Delaware Moves Up to #1 in Coaches Poll, #2 in Media Poll; Earn First-Ever Vote in AP FBS Rankings
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November 10, 2010
Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
NEWARK, Del. -- It was an interesting - and satisfying - week for the University of Delaware football teams as far as national polls were concerned.
The Blue Hens, who improved to 8-1 and remained in a tie for first place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings with a convincing 48-0 Homecoming victory over CAA foe Towson Saturday at Delaware Stadium, moved up three spots and earned a national No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Coaches poll while also improving three spots to No. 2 in The Sports Network media poll.
In addition, Delaware also earned a vote in the Associated Press Top 25 Football Bowl Subdivision poll for the first time in school history. The Hens earned one 25th place vote and became just the fourth CAA team and only the seventh FCS team to be mentioned in the FBS poll since 2007. Appalachian State and Northern Iowa earned votes in the 2007 poll while Richmond, Villanova, and Montana earned votes in 2009, and James Madison picked up votes this season on Sept. 12 and Sept. 19 after the Dukes’ upset win over Virginia Tech.
The Blue Hens will continue action this Saturday when they travel to Amherst, Mass. to take on CAA foe Massachusetts (6-3, 4-2 CAA) at 1 p.m. at McGuirk Stadium. The Minutemen are ranked No. 13 in the coaches poll and No. 14 in the TSN poll this week. Delaware can clinch a share of the CAA title with a win over Massachusetts coupled with a loss by William & Mary to James Madison.
Delaware moved into the top spot in the FCS Coaches poll this week after previous No. 1 Appalachian State, No. 2 Jacksonville State, and No. 3 Villanova all lost on Saturday. The No. 1 ranking is the first for the Hens since being picked No. 1 in the 2004 pre-season poll and its first during the regular season since earning the top spot in the NCAA poll on Sept. 29, 1981.
The Blue Hens earned 19 of the 28 first place votes and totalled 689 points in the poll and were followed by William & Mary (seven first place votes), Appalachian State, Wofford (two first place votes), Eastern Washington, Jacksonville State, Stephen F. Austin, Southeast Missouri State, Villanova, and Montana in the Top 10. Liberty was at No. 11 followed by Bethune-Cookman, Massachusetts, South Carolina State, New Hampshire, Northern Iowa, Montana, Cal Poly, Penn, North Dakota State, Western Illinois, Grambling, Richmond, Jacksonville, and Robert Morris.
William & Mary moved into the top spot in the TSN poll with 105 of the 162 first place votes and was followed by Delaware (31), Appalachian State (10), Wofford (5), Eastern Washington (4), Jacksonville State (1), Southeast Missouri State (1), Stephen F. Austin, Villanova (1), and Bethune-Cookman (3) in the top 10. Montana State (1) was at No. 11 followed by Liberty, Montana, Massachusetts, South Carolina State, Northern Iowa, New Hampshire, Penn, Cal Poly, Grambling, Richmond, Jacksonville, Western Illinois, North Dakota State, and Robert Morris.
In the ECAC Lambert Meadowlands Eastern rankings, William & Mary remained at the No. 1 spot and was followed by Delaware, Penn, Villanova, Massachusetts, Robert Morris, New Hampshire, Lehigh, Richmond, and Harvard.
