 0-2) 1530 ET: #11 NEW HAMPSHIRE (0-0, 1-1) at #5 RICHMOND (0-0, 3-0) 1800 ET: Pennsylvania (0-1) at VILLANOVA (0-1, 0-3) 1900 ET: #12 JAMES MADISON (0-0, 2-1) at #6 WILLIAM & MARY (0-0, 2-1) 1900 ET: Colgate (1-2) at TOWSON (1-0, 2-0) 2000 ET: GEORGIA STATE (1-2) at Houston (3-0; FBS) IDLE: MAINE (0-0, 2-1)
We’re going to see if the Monarchs are real or not, although the smart money will be on Delaware. The other interesting question will be answered in Boston: can the Minutemen, unbeaten and already heading for FBS status, handle a winless and, quite frankly, hapless Boston College squad? If you’re looking for a high profile FCS-over-FBS upset for the week, here you go. Richmond should beat New Hampshire; William & Mary may well lose to JMU, however. Rhode Island should handle Fordham, and Towson shouldn’t have any trouble with Colgate unless they’ve been relying on smoke and mirrors thus far. And Villanova? Don’t be surprised if they’re 0-4 come next Sunday. Oh, and Georgia State is about to get smoked like a brisket.
GREAT WEST:
Now, this was a fine, fine week. It’s a shame this conference is about to disappear, because Saturday’s effort shows there’s some good football here. #24 South Dakota clobbered NAIA school Northwestern Oklahoma State 48-10, and jumped 6 spots as a result. Southern Utah slapped Texas-San Antonio around 45-22; THEY moved into the poll at #23. Both Cal Poly and Cal-Davis scored nice wins as well, and while North Dakota lost, that loss was a 27-22 defeat at Fresno State. You know, those guys that gave Nebraska all they could handle a week ago.
This week: 1530 ET: CAL POLY-SLO (0-0, 1-2) at Northern Illinois (1-2; FBS) 1530 ET: #18 SOUTH DAKOTA (0-0, 2-1) at Wisconsin (3-0; FBS) 1900 ET: Black Hills State (1-3; D-II) at NORTH DAKOTA (0-0, 1-2) 2100 ET: #23 SOUTHERN UTAH (0-0, 2-1) at Nevada-Las Vegas (1-2; FBS) 2359 ET: CAL-DAVIS (0-0, 1-2) at Hawai'i (1-2; FBS)
Unfortunately, the results are probably going to be exactly reversed this week. North Dakota should win, while everyone else is staring at the business end of the meat grinder. If you’re itching to commit to the belief that one of these teams is going to register an FBS upset, look no further than Southern Utah, because UNLV is not good. And besides, Southern Utah crushed Sacramento, who beat Oregon State. Transitivity is fun.
IVY:
Cornell made me look stupid, knocking off unbeaten Bucknell 24-13. Penn suffered a surprising loss to Lafayette, 37-12. Everything else mostly went as expected.
This week: 1200 ET: CORNELL (0-0, 1-0) at YALE (0-0, 1-0) 1230 ET: Albany (0-2) at COLUMBIA (0-0, 0-1) 1300 ET: DARTMOUTH (0-0, 1-0) at Sacred Heart (0-2) 1800 ET: Bucknell (2-1) at PRINCETON (0-0, 0-1) 1800 ET: PENNSYLVANIA (0-0, 0-1) at Villanova (0-3) 1900 ET: BROWN (0-0, 1-0) at HARVARD (0-0, 0-1)
The key game this week is right there in the line above this: Brown, considered a sleeper pick for the title, has a chance to steal an advantage on the Crimson right off the bat. The result is far from certain, though. Brown barely got past a Stony Brook team that’s 0-3 (albiet an impressive 0-3, as their other two losses were to FBS teams, one in overtime). Meanwhile, Harvard hung in against a decent Holy Cross team. Cornell impressed, and can likewise put the screws to Yale this week. Penn stumbled against Lafayette, but may still get past Villanova unless the Wildcats have figured out how to play football or something by Saturday. Princeton didn’t look bad losing to a ranked Lehigh squad, and has the horses to get past Bucknell. Dartmouth and Columbia should also come up winners.
MID-EASTERN:
Last week, I said Delaware State, Savannah, and Florida A&M were going to get trucked. All three lost, by a combined score of 156-23. Okay, so that wasn’t much of a prediction, but I have to take my wins where I can find them.
In relevant action, #25 South Carolina State put on a good show and held their spot in the rankings despite a 38-21 loss to FBS Indiana. Hampton also showed fight, losing to Old Dominion 45-42. A pair of games were decided by one point, as Morgan State beat Robert Morris 13-12 while North Carolina Central got edged by Elon 23-22. Norfolk moved into a tie for the conference lead with a 23-9 win at Howard.
This week: THURSDAY: 1930 ET: HAMPTON (1-0, 2-1) at BETHUNE-COOKMAN (0-1, 1-1) SATURDAY: 1330 ET: NORFOLK STATE (1-0, 2-1) at Charleston Southern (0-3) 1400 ET: DELAWARE STATE (0-0, 2-1) at #25 SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (1-0, 1-2) 1530 ET: FLORIDA A&M (0-1, 1-2) vs. Southern (1-2) at Atlanta GA 1530 ET: MORGAN STATE (0-0, 1-2) at HOWARD (0-1, 1-2) 1600 ET: Coastal Carolina (2-1) at NORTH CAROLINA A&T (0-0, 1-1) 1800 ET: SAVANNAH STATE (0-0, 0-3) at NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (0-0, 1-2)
Sure things: Norfolk, NC Central, and… yeah, I’ll say Hampton. Everything else is a tossup.
MISSOURI VALLEY:
All the ranked teams were idle. The top story, of course, was Indiana State’s 44-16 trouncing of allegedly FBS Western Kentucky. Youngstown continued to impress, beating Illinois State 34-27. South Dakota State got hammered by Cal Poly, while Missouri State and Western Illinois got taken to the woodshed by Oregon and Missouri, respectively.
This week: 1400 ET: YOUNGSTOWN STATE (0-0, 2-1) at INDIANA STATE (0-0, 2-1) 1700 ET: WESTERN ILLINOIS (0-0, 1-2) at #2 NORTHERN IOWA (0-0, 1-1) 1900 ET: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (0-0, 1-2) at ILLINOIS STATE (0-1, 1-2) 1900 ET: MISSOURI STATE (0-0, 0-3) at #14 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (0-0, 1-1) 1900 ET: #8 NORTH DAKOTA STATE (0-0, 2-0) at Minnesota (1-2; FBS)
And right away, we get Youngstown/Indiana State. Obviously, the winner of this game is going to join the three ranked teams as legitimate contenders for the title. Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois are going to win; hell, North Dakota State might, too. You know how Minnesota is with those Dakota schools. Going to have to give the edge to Illinois State in the remaining game, what with SDSU’s starting quarterback quitting the team and all.
NORTHEAST:
Two key results worth further discussion: Monmouth’s surprising victory over Villanova, which we’ve already talked about, and the wild 19-point fourth-quarter comeback perpetrated by Saint Francis (PA) in knocking off Morehead State 50-49.
This week: 1200 ET: MONMOUTH (NH) (0-0, 1-1) at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (1-0, 2-1) 1230 ET: ALBANY (NY) (0-0, 0-2) at Columbia (0-1) 1300 ET: WAGNER (1-1, 1-2) at BRYANT (1-0, 2-1) 1300 ET: Dartmouth (1-0) at SACRED HEART (0-1, 0-2) 1900 ET: DUQUESNE (0-0, 2-1) at SAINT FRANCIS (PA) (0-1, 1-2) IDLE: ROBERT MORRIS (PA) (0-0, 0-3)
Don’t expect much from Albany and Sacred Heart out of conference. In conference play, I’d expect to see CCSU, Bryant, and Duquesne overcome their opposition this week.
OHIO VALLEY:
Everyone won that should have, unless you agreed with me that Austin Peay really should have beaten Memphis. #17 Jacksonville State recovered from last week’s loss to Chattanooga with a 37-21 win over Georgia State; Chattanooga, now ranked #14, victimized Eastern Kentucky 23-14. That leaves Eastern Kentucky with three very good games, and only one win to show for it. Murray State knocked off Tennessee State 58-27, and snuck into the poll at #24, fitting for a team whose only loss is to an FBS AQ team.
This week: THURSDAY: 1900 ET: #24 MURRAY STATE (1-0, 2-1) at TENNESSEE-MARTIN (0-1, 1-1) SATURDAY: 1500 ET: TENNESSEE STATE (0-1, 1-2) at Air Force (1-1; FBS) 1900 ET: EASTERN KENTUCKY (0-0, 1-2) at AUSTIN PEAY (0-0, 0-2) 1900 ET: EASTERN ILLINOIS (0-1, 1-2) at #16 JACKSONVILLE STATE (1-0, 2-1) 2000 ET: SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE (0-1, 0-2) at TENNESSEE TECH (1-0, 2-1)
Terribly safe to predict wins from Murray, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville, and Tennessee Tech, and equally certain that Eastern Illinois will lose to Air Force. Pretty straightforward week here.
PATRIOT:
As this weekend features a complete slate of Ivy/Patriot matchups, we’ve already covered everything here, but for the record #16 Lehigh defeated Princeton on the road 34-22.
This week: 1230 ET: Liberty (1-2) at #15 LEHIGH (0-0, 2-1) 1300 ET: FORDHAM (1-1) at Rhode Island (0-2) 1300 ET: GEORGETOWN (1-0, 2-1) at Marist (1-2) 1800 ET: BUCKNELL (0-0, 2-1) at Princeton (0-1) 1800 ET: LAFAYETTE (0-1, 1-2) at Stony Brook (0-3) 1900 ET: COLGATE (0-1, 1-2) at Towson (2-0) IDLE: HOLY CROSS (1-0, 2-1)
The things we needed to discuss in-depth for the Patriot league schedule this week have already been discussed with one exception: Georgetown should handle Marist. To recap, Lehigh should probably win but can expect trouble, Fordham and Colgate are probably going to lose, and while Bucknell and Lafayette should be favored, don’t be surprised if they’re upset.
PIONEER:
A couple of surprises out of conference. Morehead State’s fourth-quarter meltdown has been addressed. I mentioned San Diego’s 31-3 loss to Cal-Davis above, but in context of the PFL this really cinches it: if neither Jacksonville nor Dayton were suitable candidates after going 10-1 last year, nobody’s getting a playoff bid this year either.
This week: 1230 ET: SAN DIEGO (0-0, 2-1) at MOREHEAD STATE (0-0, 1-2) 1300 ET: DRAKE (0-0, 2-1) at BUTLER (0-0, 2-1) 1300 ET: JACKSONVILLE (0-0, 1-2) at CAMPBELL (0-0, 1-1) 1300 ET: Georgetown (2-1) at MARIST (0-1, 1-2) 1330 ET: DAYTON (1-0, 2-1) at Central State (OH) (0-3; D-II) 1900 ET: Johnson C. Smith (2-1; D-II) at DAVIDSON (0-0, 1-1) IDLE: VALPARAISO (0-0, 0-3)
Naturally, the two teams that bumbled things up last week face one another this week. San Diego should be favored. Big showdown between Drake and Butler; Butler’s been more impressive, as Drake has really struggled to get past putatively weaker competition. Gotta go with Campbell over Jacksonville, as the Dolphins really almost lost to a team that got outscored 122-10 in their first two games whereas Campbell at least destroyed a clearly substandard foe two weeks ago.
SOUTHERN:
Only three games were on the schedule Saturday. #3 Appalachian State wrecked Savannah State 41-6, #14 Tennessee-Chattanooga got past Eastern Kentucky 23-14, and Elon barely eked out a 23-22 victory over North Carolina Central.
This week: 1300 ET: Presbyterian (1-2) at FURMAN (1-0, 1-1) 1330 ET: CITADEL (0-1, 1-1) at ELON (0-0, 2-1) 1530 ET: #14 TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA (0-0, 2-1) at #3 APPALACHIAN STATE (0-0, 2-1) 1800 ET: WESTERN CAROLINA (0-0, 1-1) at #1 GEORGIA SOUTHERN (1-0, 2-0) 1900 ET: SAMFORD (0-1, 1-1) at #9 WOFFORD (0-0, 1-1)
Easy things first: Furman, Elon, Georgia Southern, and Wofford should win. As for the big showdown between UTC and Appalachian, it’s really hard to say what’s going to happen. They both got trounced by FBS teams to open the year; since then, UTC has won two games over a ranked team and a team that almost beat Kansas State, while Appalachian has steamrolled a couple of lower-rung MEAC teams.
SOUTHLAND:
The only result this week that went against form was Sam Houston State’s 31-10 conference win over #18 Central Arkansas, which caused the Bears to fall out of the poll, and the Bearkats to enter it. #19 Stephen F. Austin lost a weather-shortened contest to Baylor 48-0, while #23 McNeese State got past D-II Sioux Falls 31-17.
This week: 1400 ET: Bacone (1-3; NAIA) at TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO (1-2) 1600 ET: NORTHWESTERN STATE (0-0, 1-2) at NICHOLLS STATE (0-0, 1-2) 1800 ET: #20 SAM HOUSTON STATE (1-0, 2-0) at New Mexico (0-3; FBS) 1800 ET: TEXAS STATE (1-2) at #22 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (0-0, 1-2) 2000 ET: CENTRAL ARKANSAS (0-1, 1-2) at Arkansas State (1-2; FBS) 2000 ET: SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (0-0, 1-2) at #19 McNEESE STATE (0-0, 1-1) IDLE: LAMAR (0-0, 2-1)
UTSA and McNeese should win easily, and I’ll predict Northwestern over Nicholls, but with some reservations. SFA ought to handle Texas State, too. I’m not expecting Central Arkansas to win, but I am expecting Sam Houston to “upset” New Mexico. Then again, Memphis won this week, so anything’s possible, I guess.
SOUTHWESTERN:
Surprisingly, there were no surprises. That’s a strong statement for a Saturday in the SWAC. Unfortunately, it’s also all I have to say about them this week, as nothing really stands out for comment.
This week: 1400 ET: ALCORN STATE (1-2, 1-2) at TEXAS SOUTHERN (0-1, 1-1) 1530 ET: Florida A&M (1-2) vs. SOUTHERN (1-1, 1-2) at Atlanta GA 1600 ET: Clark Atlanta (2-1; D-II) vs. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF (2-0, 2-1) at Saint Louis MO 1700 ET: ALABAMA STATE (2-0, 2-1) at JACKSON STATE (1-0, 3-0) 1800 ET: ALABAMA A&M (0-1, 1-2) at GRAMBLING STATE (1-1, 1-2) 1900 ET: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (0-2, 0-3) at PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (1-1, 1-2)
I don’t have much to offer regarding next week’s games either, as the schedule’s fairly even. Well, Prairie View’s going to beat MVSU, I suppose. I figure UAPB will knock off Clark Atlanta also, but I’m still sort of mystified by Fort Valley State so I’m not sure whether Clark’s win over them indicates a potential landmine in UAPB’s path here. I’ll go ahead and pick Texas Southern over Alcorn, too. The rest? Heh, no thanks. I won’t even go so far as to suggest Jackson State will run to 4-0, even if they are one of only nine non-Ivies still unbeaten.
INDEPENDENT:
Sadly, the streak has ended. South Alabama now has an all-time winning percentage of only .950 following a 35-13 loss to North Carolina State in their first-ever game against an FBS team. On the bright side, this week they may very well get their first-ever WIN against an FBS team, as they travel to play a Kent State team that got beaten up, bullied, and pushed around by a Kansas State team that’s still mighty questionable itself in a game that saw their desperate fourth-quarter attempt to at least get on the scoreboard stoned: a nine-minute drive which advanced inside the Kansas State 10 twice, and a first-and-goal at the Kansas State one yard line turned into a turnover on downs after burning all three timeouts trying to get their act together. (Disclaimer: I am a KSU alum. However, my only reason for discussing that drive is as a means of pointing out just how much of a chance USA really has this week due to Kent’s ineffectual offense.)