AGS top 25 FCS poll week 8

[AGSPoll]

Any Given Saturday Poll Top 25

(First place votes in parenthesis), Points
1. Appalachian St. (42) 1463
2. Jacksonville St. (12) 1402
3. William & Mary (4) 1384
4. Stephen F. Austin (2) 1314
5. Villanova 1236
6. Delaware 1210
7. Eastern Washington 1082
8. Wofford 1035
9. Montana 986
10. New Hampshire 837
11. Montana St. 790
12. Southeast Missouri St. 763
13. Chattanooga 674
14. Bethune-Cookman 616
15. Liberty 577
16. James Madison 539
17. Richmond 486
18. Northern Iowa 480
19. Massachusetts 428
20. South Carolina St. 420
21. Pennsylvania 280
22. Robert Morris 263
23. Cal Poly 231
24. Northern Arizona 200
25. Furman 142
Others receiving votes (minimum of 5 votes): North Dakota St. (29), Western Illinois (27), Grambling St. (25), Georgia Southern (22), Jacksonville (14), Sam Houston St. (6), South Dakota St. (6), Lehigh (5),

[Dane96]

For the most part I think it is ok...but Georgia Southern not in the POLLS when Cal Poly, Northern Iowa and SCSU are in doesnt make much sense. In fact...I think SHSU should be in as well...

...all based on games actually played, and teams results (not records) of the teams GSU and SHSU played.

[TexasTerror]

For the most part I think it is ok...but Georgia Southern not in the POLLS when Cal Poly, Northern Iowa and SCSU are in doesnt make much sense. In fact...I think SHSU should be in as well...

...all based on games actually played, and teams results (not records) of the teams GSU and SHSU played.

SHSU got some votes... if they beat Northwestern State in the 'battle for second' in the SLC this coming week, figure they'll factor into more ballots...

AGS seems to be more in line with reality, though guess we are not seeing those schools less than five - so maybe we'd be a lot like TSN. Then again, TSN has some getting way too many!

[appfan2008]

I think GSU should be higher but looks good otherwise...

[soccerguy315]

Delaware dropped too far, IMO

[bisonnation]

Most of the Missouri Valley teams who got votes should all be ranked in the 20-25 range. They received votes. Each and every game is tough and it's a physical league. South Dakota State has played the toughest schedule, possibly in the country. They held their own vs Nebraska. North Dakota State has 5 wins inclusing a win over Kansas. Western Illinois beat NDSU.

[GreatAppSt]

I think GSU should be higher but looks good otherwise...

I agree, same record UMass sits at 19.

[Gil Dobie]

For the most part I think it is ok...but Georgia Southern not in the POLLS when Cal Poly, Northern Iowa and SCSU are in doesnt make much sense. In fact...I think SHSU should be in as well...

...all based on games actually played, and teams results (not records) of the teams GSU and SHSU played.

UNI is in first place in a conference, while GSU is in fourth, 1-2 in last 3 games with the win being against a bad The Citadel team.

[WileECoyote06]

Furman got 142 votes while Ga. Southern only got 22? Aren't their profiles similar?

[Gil Dobie]

Furman got 142 votes while Ga. Southern only got 22? Aren't their profiles similar?

Furman had won 2 of the last 3, while GSU has lost 2 of the last 3. Just a timing thing, IMO. It's great that the playoffs are the final word at the end of the season.

[WileECoyote06]

Furman had won 2 of the last 3, while GSU has lost 2 of the last 3. Just a timing thing, IMO. It's great that the playoffs are the final word at the end of the season.

Oh okay that makes more sense. I didn't have Furman ranked that high on my ballot anyway. I guess a drop from 16 to 25 is plausible.

[JMUNJ08]

23 out of 25 this week! Just no No. Arizona/Furman which both lost this past week while I had J'ville and Grambling.

[WileECoyote06]

23 out of 25 this week! Just no No. Arizona/Furman which both lost this past week while I had J'ville and Grambling.

You got 23 out of 25 of the teams. . or did you have the same rankings?

I got 23 out of the 25 teams too. . but my rankings don't line up as well as they have in previous weeks.

[Eaglesrus]

Furman had won 2 of the last 3, while GSU has lost 2 of the last 3. Just a timing thing, IMO. It's great that the playoffs are the final word at the end of the season.

Though both have been a little shaky thus far and it's looking like it may only be for pride (and Bobby Lamb's job), GSU - Furman may be shaping up to be a really classic season-ending confrontation.

[OL FU]

Furman got 142 votes while Ga. Southern only got 22? Aren't their profiles similar?

I am still trying to decide how we are hanging on period. I realize the score was close. But we ran something like 45 offensive plays to Chatts 100+. Chatt had 5 turnovers in the first half. We blocked a punt, a field goal and an extra point. Quite frankly, without the turnovers ( I know they count) we were thoroughly dominated.

[Squealofthepig]

Any Given Saturday Poll Top 25

(First place votes in parenthesis), Points
...
24. Northern Arizona 200
25. Furman 142
Others receiving votes (minimum of 5 votes): North Dakota St. (29), Western Illinois (27), Grambling St. (25), Georgia Southern (22), Jacksonville (14), Sam Houston St. (6), South Dakota St. (6), Lehigh (5),

Either we're all experiencing group-think, or we're getting a lot closer to concensus. I had 23 of the top 25 in my poll; I didn't have NAU or Furman, but had Georgia Southern at 24 and Jacksonville at 25.

I'm still happily shocked that SDSU is potentially in a position to go from 0-4 to, maybe, a playoff spot if they win out in the chaotic valley. Far from certain, but what a turnaround!

[RabidRabbit]

Good to see Chatty, with 2 L, by 1 pt each, against the #1 & #2 in this poll in the mid-teens or so.

Good to see that SDSU is still in the thoughts of voters. They have a ways to go after their tough start, but they have a reasonable chance to make it without a loss the rest of the way. Still need someone to knock off UNI twice for the Jacks to get the AQ, but with wins over 2 other 2 loss MoValley teams, Rabbits are ready to run down the title, but still need to win out.

[JSU02]

We actually beat them by 4, but yes, I'm glad to see Nooga so high.

[Fear the Bird]

Shame on you AGS voters - I thought we would be the one poll to get it right - Delaware dropping to 6 is ridiculous

If a field goal goes further left they are still your #1, yet they lose to your #4, in their house, and they drop below 5 teams?

[FargoBison]

Shame on you AGS voters - I thought we would be the one poll to get it right - Delaware dropping to 6 is ridiculous

If a field goal goes further left they are still your #1, yet they lose to your #4, in their house, and they drop below 5 teams?

The margin for error is pretty tight at the top, I dropped UD from #1 to #5. I really don't understand why a two loss team jumped them though.

[Fear the Bird]

The margin for error is pretty tight at the top, I dropped UD from #1 to #5. I really don't understand why a two loss team jumped them though.

Is it now?

AGS Top 25 Results, Week 7
Any Given Saturday Poll Top 25

(First place votes in parenthesis), Points
1. Delaware (30) 1523
2. Appalachian St. (25) 1510
3. Jacksonville St. (6) 1432
4. Stephen F. Austin (1) 1362
5. William & Mary (1) 1359
6. Villanova 1254

That loss really swayed 100 points for Jax St., 160 points for SFA and nearly 300 points for Nova? There are 62 voters, so on average voters really though Jax St. gains 2 spots on UD, SFA nearly 3 spots and Nova 5 spots??? They lost by one point to your previous #5, current #4, in their third trip to Virginia in 5 weeks on a missed field goal.

[WileECoyote06]

Exactly what were the voters supposed to do? The three teams immediately behind Delaware last week didn't lose this weekend and none have an FCS loss. The next team was the one that beat you and the next team lost to the same team that beat you. So five or six as falling place was about right.

[MacThor]

Shame on you AGS voters - I thought we would be the one poll to get it right - Delaware dropping to 6 is ridiculous

If a field goal goes further left they are still your #1, yet they lose to your #4, in their house, and they drop below 5 teams?

I had them #4, and seriously considered keeping them ahead of W&M. I think on a neutral field UD wins more than half those matchups. But, I couldn't slight W&M this time. I think the Tribe will drop soon enough.

[JMUNJ08]

Furman got 142 votes while Ga. Southern only got 22? Aren't their profiles similar?


Either we're all experiencing group-think, or we're getting a lot closer to concensus. I had 23 of the top 25 in my poll; I didn't have NAU or Furman, but had Georgia Southern at 24 and Jacksonville at 25.

I'm still happily shocked that SDSU is potentially in a position to go from 0-4 to, maybe, a playoff spot if they win out in the chaotic valley. Far from certain, but what a turnaround!

ORV section lists only the number of AGS voters who had the team on their ballot. There could be only 1 point between #25/#26 but the Points for #25 and Votes for #26 make it look like some group think and a pretty clear top 25


You got 23 out of 25 of the teams. . or did you have the same rankings?

I got 23 out of the 25 teams too. . but my rankings don't line up as well as they have in previous weeks.

23/25 teams not their exact spots but close (UNH no where near the top 10 in mine while I have Robert Morris and Jacksonville much higher than the group)

[Squealofthepig]

Delaware is interesting; definitely agree that they shouldn't have dropped that far.

However, the onus here is not on the voters: It's on Delaware. You win the game and you don't lose any spots, and you probably pick some ground up based on a great road win.

[Fear the Bird]

Exactly what were the voters supposed to do? The three teams immediately behind Delaware last week didn't lose this weekend and none have an FCS loss. The next team was the one that beat you and the next team lost to the same team that beat you. So five or six as falling place was about right.

So we are only slot voters now - no creativity? You have to fall until you hit a team that lost? What exactly made you think SFA should slide ahead of them? That thrilling 3 point win over a team that got absolutely manhandled earlier this season by a WIU team that nobody on this board gives ANY respect to?

[tribefan40]

I had them #4, and seriously considered keeping them ahead of W&M. I think on a neutral field UD wins more than half those matchups. But, I couldn't slight W&M this time. I think the Tribe will drop soon enough.

Why so down on W&M? We are winning the games we actually play, not the mythical neutral field match-ups. You either win or you don't. I'm not saying that we are going to win out, but we are getting the job done so far.

[MacThor]

Why so down on W&M? We are winning the games we actually play, not the mythical neutral field match-ups. You either win or you don't. I'm not saying that we are going to win out, but we are getting the job done so far.

I'm not down on W&M -- I have them above UD -- I just think UD wins >50% of the time. I think the Tribe drops after a loss to UNC, then has two VERY tough road games. They could easily be 6-4 and must-win against UR just to make the playoffs.

[AxeEmJacks]

So we are only slot voters now - no creativity? You have to fall until you hit a team that lost? What exactly made you think SFA should slide ahead of them? That thrilling 3 point win over a team that got absolutely manhandled earlier this season by a WIU team that nobody on this board gives ANY respect to?

I believe the point is that SFA won. I agree that Delaware shouldn't have dropped that far, but after all this is just a poll and everything will get sorted out in the playoffs anyway. I honestly think SHSU should be at least ranked, they've improved every week and gave the Jacks a run for their money. Good luck next week but for now the polls are going to reflect the newest data.

[Squealofthepig]

Yet another way to look at this is to compare this situation to FBS from last week, where #1 also lost (or #2, depending on poll). While Delaware dropped five or six points, Oklahoma dropped to #9 or #8 in the polls. If anything, the slot vote in FCS is probably not as pronounced as in FBS.

Just trying to add some perspective here. If this is the biggest problem with the poll... I think we can live with it.

[JSU85GRAD]

The only issue I can see would be having a 2 loss team ahead of them. After that it is just a matter of opinion as to whether or not the voters feel like they are the best 1 loss team in the nation. The FCS games only matter if you win them; lose them and it doesn't hurt you as much as it helps you when you win one. Playing a D2 hurts even when you win because of the respect factor. The poll will probably look a lot different in 3 weeks anyway.

[ngineer]

Nice to see some 'love' thrown Lehigh's way with five votes, although I was NOT one of those voters. I think a lot has to do with having a 5-2 record and the two losses being against two top ten teams. Still, I'm still waiting to see how we do against Colgate. Despite their loss to Holy Cross, they are still impressive with their offensive personnel. If we beat Colgate, then I think we deserve an appearance in the top 20. It's just nice to think that we could be turning the corner on a very frustrating past three years.

[WileECoyote06]

So we are only slot voters now - no creativity? You have to fall until you hit a team that lost? What exactly made you think SFA should slide ahead of them? That thrilling 3 point win over a team that got absolutely manhandled earlier this season by a WIU team that nobody on this board gives ANY respect to?

SFA was also playing a conference team. Your conference mates know you best and thus have a better chance of pulling the upset.

And in my personal poll, I had SFA ahead of William and Mary anyway. So, for now they are ahead of them in my poll. Delaware certainly can work their way back up the ladder by continuing to win.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

The margin for error is pretty tight at the top, I dropped UD from #1 to #5. I really don't understand why a two loss team jumped them though.

Villanova lost to 6-2 Temple (FBS) and William & Mary, not exactly pushovers. Temple will be bowl-bound again, barring a complete disaster, and if you throw Temple in the Sagarin ratings for a sort-of equivalent ranking they'd be a Top 3 team (right behind Delaware). You could choose Delaware 4, Villanova 5, but it's really splitting hairs. You wouldn't be wrong either way.

Full disclosure:
1. App
2. SFA
3. Jacksonville State
4. Villanova
5. Delaware

[smallcollegefbfan]

Delaware dropped too far, IMO

Agreed. I only dropped them to four in my ballot.

[molly]

Full disclosure:
1. App
2. SFA
3. Jacksonville State
4. Villanova
5. Delaware

Did you have W&M #6? Behind two teams they've beaten in the last 3 weeks and whom they have an equal or better record than?

[Reign of Terrier]

this is just me, but I'd put teams who are undefeated against the FCS ahead of those with one loss (but that's Wofford homerism :p)

[South Carolina Duke]

SHSU got some votes... if they beat Northwestern State in the 'battle for second' in the SLC this coming week, figure they'll factor into more ballots...

AGS seems to be more in line with reality, though guess we are not seeing those schools less than five - so maybe we'd be a lot like TSN. Then again, TSN has some getting way too many!

You are kidding right? Liberty too high and so is UTC. Why is Furman even on there

*This was not meant to be attached to this particular post. My Apolgoies to Texas Terror.*

[CAAisBOSS]

SFA in the top 5 is a joke... they already proved to be big fat phoneys in the playoffs last year with a 51-0 loss... the havent beaten anyone to deserve that ranking. WM has. UD has. at least Jvill St beat ole miss

[Squealofthepig]

SFA in the top 5 is a joke... they already proved to be big fat phoneys in the playoffs last year with a 51-0 loss... the havent beaten anyone to deserve that ranking. WM has. UD has. at least Jvill St beat ole miss

What's your ranking, then? Given the trash, would love to see your top 25 - I suspect Towson will be in your top 20 somewhere given your post. :)

I posted this elsewhere, but SFA has wins at Northern Iowa and a home win against Albany. They're scheduling good competition outside of their conference.

(Disclosure: I had these three at 3-4-5 in my ballot: Tribe, SFA, Delaware.)

[soccerguy315]

What's your ranking, then? Given the trash, would love to see your top 25 - I suspect Towson will be in your top 20 somewhere given your post. :)

I posted this elsewhere, but SFA has wins at Northern Iowa and a home win against Albany. They're scheduling good competition outside of their conference.

(Disclosure: I had these three at 3-4-5 in my ballot: Tribe, SFA, Delaware.)

wins against:

NR - Albany
18 - Northern Iowa
lol - Lamar
NR - McNeese State
NR - Central Arkansas
NR - Sam Houston State

so they beat #18 by 2... which should probably put them around #15, yes?

SFA somewhat has the same issue that ASU has this year, but ASU hasn't lost in the playoffs by 50 anytime recently, so they get the benefit of the doubt. SFA can ride the preseason poll to a top seed after playing no one ranked in the Top 15, while other schools that go 2-1 or 1-1 against the Top 15 will be stuck behind them. Fair? We won't find out if SFA is for real until the playoffs.

[JMUNJ08]

wins against:

NR - Albany
18 - Northern Iowa
lol - Lamar
NR - McNeese State
NR - Central Arkansas
NR - Sam Houston State

so they beat #18 by 2... which should probably put them around #15, yes?

SFA somewhat has the same issue that ASU has this year, but ASU hasn't lost in the playoffs by 50 anytime recently, so they get the benefit of the doubt. SFA can ride the preseason poll to a top seed after playing no one ranked in the Top 15, while other schools that go 2-1 or 1-1 against the Top 15 will be stuck behind them. Fair? We won't find out if SFA is for real until the playoffs.

We are heading into week 9 of the season. Their 50 point loss can't count against them right now. They have an FBS loss ONLY. Few teams can say that in all of FCS. We'll find out if they are real in the playoffs for sure but cannot penalize them now considering how the rest of the teams are beating each other up while they win.

[soccerguy315]

We are heading into week 9 of the season. Their 50 point loss can't count against them right now. They have an FBS loss ONLY. Few teams can say that in all of FCS. We'll find out if they are real in the playoffs for sure but cannot penalize them now considering how the rest of the teams are beating each other up while they win.

I wouldn't consider it penalizing... I consider it ranking them a few places ahead of the highest ranked team that they beat.

[Gil Dobie]

Is it now?

AGS Top 25 Results, Week 7
Any Given Saturday Poll Top 25

(First place votes in parenthesis), Points
1. Delaware (30) 1523
2. Appalachian St. (25) 1510
3. Jacksonville St. (6) 1432
4. Stephen F. Austin (1) 1362
5. William & Mary (1) 1359
6. Villanova 1254

That loss really swayed 100 points for Jax St., 160 points for SFA and nearly 300 points for Nova? There are 62 voters, so on average voters really though Jax St. gains 2 spots on UD, SFA nearly 3 spots and Nova 5 spots??? They lost by one point to your previous #5, current #4, in their third trip to Virginia in 5 weeks on a missed field goal.

32 voters didn't have UD #1 last week, so I can see them dropping the Hens to the #5 or 6 ranking or lower, and the ones that voted them #1 probably dropped them from #1 resulting in the current rank.

[msupokes1]

so they beat #18 by 2... which should probably put them around #15, yes?



So by your logic Jacksonville State should be ranked around 10. There lone win against top 25 was Chattanooga. Jacksonville State has not won a playoff game in I don't know how long if ever. Ranking teams does not work that way. A loss is a loss regardless of who it is to.

[WileECoyote06]

I wouldn't consider it penalizing... I consider it ranking them a few places ahead of the highest ranked team that they beat.

So by that logic, Delaware should be ranked about 13 right ( a few spots ahead of James Madison)?

[superman7515]

32 voters didn't have UD #1 last week, so I can see them dropping the Hens to the #5 or 6 ranking or lower, and the ones that voted them #1 probably dropped them from #1 resulting in the current rank.

That was only because of the West Coast bias... xnodx

[JSU85GRAD]

Over the last 2 years JSU has only lost 1 FCS game. We lost 2 FBS games (GA Tech and FSU, who we should have beat) and won our FBS game this year (Ole Miss). Unfortunately we weren't eligible for the playoffs last year. Reality is that 9 weeks into this season what happened last year is irrelevant for this years teams. Granted we are not in the CAA but we do have the nations longest winning streak which is good no matter what conference you play in. No disrespect to the CAA as they are top to bottom the best conference but to really believe that no other teams could beat them is ridiculous. From what I can tell any of the top ten teams could beat any other team on "any given Saturday".

[soccerguy315]

So by your logic Jacksonville State should be ranked around 10. There lone win against top 25 was Chattanooga. Jacksonville State has not won a playoff game in I don't know how long if ever. Ranking teams does not work that way. A loss is a loss regardless of who it is to.

sure, if you want... they do have an FBS win though. IMO that is keeping them in the top 5.

Not sure what you mean by "ranking teams doesn't work that way"... if Team A has 3 losses and Team B has 1 loss, it doesn't mean that Team B is better than Team A.

[soccerguy315]

So by that logic, Delaware should be ranked about 13 right ( a few spots ahead of James Madison)?

Delaware also played #3 W&M even

just as an example... there is nothing in SFA's resume that would lead you to believe they are better than JMU.

[Squealofthepig]

Delaware also played #3 W&M even

just as an example... there is nothing in SFA's resume that would lead you to believe they are better than JMU.

There's also nothing to suggest they're worse. Are you going to actually provide a top 25 ballot to show how your judgment is better, or are you just trolling all of us who really do work hard on polls like these and evaluating teams on *gasp* objective and constructive terms?

[soccerguy315]

There's also nothing to suggest they're worse. Are you going to actually provide a top 25 ballot to show how your judgment is better, or are you just trolling all of us who really do work hard on polls like these and evaluating teams on *gasp* objective and constructive terms?

I don't vote. I'm also not trolling. You, however, did just admit that there is nothing to suggest that SFA is better or worse than JMU, yet somehow they are ranked fairly far apart. I'm just wondering which win on SFA's schedule says "we are a top 5 team", that's all. FYI, I am wondering the same thing about ASU, but they have the playoff history to give them the benefit of the doubt. For that reason, I am much more confident that ASU is a top 5 team than SFA.

[WileECoyote06]

Cuz you're only concerned about who SFA has beaten; whereas voters consider that factor and that they haven't lost to anyone. JMU might be a better team than SFA; but they haven't performed against their schedule as well as SFA has against theirs and thus the descrepancy. SFA also had the benefit of having begun the season ranked in the polls.

[WildCat In The Hat]

Just curious who people think would win right now-SFA v. Montana. Admittedly I haven't seen either play this year, but my gut says Montana.

[AxeEmJacks]

Just curious who people think would win right now-SFA v. Montana. Admittedly I haven't seen either play this year, but my gut says Montana.


Any other year I would agree but this is a very good team.

[McNeese75]

Just curious who people think would win right now-SFA v. Montana. Admittedly I haven't seen either play this year, but my gut says Montana.

Maybe in Montana

[AxeEmJacks]

Maybe in Montana

That's another good point. But it'll be nice and warm here in Nac this year.

[chattownmocs]

Nice to see chattanooga getting some respect in at least 1 poll. I still think it is to low. I think we are a top 10 team. Oh well we blew our chances to prove it at the beginning, but we still have games to play.

[jmufan999]

No disrespect to the CAA as they are top to bottom the best conference but to really believe that no other teams could beat them is ridiculous. From what I can tell any of the top ten teams could beat any other team on "any given Saturday".

i don't know any rational person that's suggesting that ALL CAA teams could beat EVERY non-CAA team they play. you guys will get your shot at the playoffs this year... decent or better chance that at some point, you'll play a CAA team. so you'll get your chance to prove your worth where it really matters: the playoffs.

[Fear the Bird]

Over the last 2 years JSU has only lost 1 FCS game. We lost 2 FBS games (GA Tech and FSU, who we should have beat) and won our FBS game this year (Ole Miss). Unfortunately we weren't eligible for the playoffs last year. Reality is that 9 weeks into this season what happened last year is irrelevant for this years teams. Granted we are not in the CAA but we do have the nations longest winning streak which is good no matter what conference you play in. No disrespect to the CAA as they are top to bottom the best conference but to really believe that no other teams could beat them is ridiculous. From what I can tell any of the top ten teams could beat any other team on "any given Saturday".

Nation's longest win streak is all fine and well but a bit misleading lol. The only other team in the entire country that they were competing with was Villanova as every other team lost in the playoffs

[soccerguy315]

Cuz you're only concerned about who SFA has beaten; whereas voters consider that factor and that they haven't lost to anyone. JMU might be a better team than SFA; but they haven't performed against their schedule as well as SFA has against theirs and thus the descrepancy. SFA also had the benefit of having begun the season ranked in the polls.

this is why I was concerned with who SFA has beaten.