Georgia Southern Vaults To No. 1 in CSJ Top-25 Poll
College Sports Journal
News Release
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Georgia Southern survived a triple-overtime thriller to win 39-31 at Tennessee-Chattanooga on Saturday night in Southern Conference action and used that victory to vault into the top spot of the College Sports Journal Football Championship Subdivision Top-25 poll for week nine of the season.
It was a week of upsets and near-upsets, with five members of the previous top-25 losing (Eastern Washington, Cal Poly, Villanova, Eastern Kentucky and Southern Illinois) and eight ranked teams surviving by a touchdown or less.
Georgia Southern and North Dakota State received first-place votes and each team moved up one spot in the poll after previously top-ranked Eastern Washington fell 30-27 at Southern Utah in a Big Sky Conference game.
Georgia Southern faces another challenge on Saturday afternoon when it hosts arch-rival Appalachian State in a Southern Conference contest that could determine the league championship.
Current No. 15-ranked ASU knocked the GSU Eagles off their No. 1 perch last season with a 24-17 victory at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C.
North Dakota State has an easier opponent in Missouri State (3-6, 3-3) on the road in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Bison beat No. 24 Southern Illinois 23-17 last week, dropping the Salukis out of the rankings after one week.
The EWU Eagles dropped to fifth in this week's poll. They were jumped by No. 3 Wofford, a 24-21 winner at home against The Citadel in Southern Conference play, and Stony Brook, which pounded Presbyterian 56-17 on the road in a Big South Conference game.
Cal Poly lost for the first time at Sacramento State, 35-29, in a Big Sky game, and fell to 11th in the new poll.
Last week's No. 23 team, Eastern Kentucky dropped out of the poll after a 24-7 loss in Ohio Valley Conference play to Eastern Illinois, which finished 27th in this week's voting.
Losses by EKU and SIU allowed two new teams to enter the poll.
Sacramento State came in at No. 24, while Bethune-Cookman returned at No. 25. The Wildcats waxed North Carolina Central 42-17 in a battle for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Position Team Record Previous Rank Result
1: Georgia Southern Eagles (7-1, 6-1) 2 W at Chattanooga 39-31 (TOT)
2: North Dakota State Bison (7-1, 4-1) 3 W vs Southern Illinois 23-17
3: Wofford Terriers (7-1, 5-1) 7 W vs The Citadel 24-21
4: Stony Brook Seawolves (8-1, 4-0) 5 W at Presbyterian 56-17
5: Eastern Washington Eagles (6-2, 5-1) 1 L at Southern Utah 30-27
6: Montana State Bobcats (7-1, 4-1) 6 W vs North Dakota 55-10
7: Sam Houston State Bearkats (7-2, 5-1) 9 W at Lamar 56-7
8: James Madison Dukes (6-1, 3-1) 8 W vs Georgia State 28-21
9: Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (7-1, 5-0) 10 W at Northern Colorado 12-10
10: Lehigh Mountain Hawks (8-0, 2-0) 11 Did Not Play
11: Cal Poly Mustangs (7-1, 5-1) 4 L at Sacramento State 35-29
12: Old Dominion Monarchs (7-1, 5-1) 12 W vs Delaware 31-26
13: Central Arkansas Bears (7-2, 4-1) 13 W at Southeastern Louisiana 34-14
14: New Hampshire Wildcats (7-2, 5-1) 14 W at Rhode Island 40-20
15: Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-3, 4-2) 15 W at Western Carolina 38-27
16: Indiana State (7-2, 5-1) 18 W vs South Dakota 45-14
17: Albany Great Danes (7-1, 5-0) 17 W at Sacred Heart 23-20
18: South Dakota State Jackrabbits (6-2, 4-1) 20 W vs Youngstown State 41-28
19: Illinois State Redbirds (7-2, 4-2) 19 W at Northern Iowa 33-21
20: Towson Tigers (4-4, 3-2) 21 W at Villanova 49-35
21: Villanova Wildcats (6-3, 4-2) 16 L vs Towson 49-35
22: Tennessee State Tigers (8-1, 4-1) 22 W vs Tennessee Tech 22-21
23: Richmond Spiders (5-3, 3-2) 25 W Did Not Play
24: Sacramento State Hornets (6-3, 4-2) NR W vs Cal Poly 35-29
25: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (6-2, 5-0) NR W vs North Carolina Central 42-17
Also Received Votes (In Order Of Points):
Harvard, Eastern Illinois, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee-Martin, Colgate
Falling Out Of The Poll
23: Eastern Kentucky (6-3, 4-2) L vs Eastern Illinois 24-7
24: Southern Illinois Salukis (5-4, 4-2) L at North Dakota State 23-17
