AGS Poll: Week 10 Top 25 Results

Top 25 image

With six week 10 matchups pitting teams against each other that were both listed in that AGS Poll, including two top 10 matchups, there was bound to be plenty of movement in this week’s poll. The top 2 remained the same as they had been since week 1 with North Dakota State and James Madison holding down the #1 and #2 spots, respectively, but the #3 spot changed hands for the first time since week 1 as Weber State used a big road win over previously fifth ranked Sacramento State to move up to #3 which bumped South Dakota State down to #4. The revolving door that is the AGS #5 spot turned again as Northern Iowa moved 2 spots to #5 following their win over previously 8th ranked Illinois State.

The teams climbing the poll this week were led by Montana State and Southeast Missouri State who each moved up 5 spots to #11 and #14, respectively, after a bevy of teams in that range dropped games on Saturday. New Hampshire got back into the top 25 shooting up 12 spots into a tie at #20 after their big win over Villanova. Monmouth came from out of the poll all the way up to #23 after a surprising rout of Big South power Kennesaw State. Tennessee-Martin also got back into the top 25 moving up 3 spots to #25 after taking down Jacksonville State.

Going in the opposite direction was Villanova who fell 5 spots to #16 after their third straight loss. Kennesaw State plummeted 13 spots to #22 after their aforementioned loss to Monmouth. Stony Brook (who was #13 last week) and Albany fell out of the top 25 after taking surprisingly lopsided losses last Saturday.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky, CAA, and MVFC led the way each putting 4 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the OVC with 3 and the Big South, Ivy League, MEAC, and SOCON who each put 2 teams into the top 25. Once again 11 conference (including FCS Independents) were represented in the top.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2050 82
2 – James Madison Dukes 1945
3 1 Weber State Wildcats 1870
4 -1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1837
5 2 Northern Iowa Panthers 1626
6 – Montana Grizzlies 1616
7 -2 Sac State Hornets 1602
8 2 Central Arkansas Bears 1473
9 3 Furman Paladins 1348
10 -2 Illinois State Redbirds 1193
11 5 Montana State Bobcats 1087
12 2 Princeton Tigers 914
13 1 Dartmouth Big Green 877
14 5 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 780
15 2 Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 754
16 -5 Villanova Wildcats 669
17 4 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 550
18 2 North Carolina A&T Aggies 499
19 -1 Wofford Terriers 476
20T 2 Florida A&M Rattlers 439
20T 12 New Hampshire Wildcats 439
22 -13 Kennesaw State Owls 409
23 NR Monmouth Hawks 387
24 – Austin Peay Governors 377
25T 3 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 259
25T -2 Towson Tigers 259
ORV:
27 4 Southern Illinois Salukis 158
28 -15 Stony Brook Seawolves 141
29 -2 Sam Houston State Bearkats 123
30 – The Citadel Bulldogs 109
31 -2 Nicholls State Colonels 81
32 NR Richmond Spiders 79
33 3 San Diego Torreros 50
34T 3 Southeastern Louisiana Lions 48
34T 4 Yale Bulldogs 48
36 -2 UC Davis Aggies 25
37 NR Maine Black Bears 12
38T -13 Albany Great Danes 9
38T -12 Youngstown State Penguins 9
40 -1 Chattanooga Mocs 6

Most significant win: Weber State Wildcats
Most significant loss: Kennesaw State Owls

Dropped out of the poll:
Campbell Fighting Camels
Elon Phoenix
Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?238861-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-10-2019-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 11 Preview

The old adage “it’s better late than never” holds true in week 11 of the Patriot League football season. The first Saturday of November features a highly anticipated battle between Holy Cross and Lehigh in the Christmas City. With both teams owning undefeated league marks odds are the winner of this game captures at least a share of the title. In addition to the what’s at stake on the field, there’s a juicy subplot starring former Crusader head coach and current Lehigh front man Tom Gilmore. Fifteen minutes down the road from the main event in Bethlehem Lafayette hosts Fordham in a spicy undercard that could go a long way in determining the league race. The “third wheel” game of the week is Colgate at Georgetown. The Hoyas are looking to lock up the programs first winning season since 2011 while Colgate is trying to stave off their first 9 loss campaign in 24 years. Bucknell is on a bye.

Colgate (1-8, 0-3) at Georgetown (5-3, 1-2) 12 P.M. Cooper Field; Washington D.C.

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Colgate and Georgetown square-off on the banks of the Potomac at high noon Saturday. These are two teams in desperate need of an emotionally uplifting win. The Raiders suffered their 7th lopsided loss of the season against Holy Cross (31-10) last weekend. Georgetown returns home after a devastating 27-24 setback against Lehigh. The 3 point “L” will ultimately cost the Hoyas their first ever Patriot League Title. When Gunther Johnson connected with Michael Dereus on 4th and 4 for a game tying 72 yard touchdown with 1:23 with left in regulation it felt like the Hoyas were going to find a way to stay in the race. However, the stout Georgetown defense allowed the Mountain Hawk “O” to go 59 yards in a little over a minute. That march into Hoya territory setup Lehigh’s 27 yard game winning field goal. In each of Georgetown’s three losses this season (Davidson, Fordham, Lehigh) the defense struggled to make key stops in the second half. The good news for Coach Sgarlata’s team is the fact that Colgate’s struggling offense (12.6 ppg) does not present nearly the challenge the three above mentioned squads did.

Colgate ventures to our nation’s capital licking their wounds from the shellacking they took at Holy Cross. The Raider’s once vaunted defense was carved up by a Crusader’s offense (502 yards) that’s struggled to find its footing for much of the year. The biggest issues were the 235 yards on the ground Colgate gave up and a handful of big plays through the air Holy Cross was able to complete. Offensively (280 ypg), there has been little to no improvement since Breneman returned the line-up a few weeks ago. Turnovers (2 INT against HC) continue to plague the junior quarterback. The Raiders have three games left to build some momentum for 2020.

Georgetown has been the much better team in 2019. If they’re able to put last week’s loss behind them Colgate shouldn’t offer much resistant on Saturday. The Raider’s best chance to emerge victorious is to win the turnover battle and sustain lengthy drives on offense that end in points.

Prediction: Georgetown 30 Colgate 20

Fordham (3-5, 1-1) at Lafayette (1-7, 1-1) 12:30 P.M. Fisher Field; Easton, PA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Fordham makes the 90 minute trip down I-78 to clash with Lafayette in what amounts to a league title elimination game. Lafayette is in the hunt despite having won just one game (last week against Bucknell) in 2019. With games against Holy Cross and Lehigh remaining the Leopards amazingly control their destiny in the Patriot League Title chase. The question is can a team that is one week removed from a 10 game losing streak pull it off? Getting quarterback Keegan Shoemaker to replicate his Patriot League Offensive POW performance against Bucknell (23-27 207 yards passing 1 TD, 42 yards rushing 1 TD) would be a great starting point. In addition to Shoemaker’s performance, the often sleepy ground attack came to life (162 yards) in the win over the Bison. On the other side of the ball, the Leopard’s “D” held a second straight opponent to under 300 total yards. The defense will have a tough time making it two in row against a skilled Ram’s attack.

Thanks to a late October bye, Fordham had an extra week to digest and recover from their OT loss to Lehigh . Despite that setback, the Rams are one Lehigh loss away from being right back in the title chase. In order to finish the season strong, quarterback Tim DeMorat (201 ypg 13 TD 8 INT) must raise his level of play. The talented sophomore has been in a bit of a slump the last month which has limited the offense’s potential. The defense (448 ypg allowed, 5th in PL) also needs to make strides the final month of the season. Sub-par “D” has plagued the Rams for a handful of years. The front seven needs to get pressure on Keegan Shoemaker in order to make him uncomfortable. Fordham’s linebackers are more than capable of limiting Shoemakers running opportunities and forcing the freshman into mistakes with his arm.

Lafayette’s competitive spirit was finally rewarded last week in a win over the Bison. Despite owning just that lone win the Leopards have the pieces to make a run at the Rams. With that said, the Rams had an extra week to prepare for this one so they remain a slight favorite.

Prediction: Fordham 30 Lafayette 24

Holy Cross (4-4, 2-0) at Lehigh (4-3, 3-0) 12:30 P.M. Goodman Stadium; Bethlehem, PA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: The first big game of the 2019 Patriot League football season takes place in Eastern Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon when Holy Cross and Lehigh battle for first place. The Crusaders are looking for their first league title and trip to the FCS Playoffs since 2009. The head coach of Holy Cross at that time? Current Lehigh leader Tom Gilmore! Gilmore’s Mount Hawks are trying to capture their third league title in the last four seasons and the programs 11th overall. Lehigh is in this position because of their ability to win close games. All three of Lehigh’s league “W’s” (Colgate, Fordham and Georgetown) have been secured on the game’s final play. The reason for all these cardiac finishes? The offense continues to be a bit too erratic (322 ypg) and the defense has the propensity to give up the big play. Lehigh’s ability to generate points in the 4th quarter in close games and their defense’s overall improvement (373 ypg allowed, 2nd in PL) are the biggest reasons Lehigh has a winning record heading into November.

Holy Cross played their best, most complete game of the season last week against Colgate (won 31-10). The Crusaders offense generated 502 total yards thanks in large part to the Degenhardt to Asante (144 yards 2 TD) connection through the air and Dominic Cozier’s 153 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Coach Chesney’s defense harassed Colgate quarterback Grant Breneman (2 INT) all afternoon and basically shutdown the Raider ground attack (96 yards). The underrated Crusader front seven has the potential to give Lehigh’s offensive line trouble. If Holy Cross is able to pressure Lehigh quarterback Tim Monaco the league’s top ranked passing attack (245 ypg) will be slowed significantly.

Prior to Holy Cross destroying Lehigh 56-0 last season the Mountain Hawks won 7 out of the previous 8 meetings. Lehigh has already avenged three of their four 2018 league losses this season. Getting the fourth against a dangerous Holy Cross team will be the toughest hurdle yet. Home field and a senior class with championship pedigree will get Lehigh over that lofty bar.

Prediction: Lehigh 34 Holy Cross 27

 

The FCS Wedge – 2019-1030- Wk10 PREVIEW

1.) Games of the week

Weber State @ Sacramento State

Villanova @ New Hampshire

Northern Iowa @ Illinois State

Monmouth @ Kennesaw State

Furman @ Chattanooga

Nicholls State @ Incarnate Word

Austin Peay @ Eastern Kentucky

Likely autobid title games
Drake @ San Diego
Holy Cross @ Lehigh
*all four teams undefeated in conference play, winners probably go dancing.

2.) Three Big Questions

Which conference do you think is the most locked up at this point of the season?

Will there be a conference where the champion has at least 2 conference losses?

Can Eastern still make the playoffs?

2019-1030 – Wk10 PREVIEW

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The FCS Wedge – 2019-1030 – Wk9 REVIEW

1) The Big Story

No. 1 NDSU 23 No. 3 SDSU 16
The showdown in Brookings was well worth the wait.
Adam Coffield broke loose on a 4th and inches from the Bizon’s own 29 yard line with 2 and half minutes remaining for the game winner. Jack’s QB J’Bore Gibbs went down in the first half with a leg injury and did not return. NDSU rushed it for 332 yards to the Jackrabbits 220. Neither team moved the ball much through the air and didn’t even try to with a total of 30 attempts between the two teams.

Recaps
Montana 34 Eastern Washington 17

Stony Brook 36 Villanova 35

North Dakota 16 Montana State 12

James Madison 27 Towson 10

Wofford 35 Chattanooga 34

Southeast Missouri State 17 UT Martin 10

Central Arkansas 29 Sam Houston State 25

Abilene Christian 37 Nicholls State 31 OT

Weber State 36 UC Davis 20

Other exciting finishes, Campbell blocked punt to force OT, St. Francis misses 25 yard chip shot that would have won the game. Cornell drives the length of the field with :36 seconds to play to nail game winning field goal. Northwestern State gets their first win of the season in OT on the road against an on the rise Incarnate Word.

2.) AGS Poll

2019-1030 – Wk9 REVIEW

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AGS Poll: Week 9 Top 25 Results

Top 25 image

Week 9 didn’t deliver the upsets that week 8 did in the AGS Top 25 but it was still a topsy-turvy week as we get inside a month until Selection Sunday. The top of the poll remained calm as it has much of the year with the same top 5 as last week with North Dakota State, James Madison, South Dakota State, Weber State, and Sacramento State in that order.

Leading the charge of teams moving up the rankings was Stony Brook who used a road upset over Villanova to rise 8 spots to #13. Wofford and Southeast Missouri State each made 6 spot jumps up to #18 and #19 respectively. North Dakota, riding a win over Montana State, rose 16 spots to make their first appearance in the top 25 this year at #21. Austin Peay reappeared in the top 25 after a one week hiatus to come in at #24. Florida A&M made their first appearance in the top 25 since 2009 rising up 4 spots to #22. Albany also made their first appearance in the top 25 since 2017 rising up 3 spots to round it out at #25.

As for teams going in the opposite direction Villanova and Montana State each dropped 5 spots to #11 and #16, respectively, after their aforementioned losses to Stony Brook and North Dakota. Towson took a 6 spot drop to #23 after losing to 2nd ranked James Madison. Sam Houston State, Tennessee-Martin, Nicholls, and UC Davis all dropped out of the top 25 after taking losses last Saturday.

In terms of conference representation the CAA led the way placing 5 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and MVFC who each had 4 teams and the Ivy League, MEAC, OVC, and SOCON who each put 2 teams into the top 25. Including D1 independents there 11 conferences represented in the top 25 this week.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2198 87
2 – James Madison Dukes 2104 1
3 – South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1958
4 – Weber State Wildcats 1939
5 – Sac State Hornets 1894
6 1 Montana Grizzlies 1675
7 2 Northern Iowa Panthers 1558
8 2 Illinois State Redbirds 1533
9 -1 Kennesaw State Owls 1467
10 2 Central Arkansas Bears 1381
11 -5 Villanova Wildcats 1311
12 1 Furman Paladins 1216
13 8 Stony Brook Seawolves 933
14T 2 Dartmouth Big Green 886
14T – Princeton Tigers 886
16 -5 Montana State Bobcats 712
17 1 Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 660
18 6 Wofford Terriers 563
19 6 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 538
20 -1 North Carolina A&T Aggies 477
21 16 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 417
22 4 Florida A&M Panthers 387
23 -6 Towson Tigers 248
24 6 Austin Peay Governors 213
25 3 Albany Great Danes 202
ORV:
26 5 Youngstown State Penguins 173
27 -5 Sam Houston State Bearkats 162
28 -8 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 154
29 -14 Nicholls State Colonels 135
30 4 The Citadel Bulldogs 102
31 9 Southern Illinois Salukis 89
32 – New Hampshire Wildcats 74
33 6 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 68
34 -11 UC Davis Aggies 66
35 1 Elon Phoenix 55
36 2 San Diego Torreros 34
37 NR Southeastern Louisiana Lions 26
38 NR Yale Bulldogs 19
39 -4 Chattanooga Mocs 15
40 NR Campbell Fighting Camels 14

Most significant win: Stony Brook Seawolves
Most significant loss: Villanova Wildcats

Dropped out the poll:
Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens
Incarnate Word Cardinals
Portland State Vikings

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?238177-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-9-2019-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 10 Preview

This week features nothing but Patriot League games for the first time all season. The marquee match-up on the docket this Saturday is Georgetown at Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks are the league’s only 2-0 team after their OT win over Fordham. The Hoyas only conference setback is an overtime loss to the Rams a couple of weeks ago. In other action, defending champion Colgate makes the 4 hour trip on 1-90 to take on Holy Cross. The Raiders are currently riding a 7 game winning streak over the Crusaders. The third game this weekend, Bucknell at Lafayette, could end up deciding who avoids last place in the final league standings. Fordham is on a much needed bye after their crushing loss to Lehigh last week.

Colgate (1-7, 0-2) at Holy Cross (3-4, 1-0) 1 P.M. Fitton Field; Worcester, MA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Defending Patriot League Champion Colgate will try to make it two wins in a row when they venture to Mount Saint James to battle Holy Cross. The Raiders conquered long-time rival Cornell last week 21-20 for their first win of the season.  Gate’s ground attack (174 yards) gained traction for the first time this season in the win over the Big Red. Colgate will need another strong performance from the running back duo of Alex Mathews and Malik Twyman if they’re going to defeat Holy Cross this weekend. Quarterback Grant Breneman’s willingness to run against Cornell (14 attempts) really helped to open up the running lanes. If Breneman can be effective running and passing against the Crusader’s “D”, Colgate has a real chance to pull the upset on the road. The Raider defense has the personnel to keep Holy Cross’s so-so “O” (17 ppg) well in check.

Holy Cross will try to bounce back from last week’s 31-21 loss to their biggest Ivy League rival, Harvard. The Crusaders fell behind 24-7 at half and despite a solid performance during the final 30 minutes, could never get close enough to seriously threaten. After two straight strong performances, Connor Degenhardt (16-38 206 yards 1 TD 1 INT) struggled against a solid Crimson defense. Outside of Domenic Cozier’s 66 yard touchdown run on the third play from scrimmage, the ground game (82 yards) never got much traction either. Both should find more room to operate against a Colgate defense (394 ypg allowed) that continues to struggle. The Crusader defense has the discipline to contain Colgate’s read-option offense. Breneman will need to be at his best if the Raider offense is going to finally break out.

Holy Cross is the better team and they’re at home. Colgate scored a nice win last week but the reality is they really didn’t play well against a bottom tier Cornell team. Holy Cross will win as long as Degenhardt protects the ball and the defense doesn’t allow Colgate to put together lengthy scoring drives.

Prediction: Holy Cross 27 Colgate 17

Georgetown (5-2, 1-1) at Lehigh (3-3, 2-0) 12:30 P.M. Goodman Stadium; Bethlehem, PA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Lehigh will try to be the first team in league play to reach 3-0 when they host Georgetown Saturday afternoon. The Mountain Hawks will also be trying to exact revenge on the Hoyas for last year’s 22-16 overtime loss in D.C. The loss ended Lehigh’s 17 game winning streak over Georgetown. The Mountain Hawks will need to regroup emotionally for another big game after last week’s thrilling 30-27 OT win over Fordham. They’ll also likely have to adapt on offense as starting quarterback Tyler Monaco (203 ypg 5 TD 5 INT) is expected to miss the game with a leg injury. If Monaco can’t go junior Addison Shoup will take the reins. The Georgia native has performed well in crucial situations when called upon this season. The Lehigh defense can certainly make Shoup’s life a little easier by bouncing back from last week’s shaky performance against Fordham (330 rushing yards allowed).

Georgetown pushed their record to 5-2 with an ugly 14-10 win over winless Lafayette last week. The Hoyas managed just 264 yards of offense against a Leopard “D” that entered the game giving up well over 400 per game. Gunther Johnson (128 ypg 7 TD 1 INT) and company will need to generate at least a little more “O” this week if the Hoyas are going to secure a winning record before October comes to an end.  Given the Hoyas offensive limitations Coach Sgarlata will lean heavily on his excellent defense (12 ppg allowed). LB Xavier Reddick (22 solo tackles, 5 TFL), DT Khristian Tate (3 sacks) and the rest of the Hoya “D” have the talent to make things really tough on a Lehigh offense that will likely be without their starting QB.

This has all the makings of a low scoring slugfest. Whoever can generate points inside the red zone and limit their mistakes will come out on top. Lehigh has a few more playmakers on offense and a sound kicking game which will prove to be the difference.

Prediction: Lehigh 16 Georgetown 13

Bucknell (1-6, 1-1) at Lafayette (0-7 0-1) 3:30 P.M. Fisher Stadium; Easton, PA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Who finishes in the Patriot League cellar could very well be determined when Bucknell and Lafayette battle it out on College Hill Saturday evening. The Leopard’s losing streak has now reached double-digits (10) following last week’s tough 14-10 setback to Georgetown. Lafayette outplayed the Hoyas in many regards but failed to execute on both sides of the ball in a few crucial situations that likely would have changed the outcome. Sadly for Coach Garrett’s team that has been an all too familiar theme this season. The offense has really lost its way the last two weeks after showing some real promise earlier in the year. Keegan Shoemaker (227 ypg 8 TD 9 INT) must find his September magic before it’s too late. Conversely, Lafayette’s defense (30 ppg) has played well since the calendar turned to October. If they maintain their current level of play the Bison will have a tough time scoring.

Bucknell heads to Eastern Pennsylvania on the heels of a really disappointing effort against nationally ranked Towson. The Tigers were clearly the better team going in but that doesn’t excuse Bucknell’s no-show type performance in the 56-7 loss. The Bucknell defense surrendered 560 total yards including 328 on the ground! Thankfully for Dave Cecchini’s team, Lafayette does not possess anywhere near the firepower on offense that Towson has. It will be up to Logan Bitikofer (143 ypg 5 TD 3 INT) and the rest of the Bison “O” (15 ppg) to grind out enough points to win. The lack of a consistent rushing attack (72 ypg) continues to be a major issue for the Bucknell offense. Chad Freshnock’s (35 ypg) and Jared Cooper’s (31 ypg) talent far outweighs their current production.

This would appear to be Lafayette’s last best chance to avoid a winless 2019 campaign. Likewise, this very well could be the Bison’s last chance this season to emerge victorious. This game feels like a coin-flip on paper. With that in mind, Lafayette feels like the more desperate team and they’re at home.

Prediction: Lafayette 24 Bucknell 20

The FCS Wedge – 2019-1023 – Wk9 PREVIEW

1.) Games of the week/previews

#1 North Dakota State @ #3 South Dakota State

This is a huge weekend in the BSC

Weber State @ UC-Davis
Eastern Washington @ Montana
Montana State @ North Dakota

CAA favorites host desperate contenders

Stony Brook @ Villanova
Towson @ James Madison

Battles of 1st & 2nd place for the OVC, SOCON, & SLC

Sam Houston State @ Central Arkansas

Chattanooga @ Wofford

UT Martin @ Southeast Missouri State

2.) Three Big Questions

How long did it take you to complete your poll this week?

Is there one .500 or worse team that will make the playoffs?

What did Kris get wrong this week?

2019-1023 – Wk9 PREVIEW

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The FCS Wedge – 2019-1023 – Wk8 REVIEW

1) The Big Story
Game on in the OVC, SoCon, and Southland. Just halfway into conference play and there’s only 2 remaining undefeated teams in the 3 conferences combined. Both teams, UT Martin and Chattanooga, are quite unlikely to run the table.

Recaps
Sacramento State 49 Montana 22

Sam Houston State 17 Nicholls State 0

Northern Iowa 42 South Dakota 27

Florida A&M 34 North Carolina A&T 31 OT

Delaware 16 New Hampshire 10

Southeast Missouri State 24 Jacksonville State 21

2.) AGS Poll

2019-1023 – Wk8 REVIEW

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AGS Poll: Week 8 Top 25 Results

Top 25 image

Week 8 was another tumultuous one in the AGS Top 25 with 8 teams taking losses to teams ranked lower than them or not at all. Despite that for the fourth consecutive week the top 4 remained unchanged with North Dakota State, James Madison, South Dakota State, and Weber State taking the top 4 spots in that order. Sacramento State used a big win over previously 5th ranked Montana to rise up 5 spots to #5 to set another program record for the highest ranking ever in the AGS Poll, their third week in row they’ve done so.

As for other teams making moves up this week Princeton and Towson took advantage of teams in front of them losing to move up 4 spots each to #14 and #17, respectively. Central Connecticut State, after their 6-1 start, moved up 6 spots to their highest ranking ever in the AGS Poll at #18. Tennessee-Martin moved up 6 spots to #20, their first top 25 ranking in the AGS Poll since week 4 of 2017. Sam Houston State made their first appearance in the top 25 this year coming from completely out of the poll to #22 after shutting out Southland front runner Nicholls. Wofford reappeared in the top 25 moving up 5 spots to #24 after their 4th straight win. Southeast Missouri State also got back into the top 25 after a one week absence moving up 3 spots to #25.

The teams going in the opposite direction were led by Furman who dropped 6 spots to #13 after being upset at home by The Citadel. Nicholls also suffered a 7 spot drop to #15 after their aforementioned loss to Sam Houston State. Austin Peay, Youngstown State, New Hampshire, and Jacksonville State all dropped out of the top 25 after dropping games to teams outside of the week 7 top 25.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky led the way placing 5 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the CAA and MVFC with 4 each, the Soutland with 3 teams, and the Ivy League, OVC, and SOCON who each put 2 teams into the top 25. Once again 10 conference were represented in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2172 85
2 – James Madison Dukes 2069 1
3 – South Dakota State Jackrabbits 2008 1
4 – Weber State Wildcats 1876
5 5 Sac State Hornets 1795
6 – Villanova Wildcats 1743
7 -2 Montana Grizzlies 1465
8 1 Kennesaw State Owls 1461
9 2 Northern Iowa Panthers 1443
10 3 Illinois State Redbirds 1371
11 1 Montana State Bobcats 1362
12 2 Central Arkansas Bears 1153
13 -6 Furman Paladins 1035
14 4 Princeton Tigers 818
15 -7 Nicholls State Colonels 784
16 3 Dartmouth Big Green 759
17 4 Towson Tigers 627
18 6 Central Connecticut State Blue Devils496
19 -4 North Carolina A&T Aggies 439
20 6 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 388
21 2 Stony Brook Seawolves 380
22 NR Sam Houston State Bearkats 371
23 2 UC Davis Aggies 296
24 5 Wofford Terriers 282
25 3 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 264
ORV:
26 13 Florida A&M Panthers 224
27 3 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 211
28 4 Albany Great Danes 158
29 6 Incarnate Word Cardinals 148
30 -13 Austin Peay Governors 110
31 -15 Youngstown State Penguins 81
32 -12 New Hampshire Wildcats 70
33 – Portland State Vikings 57
34 NR The Citadel Bulldogs 55
35 5 Chattanooga Mocs 47
36 -5 Elon Phoenix 44
37 NR North Dakota Fighting Hawks 43
38 -2 San Diego Torreros 34
39 -17 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 29
40 NR Southern Illinois Salukis 26

Most significant win: Sac State Hornets
Most significant loss: Furman Paladins

Dropped out of the poll:
Idaho State Bengals
Maine Black Bears
Southeastern Louisiana Lions
Virginia Military Institute Keydets
Yale Bulldogs

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?237484-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-8-2019-SEASON

Big Sky Quad Shot: Week 8

Sacramento State continued their climb up the FCS national polls this week as they defeated the Montana Grizzlies at home this weekend. The Hornets jumped out to a big lead and never looked back and just kept piling it on. Montana started with an opening drive score on a 64 yard Jerry Louis McGee run. However, Kevin Thomson would respond with a 44 yard pass and a two point conversion to take the lead. After that it was all Hornets. Thomson had 369 yards passing and 50 yards rushing and accounted for six touchdowns. Is he now the leader in the Big Sky MVP race? Maybe.

Portland State is another Big Sky team who’s a sleeper pick to win the conference if the chips fall where they do. The Vikings are now 3-1 in conference play. This weekend they got a win over hapless Northern Colorado. The Vikings got 221 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Sirgeo Hoffman to lead the way against a pesky Bears team that didn’t want to completely roll over. Jacob Knipp decided to do it all for the Bears, accounting for 427 total yards and two scores.

Weber State absolutely crushed Northern Arizona after trailing by seven at the half. Weber State’s Josh Davis ran for an eye popping 328 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Wildcats. Without looking it up, that could very well be the top rushing performance in FCS this season. In total the Wildcats rushed for 443 yards. Meanwhile, Case Cookus piled up the stats but wasn’t enough to get the Lumberjacks on the board. Cookus has 359 yards and four scores. In the battle of Idaho the Vandals got a win against their rival Idaho State. Big day for receiver Jeff Cotton, catching 192 yards of passes.

North Dakota continued its independent life and beat Cal Poly on the road this weekend. Nate Ketteringham had 234 yards and two scores plus a rushing touchdown to lead the way for the Fighting Hawks. In the night cap Jake Maier had 271 yards and three touchdowns, while Ulonzo Gilliam had 140 yards rushing and a score to get a close win over Southern Utah.

Coming up this week Eastern Washington will go across I-90 and take on Montana. Montana State will head to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota. Idaho State heads south to take on Southern Utah. Northern Arizona will be hosting Portland State. Weber State goes on the road to take on UC Davis. In the night cap Sacramento State will take on Cal Poly.

Scores

Montana 22
Sacramento State 49

Portland State 38
Northern Colorado 30

Northern Arizona 28
Weber State 51

Idaho State 21
Idaho 45

North Dakota 30
Cal Poly 26

UC Davis 33
Southern Utah 25

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky player of the week is Sacramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson. Thomson was 24/34 for 369 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 50 yards and two touchdowns as the Hornets defeated #6 Montana at home on Saturday.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Kevin Thomson, QB, Sacramento State
Dalton Sneed, QB, Montana
Ulonzo Gilliam, RB, UC Davis
Jeff Cotton, WR, Idaho
Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington

Big Sky Power Rankings

Weber State
Sacramento State
Montana
Montana State
UC Davis
Northern Arizona
Eastern Washington
Portland State
Idaho
Cal Poly
Idaho State
Northern Colorado
Southern Utah

The Quad Shot

I have no idea what’s gotten into the water in Sacramento this season, but this is a dominant Hornets team. Sweeping both of the Montana teams is an accomplishment for the Hornets. Probably has never been done in the history of their team. I wasn’t terribly surprised by the result, but this was a killer for the Griz’s chances to win the Big Sky outright. Some dominoes are going to have to fall for the Griz to win the conference at this point. For now we’re at a two way horse race between Weber State and Sacramento State for the conference title. Still a lot of football left to play, however.

The battle of Idaho was a more interesting battle than I thought it would be. I didn’t think there was any way Idaho was going to win that game, they are so bad. However, Jeff Cotton turned in a big day, catching 192 yards of passes and I guess the Vandals won? I guess there’s some magic in the Kibbie Dome.

Disappointed we’re not going to get to see Southern Utah and Northern Colorado battle it out to see who the worst team in the Big Sky is this year. Both teams can make a really strong case in being the worst. According to the Massey Index the Bears are at 91, Southern Utah is at 88, out of 126 teams. In the Sagarin Rankings Southern Utah is 196, Northern Colorado is at 201, out of 256 teams. So if we’re going to use complicated computer rankings and calculated into an Excel spreadsheet Northern Colorado is worse. However, the Bears have a conference win. So I guess by virtue of win/loss things, Southern Utah is definitely the worst.

College Game Day announced that they are going to head to Brookings, South Dakota for this week’s Saturday morning show. I know a lot of Big Sky fans would like to see Game Day come a little further West and maybe take in the Brawl of the Wild. Game Day seems to really like visiting North Dakota State and who can blame them. They’re received well in Fargo, the Bison are good, but come on. It’s the Midwest. How about coming to the Northern Rockies and taking in a real rivalry game. That being said, not this year folks. Cat/Griz weekend falls on a weekend where there are a lot of other rivalry games being played, and late in the season I can imagine Game Day would be disinclined to focus on an FCS game rather than a FBS game with playoff implications. If you were going to attend a Game Day setup somewhere, where would be your ultimate destination? Mine would be The Grove in Oxford Mississippi. Tailgating, sundresses, and the SEC, what more could a person want?