Colgate improved to a perfect 9-0 over the weekend and is ranked sixth in the FCS Coaches' Poll.
With the FCS playoffs nearing, here’s the full Coaches’ Poll after Week 11:
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State (26) | 10-0 | 650 | 1 |
| 2 | Kennesaw State | 9-1 | 622 | 2 |
| 3 | Eastern Washington | 8-2 | 594 | 3 |
| 4 | Weber State | 8-2 | 570 | 4 |
| 5 | South Dakota State | 7-2 | 547 | 6 |
| 6 | Colgate | 9-0 | 503 | 8 |
| 7 | Jacksonville State | 8-2 | 484 | 9 |
| 8 | James Madison | 7-3 | 467 | 10 |
| 9 | Princeton | 9-0 | 430 | 11 |
| 10 | Stony Brook | 7-3 | 382 | 15 |
| 11 | UC Davis | 8-2 | 372 | 7 |
| 12 | Elon | 6-3 | 339 | 5 |
| 13 | North Carolina A&T | 8-2 | 324 | 13 |
| 14 | Wofford | 7-3 | 319 | 14 |
| 15 | Nicholls | 7-3 | 285 | 16 |
| 16 | Towson | 7-3 | 266 | 20 |
| 17 | East Tennessee State | 8-2 | 256 | 17 |
| 18 | Delaware | 7-3 | 227 | 12 |
| 19 | Maine | 7-3 | 224 | 21 |
| 20 | Dartmouth | 8-1 | 169 | 23 |
| 21 | McNeese | 6-4 | 84 | 18 |
| 22 | San Diego | 8-2 | 83 | NR |
| 23 | Southeast Missouri State | 7-3 | 82 | 19 |
| 24 | Indiana State | 6-4 | 50 | NR |
| 25 | North Dakota | 6-4 | 23 | NR |
The top four remained the same, a rarity in the FCS this year. But a big upset went down when Towson routed Elon, which was ranked fifth last week. Towson won by a score of 41-10 and jumped four spots to No. 16.
There seems to be at least one massive upset per week, and Elon dropped to No. 12 with the loss. The Phoenix just couldn’t get anything going in the passing game. Jalen Greene went 5-of-19 for 30 yards and was sacked three times, while Towson’s Tom Flacco threw for 326 yards and three scores. It’s actually a bit surprising the Tigers didn’t jump higher in the rankings, but there’s a glut of teams in their range. South Dakota State inched up to No. 5 as a result of Elon’s departure.
Right behind South Dakota State is Colgate, which is a perfect 9-0 and jumped two spots to No. 6. Colgate plays Army this week in what’s going to be a significant test, because lately, the Raiders haven’t been tested at all. They’ve given up six points in their last four games and have smoked everyone in their path, except for Holy Cross in Week 1. Colgate could make its way into the top five with a win over the FBS' Army on Saturday.
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— Colgate Football (@ColgateFB)
Elon wasn’t the only team to fall out of the top 10. UC Davis dropped from seventh to 11th after losing to Eastern Washington 59-20. That was a statement win from the Eagles. They didn’t budge from the No. 3 spot in the rankings because North Dakota State and Kennesaw State didn’t do anything to deserve to drop. But Eastern Washington inspires more confidence after its absurd Saturday performance. While the Eagles have been inconsistent at times this season, they have one of the highest ceilings in the FCS.
As the game pertains to UC Davis, it’s not the loss that’s so damaging. It’s how the Aggies lost. The coaches didn’t punish them too heavily, but the defense was exposed against an explosive Eastern Washington attack.
MORE: Full FCS stats
Another team that rose was Stony Brook, which is up to No. 10 after a 17-3 win against Delaware. Delaware was one of the hottest teams in the land coming into the game and dropped six spots to No. 18 with the loss.
Stony Brook’s defense is legitimate, and has been playing particularly well lately. It got embarrassed against Towson earlier in the year, allowing 52 points. Since then, the Seawolves haven’t allowed more than 14. A date with Albany looms on Saturday.
Three new schools joined the Coaches’ Poll: No. 22 San Diego, No. 24 Indiana State and No. 25 North Dakota. The Toreros have ripped off seven straight wins and the offense is on fire; they’ve topped 40 points five times in that span.
North Dakota State still looks invincible, but there are a lot of other teams to like in the FCS this year. Playoff action can’t come soon enough.
MORE: krikya18.com FCS home | FCS Championship info & tickets
