By Tiffany Williams –
Rhode Island is holding its ground nationally. The Rams maintained their positions in both major FCS Top 25 polls this week, while Campbell, Elon, UAlbany and Monmouth continued to receive national recognition as CAA Football moves deeper into conference play.
Rhode Island remained No. 8 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 13 in the AFCA Coaches FCS Top 25 for the second consecutive week. The Rams improved to 2-1 with a convincing 31-10 victory over Elon last Saturday.
The road gets tougher this week. Rhode Island travels to Stony Brook for an important CAA matchup as the Rams look to strengthen their position both inside the conference and in the national rankings.
Montana State remains No. 1 in both major polls. South Dakota State is No. 2 in the Stats Perform rankings, followed by Montana, while the AFCA Coaches poll has Montana at No. 2 and South Dakota State at No. 3.
Rhode Island sits directly behind Lehigh in the Stats Perform poll, with Youngstown State and South Dakota completing the Top 10. In the AFCA rankings, the Rams are No. 13, behind South Dakota and immediately ahead of Austin Peay.
Rhode Island also received recognition in two additional national rankings. FCS Nation Radio has the Rams at No. 10, while Redshirt Sports ranks Rhode Island No. 13.
Campbell remains on the national radar despite a difficult trip to Florida. The Camels fell 52-3 to the SEC opponent last Saturday, dropping their record to 2-1, but received votes in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches polls.
Campbell also cracked two other national rankings, coming in at No. 23 with Redshirt Sports and No. 24 with FCS Nation Radio. The Camels return home Saturday to face North Carolina A&T in their CAA opener.
Elon also received votes in both major polls after suffering its first conference loss of the season. The Phoenix fell 31-10 at Rhode Island and enters Saturday at 2-1 with a home CAA matchup against Sacred Heart next on the schedule.
UAlbany is another 2-1 CAA team receiving votes in both the Stats Perform and AFCA rankings. The Great Danes pulled away from LIU for a 35-13 victory last week and remain home Saturday for a conference matchup against Monmouth.
Monmouth enters that game at 1-2 after a 49-14 loss at Western Michigan. The Hawks received votes in the AFCA Coaches poll and now head to UAlbany looking to rebound against another CAA opponent carrying national recognition.
For Rhode Island, the national picture remains steady after three games. The Rams are firmly inside the Top 15 in both major polls, including a Top 10 position with Stats Perform, and their 31-10 victory over Elon kept them exactly where they were one week ago.
Now the rankings move back into the background and another CAA test moves to the front. Rhode Island heads to Stony Brook with its national position intact and another opportunity to strengthen it on the field.