AGS Poll: Week 3 Top 25 Results

After a relatively stable week last week in the AGS poll we saw a tumultuous week 3 where 12 of the 20 teams in action that were previously ranked in the top 25 all lost, some in surprising and some in not-so-surprising fashion. Despite that the top 5 remained mostly unchanged with North Dakota State, James Madison, and South Dakota State staying as the top 3 in that order. Kennesaw State and Eastern Washington swapped spots from last week coming in at #4 and #5, respectively. this week.

The high risers of the week were headlined by Weber State who moved up 5 spots to #7 after dismantling previously ranked South Dakota. McNeese shot up 10 spots to #12 after soundly beating Southland rival Nicholls. Rhode Island and Stony Brook each slid up 5 spots to #19 and #20 respectively following a multitude of teams in front of them losing. North Dakota made their debut in the AGS top 25 this year coming from completely out of the poll all the way up to #23 after a big road win in Huntsville against Sam Houston State. Western Illinois also climbed back into the top 25 coming in at #25 after picking up their first win of the year against Montana.

Due to the previously mentioned upsets there were quite a few teams that took a tumble starting with Villanova who dropped 6 spots to #15 after falling to unranked Towson. Samford dropped 9 spots to #16 after being upset at home by unranked Mercer. Sam Houston State tumbled 10 spots down to #18 following their aforementioned loss to UND. Nicholls and Montana both dropped 6 spots to #21 and #22, respectively, after the both dropped contests over the weekend to ranked foes. South Dakota and Northern Arizona both dropped out of the top 25 after lopsided losses.

In terms of conference representation the CAA led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the MVFC with 5, the Big Sky and Southland with 4 each, and the SOCON with 2 teams in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2296 89
2 – James Madison Dukes 2198 3
3 – South Dakota State Jackrabbits 2093
4 1 Kennesaw State Owls 1873
5 -1 Eastern Washington Eagles 1817
6 – North Carolina A&T Aggies 1811
7 5 Weber State Wildcats 1645
8 3 Maine Black Bears 1591
9 1 Wofford Terriers 1488
10 3 Illinois State Redbirds 1353
11 3 Elon Phoenix 1279
12 10 McNeese State Cowboys 1122
13 4 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1033
14 4 Central Arkansas Bears 949
15 -6 Villanova Wildcats 901
16 -9 Samford Bulldogs 786
17 2 UC Davis Aggies 771
18 -10 Sam Houston State Bearkats 733
19 5 Rhode Island Rams 520
20 5 Stony Brook Seawolves 439
21 -6 Nicholls State Colonels 423
22 -6 Montana Grizzlies 349
23 NR North Dakota Fighting Hawks 269
24 -1 Northern Iowa Panthers 250
25 6 Western Illinois Leathernecks 249
ORV:
26 NR Towson Tigers 235
27 – Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 234
28 2 Chattanooga Mocs 181
29T -1 Sac State Hornets 164
29T -9 South Dakota Coyotes 164
31 2 Montana State Bobcats 158
32 NR Mercer Bears 144
33 -7 Colgate Raiders 120
34 -6 Austin Peay Governors 119
35 -1 Richmond Spiders 29
36 NR Missouri State Bears 23
37 NR Princeton Tigers 22
38 2 Harvard Crimson 20
39 -19 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 11
40 NR Western Carolina Catamounts 10

Most Significant Win: North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Most Significant Loss: Sam Houston State Bearkats

Dropped out of the poll:
Southern Illinois Salukis
Yale Bulldogs
Furman Paladins
Prairie View A&M Panthers
New Hampshire Wildcats
Youngstown State Penguins

 

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Patriot League Week 3: A Tropical Cyclone and Winless Teams

It was a stormy start for everyone in the Patriot League not named Colgate (2-0) through the first two games of the season. Then Hurricane Florence picked up steam early this week and decided to bear down on The Carolinas. With Florence’s impending wrath expected to cause major headaches in the Greenville, SC area the Colgate-Furman game was wisely cancelled on Wednesday.

The Picks

With this week’s schedule still in a bit of limbo due to Hurricane Florence and the league facing another year of non-league (1-6 last week) struggles we’re going to keep things simple and to the point.

Yale (0-0) at Holy Cross (0-2, 0-1) 1 P.M. Fitton Field Worcester, MA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Pick: Yale is coming off a 9-1, outright Ivy League Championship season. With so much talent returning, especially on offense, the Eli are the prohibitive favorite to repeat. Holy Cross enters this game a bit bruised and battered after last week’s 62-14 blowout loss to Boston College. Holy Cross’s QB situation is still unsettled while Yale has a dynamic QB-RB combo in Rawlins and Dudek. The Eli will likely be a little rusty to start but they will ultimately take control in the second half.

Yale 34 Holy Cross 20

Georgetown (1-1) at Dartmouth (0-0) 1:30 P.M Memorial Stadium Hanover, NH

Live Streaming: ESPN+

The Pick: The Hoyas head to New England with several questions surrounding their offense. After a strong opener against Marist, the Hoyas offense returned to 2017 form in their 13-6 loss to Campbell last week. Georgetown QB Gunther Johnson and the rest of the “O” must find a way to generate points against a tough Dartmouth defense. The Big Green were picked 5th in Ivy League but have the potential to challenge for the title. The key will be getting the quarterback and running back spots settled. The Hoya’s defense will keep this interesting but Dartmouth is too good on both side of the ball to lose their season opener.

Dartmouth 24 Georgetown 10

Bucknell (0-2) at Penn (0-0) 3 P.M. Franklin Field Philadelphia, PA

Live Streaming: ESPN+

The Pick: The Bison’s offense continues to be among the worst units in the Patriot League. Quarterback John Chiarolanzio has struggled out of the gate. As a result the passing attack has been stuck in neutral. Without Freshnock, the running game has also failed to establish itself with any semblance of consistency. The defense, however, remains formidable. Penn was tabbed for 5th in the preseason Ivy League Poll. The Quakers must find playmakers after losing one of the top WR’s in FCS to graduation. Expect a healthy dose of RB Karekin Brooks behind a strong OL. The Bison will need to win the turnover battle to escape Philly with a win.

Penn 27 Bucknell 13

Lehigh (1-1) at Navy (1-1) 3:30 P.M. Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD

Live Television: CBS Sportsnetwork

The Pick: For the first time in 31 years Lehigh and Navy will square off on the gridiron. Interestingly, the then Engineers won that game 24-9. With the status of All-American RB Dominic Bragalone up in the air it’s hard to see the Lehigh offense emerging from their early season funk against a solid FBS defense. Navy, who is averaging 295 ypg on ground behind QB Malcom Perry, will find plenty of running room against an improved but still leaky Lehigh defense. The Mountain Hawks might be able to avoid complete embarrassment but this one still won’t be pretty.

Navy 42 Lehigh 17

Monmouth (1-1) at Lafayette (0-2) 6 P.M. Fisher Field Easton, PA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Pick: It’s hard to find a team in FCS that has endured an uglier start to the 2018 season than Lafayette. The Leopards have shown very little on offense and defense in their two blowout losses to start the year. The quarterback position has become a revolving door between Northrup and O’Malley while the defense has struggled to get off the field. Monmouth has been a bit up and down to start the season. The Hawks entered the season with hopes of a return trip to the playoffs given the amount of talent returning. They know a loss to the Leopards would be devastating.

Monmouth 42 Lafayette 10

Stony Brook (1-1) at Fordham (0-2) 6 P.M. Jack Coffey Field Bronx, NY

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Pick: The Joe Conlin era has officially gotten off to a cringe worthy start after last week’s 52-7 loss to Richmond. The Spiders are always a tough out but the Rams overall effort from the opening kickoff to the final whistle left a lot of be desired. The defense had no answer for the Spider rushing attack. That’s not a good sign heading into this week’s battle with Stony Brook who possess one of the more physical offenses in FCS. The Seawolve RB tandem of Jordan Gowins and Don Liotine should be inline for another big week.

Stony Brook 38 Fordham 17

 

The FCS Wedge – 2018-0912 – Wk3 PREVIEW

Kris leads us in to the Week 3 preview by questioning Lance on his big games for the week.  Lance goes with these candidates.

South Dakota @ Weber State

Nicholls State @ McNeese State

Colgate @ Furman (this game was cancelled after recording of show)

Montana @ Western Illinois

Additional Topic:

The lads go over a couple of breakout players through the first couple weeks who may not have been on the radar coming into the season.

South Dakota QB Austin Simmons has thrown for 719 yards and 5 touchdowns and has run for another 80.

Houston Baptist linebacker Langston Tunson already has 9 tackles for loss including 3 sacks and leads the nation at 17.5 tackles per game.

Same question with teams to follow that up…

Kris decided he had to go with Maine and Rhode Island.  Lance is forced out on a limb due to those picks and goes with UC Davis and Villanova.

They flip the script and go on to talk about the teams that have been a disappointment so far.

#1is New Hampshire with a bad loss to Maine and close loss to Colgate.

#2 would be Furman. The 48-7 loss to Clemson is explainable but not losing by a similar score to Elon.

#3 for Lance was YSU with his expectation that some of Bo’s recruits might come in to their own this year.

Kris adds in the Leathernecks and Lehigh as two teams he expected a lot more out of so far this year.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The FCS Wedge – 2018-0912 – Wk2 REVIEW

In the week 2 review Kris and Lance hit us with some great FCS discussion and also look over several of the games from last weekend.  This is the lowdown for this week.

TOPIC 1 Maine Strikes Again

Maine 31 Western Kentucky 28

They discuss the glory of the AGS Poll

More Recaps From The Previous Week

Eastern Washington 31 Northern Arizona 26

South Dakota State 45 Montana State 14

Elon 45 Furman 7

UC-Davis 54 San Diego 21

Colgate 10 New Hampshire 3

Rhode Island 45 Albany 26

Spoiler alert, the show ends by Kris saying “goodbye for now”.

Having trouble with the player today so visit this link for the podcast.

The FCS Wedge Link

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AGS Poll: Week 2 Top 25 Results

After a wild week 1 the national rankings held more more true-to-form in week 2 across the FCS landscape and the AGS top 25 reflected that. The top 4 remained unchanged from last week with North Dakota State, James Madison, South Dakota State, and Eastern Washington claiming those spots in that order. Kennesaw State crept back into the top 5 at #5 as Sam Houston State slipped down 3 spots to #8.

Despite the rankings being relatively stable for this early in the season some teams did make some good gains within the top 25. Maine continued their impressive start to 2018 moving up 8 spots to #11 after coming back to take down FBS foe Western Kentucky. Elon used a dominating win over previously ranked Furman to move up 4 spots to #14 and UC Davis continued their hot start trouncing San Diego and consequently moving up 6 spots to #19. But perhaps the best story in the rankings this week is Rhode Island who, after dominating CAA rival Albany, moved into the AGS top 25 for the first time ever rising 8 spots to #24. Stony Brook also slid back into the top 25 after a 1 week absence coming in at #25 but that was moreso due to teams above them dropping out.

On the flip side Nicholls slid down 5 spots to #15 after getting soundly beaten by FBS Tulane. Northern Arizona dropped 4 spots into a tie at #20 after losing at home to 4th ranked Eastern Washington. Montana State and Furman both dropped out of the top 25 after each took lopsided losses to ranked opponents in South Dakota State and Elon, respectively.

For conference representation the CAA led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and MVFC who each had 5, the Southland who had 4, and the SOCON who had 2 teams ranked amongst the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2498 98
2 – James Madison Dukes 2367 1
3 – South Dakota State Jackrabbits 2213 1
4 – Eastern Washington Eagles 2067
5 1 Kennesaw State Owls 1860
6 1 North Carolina A&T Aggies 1852
7 1 Samford Bulldogs 1766
8 -3 Sam Houston State Bearkats 1754
9 – Villanova Wildcats 1735
10 1 Wofford Terriers 1402
11 8 Maine Black Bears 1325
12 – Weber State Wildcats 1175
13 – Illinois State Redbirds 1174
14 4 Elon Phoenix 1156
15 -5 Nicholls State Colonels 1136
16 -2 Montana Grizzlies 1061
17 -2 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 985
18 -1 Central Arkansas Bears 684
19 6 UC Davis Aggies 636
20T -4 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 612
20T 2 South Dakota Coyotes 612
22 2 McNeese State Cowboys 563
23 -2 Northern Iowa Panthers 530
24 8 Rhode Island Rams 396
25 2 Stony Brook Seawolves 228
ORV:
26 8 Colgate Raiders 111
27 2 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 110
28T 3 Austin Peay Governors 79
28T 2 Sac State Hornets 79
30 NR Chattanooga Mocs 54
31 -3 Western Illinois Leathernecks 45
32 NR Southern Illinois Salukis 44
33 -9 Montana State Bobcats 43
34 6 Richmond Spiders 39
35 – Yale Bulldogs 26
36 -16 Furman Paladins 24
37 -1 Prairie View A&M Panthers 18
38 -12 New Hampshire Wildcats 10
39 NR Youngstown State Penguins 8
40 NR Harvard Crimson 6

Most Significant Win:  Maine Black Bears
Most Significant Loss:  Furman Paladins

Dropped out of the poll : 
San Diego Toreros
Butler Bulldogs
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
The Citadel Bulldogs

 

Join the discussion here: http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?212163-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-2-POLL-2018-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 2 Preview

#9 Villanova (1-0) at Lehigh (1-0) 12:30 P.M. Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA

Last Week: Villanova upset their Big 5 and FBS rival Temple 19-17 at Lincoln Financial Field. The Wildcats out gained the Owls 405-251. Bednarczyk’s TD pass on 4th and 9 midway through the final quarter proved to be the winning the score. The Wildcats kicking woes did pop up again in game one. Temple returned a blocked FG for a TD. The Owls also blocked an extra point.

Lehigh blocked Saint Francis’s 41 yard field goal attempt with 33 seconds left to preserve a 21-19 win. Dominic Bragalone led the way on offense with 139 yards and 3 TDs. The defense flexed some muscle too by limiting the Red Flashes to a mere 58 yards on the ground for the game. Lehigh quarterback Brad Mayes was suspended for the 1st quarter due to academic reasons. Junior Tyler Monaco go the start.

The Matchup: Villanova leads the all-time series 9-6 (won 6 straight, 38-35 in 2017). The last two have come down to the wire with the Wildcats making plays on both sides of the ball to preserve the win. In order for Lehigh to change their fortunes against Villanova, the Mountain Hawks must hold up in the trenches on both sides of the ball for 60 minutes. The Wildcats physically beat Temple along the line of scrimmage for much of their game last week. The Mountain Hawk’s defense will be tested by Bednarczyk’s mobility and creativity outside of the pocket. RB Aaron Forbes and TE Ryan Bell are also extremely dangerous weapons for ‘Nova. Lehigh usually plays Villanova tough and this likely won’t be any different. In order for the Mountain Hawks to win the defense must be physical and the skill players must generate big/clutch plays.

Prediction: Villanova 31 Lehigh 20

Campbell (1-0) at Georgetown (1-0) 12:30 P.M. Cooper Field Washington D.C.

Last Week: Campbell took care of Division II Chowan 49-26. The Camels took a 42-6 lead early in the 3rd quarter before taking their foot off the gas pedal. Campbell QB Daniel Smith had a phenomenal opener. The red shirt sophomore threw for 260 yards and 3 TDs on just 11 completions. He also had 80 yards and 2 TDs on the ground.

Georgetown started the 2018 season with an emphatic 39-14 win over Marist. It was the Hoyas most impressive season opener in several years. Hoya QB Gunther Johnson’s career day (26-37 369 yards 4 TDs) led the offense. The defense did their part by limiting the Marist offense to 178 total yards.

The Game: Georgetown won the first ever meeting between the two schools in 2017 16-10 . It would end up being the lone Georgetown win of the season. This year’s battle figures to come down to the quarterback play. Smith is a preseason Payton Award candidate while Johnson remains a bit of an unknown despite a strong opening game. Whichever defense can get pressure on the QB and force a mistake or two will escape with the “W”. Kristian Tate and the rest of the Hoya front 7 should be up to the task.

Prediction: Georgetown 24 Campbell 16

Holy Cross (0-1, 0-1) at Boston College (1-0) 1 P.M. Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA

Last Week: The Crusaders opened their 2018 campaign with a tough 24-17 loss to league foe Colgate. Holy Cross fell behind 24-0 at the half and couldn’t quite complete the rally during the final 30 minutes of play. QB Emmett Clifford and the passing game struggled to gain any type of consistency against the tough Colgate secondary. The Crusaders did find success on the ground (169 yards).

Boston College dominated their Bay State FBS brethren UMass to the tune of 55-21. The Eagles jumped out to a 48-7 halftime lead then emptied the bench in the second half. Boston College’s highly touted QB Anthony Brown was extremely efficient (15-21 279 yards 4 TDs) in the victory. The Eagles rolled up a whooping 598 total yards in the 34 point win.

The Game: This will be the first meeting since 1986 (56-26 BC win) between the two former and now current rivals. Before Holy Cross dropped their program to 1-AA in the early 1980’s this was easily the best football rivalry in New England. Boston College leads the all-time series 48-31-3. Before the 32 year hiatus, Boston College dominated the rivalry by winning 17 of the last 19 meetings. The trend will surely continue for at least another year. Boston College is simply too talented and too deep right now for the Crusaders to pose any sort of threat.

Prediction: Boston College 59 Holy Cross 13

Sacred Heart (1-0) at Bucknell (1-0) 3 P.M. Christy Matthewson Stadium Lewisburg, PA

Last Week: Sacred Heart began their season with a surprisingly easy 35-6 win over Lafayette in Easton. The Pioneer’s ground attack (261 yards) shredded the Leopard’s defense all evening. RB Jordan Meachum racked up rushing 132 yards on just 17 carries (7.8 ypg). QB Kevin Duke had a good outing as well (17-22 146 yards 2 TDs 1 INT). Needless to say, the Pioneers did not look like a team that was predicted to finish at, or near the bottom of the NEC standings.

Bucknell suffered a tough 14-7 loss to CAA member William & Mary. The Bison had a chance to tie the game late but WR Alan Butler fumbled at the Tribe 40 yard line with less than 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Bucknell’s offense struggled to find their groove all night (257 yards but only 11 first downs). The Bison “D” did look strong in their  2018 debut. They limited the Tribe to 81 yards on the ground.

The Game: The Pioneers are looking for a 2 game sweep against Pennsylvania based Patriot League teams while the Bison will be trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2010 (Susan’s 1st year). As is often the case with Bucknell, they must develop some consistency on offense. QB John Chiarolanzio made some nice throws last week but also missed on a few big plays. Without Freshnock in the backfield for the rest of the season, it’s up to Chiarolanzio to carry much of the load. Bucknell will keep the Pioneers offense in check for the most part. The question once again is whether or not the offense can score enough to win.

Prediction: Sacred Heart 21 Bucknell 17

Lafayette (0-1) at Delaware (0-1) 3:30 P.M. Delaware Stadium Newark, DE

Last Week: The Leopards opened their 2018 season with a performance they and their fans would rather forget. Lafayette was thoroughly whooped for 60 minutes by Sacred Heart in a 29 point loss. Sophomore QB Sean O’Malley struggled mightily (12-22 107 yards 2 INTs) in the season opener. The running game did manage to crack 100 yards (117) which was the lone positive on offense. The Leopard defense, which once upon a time was considered a strength, was taken behind the woodshed in the loss. Bad defense and an even worse offense is what plagued the Leopards in Garrett’s 1st year as head coach.

Delaware was shocked 21-19 at home by traditionally lowly Rhode Island in their season opener. The Hens had 3 costly turnovers in the loss to the Rams. Delaware running back Kani Kane’s fumble in Ram territory with less than 5 minutes left in regulation basically ended the Hen’s hopes. Delaware’s defense had trouble containing URI’s balanced (170 yards passing, 160 yards rushing) for much of the night.

The Game: Both teams enter week number two with far more questions than answers. Delaware started the season ranked in the Top 25 and figured to be a major player in the CAA race before laying an egg against URI. Lafayette’s recent struggles have been well documented. In order for the Leopards to upset the Hens in their house, the offense must display a drastic improvement from week 1 to week 2. Lafayette QB Sean O’Malley will get the start but if he struggles expect to see Cole Northrup for the second straight week. The Hens have won 13 straight over the Leopards. They’ll easily make it 14.

Prediction: Delaware 34 Lafayette 9

Fordham (0-1) at Richmond (0-1) 6 P.M. Robins Stadium Richmond, VA

Last Week: Fordham battled travel issues, inclement weather and FBS Charlotte to open the season. The Rams hung tough for a half (trailed 13-7 at the break) before the 49er’s ground attack wore down the defense over the final two quarters. Fordham’s inexperienced and undersized front 7 really struggled to contain Charlotte’s physical running game (221 yards). Meanwhile, the Rams “managed” a grand total -9 yards rushing of their own. Without any semblance of a rushing attack, Charlotte was able to tee off on Ram QB Luke Medlock as the game went on.

Richmond held an early 10-7 lead against FBS Virginia before the Cavaliers woke up and outscored the Spiders 35-3 the rest of the way. Spider QB Kevin Johnson had a rough first career start (11-28 194 yards 2 INTs). The junior QB is taking over for current New York Giant signal caller Kyle Lauletta. The Spiders offense in general (9 first downs, 225 total yards) was held in check by Cavalier “D”. Richmond’s defense had all sorts of trouble containing Virginia’s dual threat QB Bryce Perkins.

The Game: Surprisingly, this is only the second ever meeting (3-3 tie in 1985) between the two proud academic institutions. Both teams still have major question marks on offense heading into the second week of the season. The Rams must figure out a way to establish a rushing attack without Chase Edmonds while Richmond needs QB Kevin Johnson to settle in and limit mistakes. If the Fordham offensive line can give Medlock time and open some running lanes, the Ram’s have the weapons outside to test Richmond’s defense. Spider QB Kevin Johnson must do a better job this week protecting the ball against a good Ram secondary. This game should go down the wire.

Prediction: Richmond 27 Fordham 24

Colgate (1-0, 1-0) at New Hampshire (0-1) 6 P.M. Wildcat Stadium Durham, NH

Last Week: Preseason Patriot League favorite Colgate opened up a 24-0 halftime lead before having to hold on for a 24-17 win against Holy Cross. It was the Raiders 6th straight Patriot League win dating back to last year. Sophomore QB Grant Breneman paced the Raider “O” with 194 yards and 2 TDs through the air. He was also Colgate’s leading rusher with 37 yards. Despite a veteran OL and the return of James Holland for a 5th year, Colgate finished with only 91 total yards rushing. Colgate’s defense flexed their muscle early on. Holy Cross’s first 5 possessions of the game resulted in 3 turnovers and 2 punts.

New Hampshire started their 2018 season with an ugly 35-7 loss to arch-rival Maine in the battle of the Brice-Cowell Musket.  Things really spiraled out of control in the 2nd quarter for the Wildcats. That’s when Starting QB Trevor Knight was knocked out of the game with an injury and Maine put up 22 unanswered points.  UNH managed just 108 total yards for the game while yielding 454 to the Black Bear offense. The Wildcats entered the season with a Top 10 ranking and figured to be one of James Madison’s biggest threats in the CAA.

The Game: New Hampshire owns a commanding 6-2 all-time mark against Colgate but the Raiders won the most recent battle 27-20 in the 1st round of the 2015 FCS playoffs. With QB Trevor Knight out with injury, UNH will be turning their offense over to sophomore Christian Lupoli. Lupoli will have his hands full against a very good Raider defense. If Colgate can take away Lupoli’s top target, All-American WR Neil O’Connor, the UNH passing game will really struggle. The one thing New Hampshire has on their side is history. The Wildcats have not started a season 0-2 since 2002. They have not lost a regular season non-conference game since 2000. And if those two feats weren’t impressive enough, UNH has won 13 straight home openers dating back to 2005. Despite those stats heavily favoring New Hampshire, Colgate has to feel extremely confident heading into this game. The Raiders have a huge edge at quarterback and a defense capable of making life miserable for opposing offenses.

Prediction: Colgate 30 New Hampshire 17

 

The FCS Wedge – 2018-0905 – Wk1 REVIEW

Lance & Kris take a look back at the big losses and big wins in week 1 for teams around the country. They go over how the poll shifted this week due to those W&L’s.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

AGS Poll: Week 1 Top 25 Results

After an opening weekend filled with upsets there was some serious movement in and out of the AGS Top 25. Despite that the top 5 remained virtually unchanged with North Dakota State, James Madison, South Dakota State, and Sam Houston State coming in at #1, #2, #3, and #5 respectively. The only change in the top 5 was Big Sky favorite Eastern Washington jumping in at #4 to take the place of Kennesaw State who slid two spots down to the #6 spot previously occupied by EWU.

There was a bunch of big risers on the week headlined by North Carolina A&T who jumped up 12 spots to #7 following their big FCS Kickoff Classic win over Jacksonville State. Villanova and Northern Arizona used FBS wins to move up 12 and 13 spots respectively to #9 and #16. FCS heavyweight Montana made their first appearance in the top 25 this year moving up 14 spots to #14 after an impressive win over UNI in coach Bobby Hauck’s first game back on the sidelines for the Griz. Maine shot up 19 spots to #19 on the back of their convincing victory over CAA rival New Hampshire. Montana State and UC Davis each picked up 15 spots following their impressive first game performances to move up to #24 and #25 respectively. Joining Montana, NAU, Maine, Montana State, and UC Davis in the top 25 for the first time this year is South Dakota who moved up to #22 after giving Big 12 foe Kansas State all they could handle in their first game.

Naturally with all those big movers up there had to be some teams going the other direction. As for teams that dropped but stayed ranked in the top 25 aforementioned Jacksonville State slid 7 spots to #15 and Northern Iowa dropped 10 spots to #21. New Hampshire, Stony Brook, Western Illinois, Delaware, Southern Utah, and Youngstown State all dropped out of the top 25 following some surprising and not-so-surprising losses sustained in week 1.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky led the way putting 6 teams in the top 25 following an impressive opening weekend for the conference as a whole. They were followed by the MVFC with 5, the CAA and Southland with 4 each, and the SOCON with 3 teams in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2123 84
2 – James Madison Dukes 1992 1
3 – South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1842
4 2 Eastern Washington Eagles 1698
5 – Sam Houston State Bearkats 1666
6 -2 Kennesaw State Owls 1579
7 12 North Carolina A&T Aggies 1494
8 2 Samford Bulldogs 1349
9 13 Villanova Wildcats 1314
10 7 Nicholls State Colonels 1250
11 2 Wofford Terriers 1158
12 -3 Weber State Wildcats 1122
13 2 Illinois State Redbirds 902
14 14 Montana Grizzlies 881
15 -7 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 800
16 11 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 752
17 -1 Central Arkansas Bears 680
18 -4 Elon Phoenix 665
19 19 Maine Black Bears 610
20 -2 Furman Paladins 519
21 -10 Northern Iowa Panthers 507
22 7 South Dakota Coyotes 395
23 2 McNeese State Cowboys 392
24 15 Montana State Bobcats 378
25 15 UC Davis Aggies 351
ORV:
26 -19 New Hampshire Wildcats 249
27 -7 Stony Brook Seawolves 236
28 -7 Western Illinois Leathernecks 128
29 -17 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 109
30 2 Sac State Hornets 88
31 -5 Austin Peay Governors 71
32 NR Rhode Island Rams 63
33 -2 San Diego Toreros 45
34 2 Colgate Raiders 37
35 -2 Yale Bulldogs 28
36 NR Prairie View A&M Panthers 18
37T NR Butler Bulldogs 15
37T -14 Southern Utah Thunderbirds 15
39 NR The Citadel Bulldogs 14
40 -8 Richmond Spiders 13

Most Significant Win: North Carolina A&T Aggies
Most Significant Loss: Youngstown State Penguins

Dropped out of the poll:
Youngstown State Penguins
Idaho Vandals
Grambling State Tigers
Monmouth Hawks

 

Join the discussion here: http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?211551-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-1-POLL-2018-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 1

Week 1 has finally arrived! After all the waiting, all the discussion, all the practices, the meetings, the rehab etc. it’s time for the games to begin! Before the opening weeks picks are made here’s one last look ahead to the 2018 season.

Final Order of Finish

  1. Fordham, Automatic Playoff Bid
  2. Colgate
  3. Holy Cross
  4. Lehigh
  5. Lafayette
  6. Bucknell
  7. Georgetown

The Wedgie’s 1st Team All-Patriot League Team

Offense

QB – (Sr.) Brad Mayes, Lehigh

RB – (Sr.) Dominic Bragalone, Lehigh

RB – (Sr.) James Holland, Colgate

WR – (Sr.) Austin Longi, Fordham

WR – Jorge Portorreal, Lehigh

OT – (Sr.) Jovaun Woolford, Colgate

OG – (Sr.) Liborio Riccottilli, Lehigh

C – (Sr.) Max Hartzman, Colgate

OG – (So.) P.J. Barr, Bucknell

OT – (So.) Nick Zakelj, Fordham

TE – (Sr.) Isaiah Searight, Fordham

Defense

DL – (Sr.) Nick Wheeler, Colgate

DL – (Sr.) Teddy Capsis, Holy Cross

DL –(Jr.) Khristian Tate, Georgetown

DL – (Sr.) Tony Giudice, Lafayette

LB – (Sr.) Ryan Brady, Holy Cross

LB – (So.) Glenn Cunningham, Fordham

LB – (Sr.) Jerry Powe, Lafayette

DB – (Jr.) Abu Daramy-Swaray, Colgate

DB – (Sr.) Bryan Marine, Bucknell

S – (Sr.) Alec Wisniewski, Colgate

S – (Sr.) Antonio Jackson, Fordham

Week 1 Picks

We’ve waited nearly 9 months for this day so let’s not over think the first week. Sit back, relax and enjoy the games!

Saint Francis Red Flashes at Lehigh Mountain Hawks

12:30 P.M. Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA                                                                                            

Streaming: Patriot League Network

Saint Francis was slated for 4th in the preseason NEC Poll after finishing 5-6 in 2017. The Red Flashes are led by STATS 2nd Team All-America WR Kamron Lewis. There’s no question Lehigh’s secondary will have their work cut out trying to stop the 6’4 WR. Like Lehigh, Saint Francis struggled on defense for much of last year. The Mountain Hawks plethora of weapons on offense should win out over 60 minutes. Lehigh must avoid turnovers and the defense must get off the field more often than not on 3rd downs

Prediction: Lehigh 38 Saint Francis 27

Georgetown Hoyas at Marist Red Foxes

1 P.M. Tenney Stadium Poughkeepsie, NY                                                                                                 

Streaming: Red Fox Network

Georgetown will be looking for their first win since the 2017 season opener (Campbell) when they travel to the Hudson Valley to take on Marist. The Red Foxes are coming off a 4-7 season that included a 14-12 win over the Hoyas in D.C. Marist was picked 7th in the non-scholarship Pioneer League. They’re led by LB Willie Barrett on defense and the dynamic WR Juston Christian on offense. Hoya QB Gunther Johnson needs to find a way to get the offense moving.

Prediction: Marist 24 Georgetown 16

Holy Cross Crusaders at Colgate Raiders                                                                                                                     

1 P.M. Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY 

Streaming: Patriot League Network                                                                             

The opening weekend is highlighted by a very enticing league matchup between Holy Cross and preseason favorite, Colgate. The Bob Chesney Era starts with a very tough road trip against a veteran Colgate team. The Crusaders defense will need to play a complete 60 minutes in order to pull off the first game shocker. Chesney will have Holy Cross flying around but the Raiders will prove to be too stout at home.

Prediction: Colgate 30 Holy Cross 17

Lafayette Leopards at Sacred Heart Pioneers                                                                                             

6 P.M. Campus Field Fairfield, CT                                                                                

Streaming:NECfrontRow.com                                                                                                                                           

Lafayette will try to avenge last year’s 38-20 loss to the Pioneers in Easton. Sacred Heart, 4-7 in ’17, was picked 6th in the 7 team NEC. Sacred Heart failed to place a single player on the Preseason All-NEC team. That’s not to suggest the Pioneers lack talent but there are no standouts heading into the season. The experienced Leopard “D” has to rise up and shutdown the Pioneers offense. This is an early season must win for Lafayette given the upcoming schedule.               

Prediction: Lafayette 24 Sacred Heart

William & Mary Tribe at Bucknell Bison                                                                                                                       

6 P.M. Christy Matthewson Stadium Lewisburg, PA                                                                                                  

Streaming: Patriot League Network                                                                                                                                 

Bucknell was dealt a devastating blow at the end of camp when RB Chad Freshnock was lost for the season due to an injury. The bruising running back is easily the most important player on the Bison offense. Without Freshnock, William & Mary should have no trouble repeating last year’s 30-9 win over the Bison. The Tribe were picked to 11th in Jimmy Laycock’s final season as head coach. The Bison defense will need to pitch a shutout, or close it, in order to steal a win.

Prediction: William & Mary 27 Bucknell 6

Fordham Rams at Charlotte 49ers (FBS)                                                                                                                   

6 P.M. Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC                                                                                                            

Streaming: ESPN+                                                                                                                              

Charlotte enters the 2018 season as arguably one of the 3 or 4 worst teams in FBS. The 49ers are coming off a 1-11 record in 2017 that included a 35-31 loss to FCS North Carolina A&T. They were picked 7th (last) in Conference USA’s East Division. Fordham has the weapons on offense to make this interesting. The question is can their defensive front withstand a steady does 49er RB Benny LeMay . The pressure is clearly on Charlotte to win this given the state of their program.

Prediction:  Charlotte 38 Fordham 34