College football top 25: Delaware climbs into top 10 of FCS Power Rankings following upset over Navy
Tue, Sep 6, 2022
NCAAF News (AP)
There's nothing that welcomes back college football more than FCS-over-FBS victories in Week 1, and we got two of those last weekend with Delaware's 14-7 win over Navy and William & Mary's 41-24 drubbing of Charlotte.
Making his debut as Delaware's coach, Ryan Carty's defense held the Midshipmen to a single touchdown in the program's first win over an FBS program since ... Navy in 2007. However, I also want to focus on William & Mary coach Mike London. Winning shouldn't be a surprise with London; he's only done it his entire career and took the Richmond Spiders to a national championship in 2008. He's also no stranger to orchestrating huge upsets. In 2017, his Howard squad pulled off the largest upset from a point spread perspective in college football history against UNLV, beating the Rebels 43-40 as 45-point underdogs.'
Beating Charlotte shouldn't be a huge surprise, then, but it is rather significant. London took over one of the more storied football FCS programs in William & Mary while also succeeding coaching legend in Jimmye Laycock, who coached the Tribe for 38 years before retiring after the 2018 season. In just two short seasons, London orchestrated William & Mary's first win over an FBS team since 2009.'
Impressive indeed. Now, on to the rest of the FCS Power Rankings entering Week 2.'
Biggest Riser: Delaware -- No. 7 (Last week: 22)
New this week: Campbell, Samford
Dropped out: Florida A&M, Kennesaw State, Mercer, Southern Illinois
| Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. North Dakota State | 1-0 | The world briefly stopped spinning when Drake took a 7-0 lead on NDSU early in the first quarter before things returned to normal in a 56-14 victory for the Bison. | |
| 2. South Dakota State | 0-1 | How about that South Dakota State defense? The Jackrabbits kept Iowa out of the end zone all game and forced key turnovers in a 7-3 loss. Now, about that Jackrabbit offense ... | |
| 3. Montana | 1-0 | The Grizzlies forced five turnovers in a 47-0 blanking of Northwestern State. Quarterback Lucas Johnson led the team with 76 yards rushing and tossed four touchdowns. | |
| 4. Montana State | 1-0 | While Montana was taking care of Northwestern State, Montana State was making quick work of another Southland Conference foe, McNeese State. Thanks in part to running back Lane Sumner's 176-yard effort, the Bobcats ran away from the Cowboys 40-17. | |
| 5. Villanova | 1-0 | What an impressive debut for quarterback Connor Watkins, who answered some questions on whether the Wildcats would struggle in the post-Daniel Smith era. | |
| 6. Missouri State | 1-0 | It will be interesting to see who can step up at running back and take some of the pressure off of QB Jason Shelley. The Bears are 1-0 after a 27-14 win over Central Arkansas. | |
| 7. Delaware | 1-0 | To shut down Navy's option attack the way the Blue Hens did means their defense will be a force to be reckoned with in the FCS. | |
| 8. Sacramento State | 1-0 | Don't be fooled by the 33 points Utah Tech scored, this Hornets team dominated and took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. | |
| 9. Jackson State | 1-0 | Last year's game against Florida A&M was a 7-6 contest in a torrential downpour. This year's game wasn't even a contest. The Tigers spanked the Rattlers 59-3. | |
| 10. Holy Cross | 1-0 | A big test awaits coach Bob Chesney's Crusaders as they take on Buffalo of the FBS. This is a great opportunity for Holy Cross to make a statement. | |
| 11. Chattanooga | 1-0 | The Mocs got a great day from RB Ailym Ford and heir defensive unit, paving the way for a 31-0 shutout of Wofford. | |
| 12. East Tennessee State | 1-0 | A tune up game vs. Mars Hill helped break in some of the newbies on the roster as the Buccaneers get ready to take on the Citadel. | |
| 13. Incarnate Word | 1-0 | Quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. accounted for seven touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) last weekend in a 64-29 victory over Southern Illinois. | |
| 14. UT Martin | 1-0 | Loved the balance the Skyhawks showed last weekend in a 42-25 win over Western Illinois. Good to see new starting quarterback Dresser Winn get off to a hot start to the season, too. | |
| 15. William & Mary | 1-0 | Coach Mike London's Tribe dominated in the situational football department, which led to a stunning 41-24 upset over Charlotte of the FBS. | |
| 16. Weber State | 1-0 | It's good to see a healthy Josh Davis back running the ball. If that's the case for the full season, the Wildcats will steadily climb the rankings. | |
| 17. Stephen F. Austin | 1-0 | Gut-check and grit-check were both passed last weekend against Alcorn State. The Lumberjacks can't afford to start slow like that again, otherwise they won't be as fortunate. | |
| 18. Rhode Island | 1-0 | The Rams were able to take control early in their 34-14 win over Stony Brook, setting up a huge matchup next week against nearby Bryant, which took FIU to overtime last week. | |
| 19. Eastern Washington | 1-0 | In a steady downpour, the Eagles went 12 rounds with a very physical Tennessee State squad and came out still standing in a 36-29 win. | |
| 20. Samford | 1-0 | More impressive than the 27-17 upset over Kennesaw State was how well the Bulldogs defended the Owls option attack. | |
| 21. Southeastern Louisiana | 0-1 | Tough loss to Louisiana 24-7, but the Lions should be excited about their defensive effort and the play of senior QB Cephus Johnson III, who looked promising in his first start. | |
| 22. Campbell | 1-0 | With the way the Camels can dominate at the point of attack, you can expect them to be in every ball game this season. | |
| 23. Eastern Kentucky | 0-1 | The Colonels got things rolling in the second half vs. Eastern Michigan, showing a lot of competitive grit in a 42-34 loss. | |
| 24. Richmond | 0-1 | The Spiders more than held their own vs. Virginia, but moving forward their defense will have to be better at minimizing the big plays. | |
| 25. UC Davis | 0-1 | RB Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. rushing for 115 yards on Cal's defense was one of the few bright spots from the Aggies' 34-13 loss. |
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