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Week Two of the 2021-22 Season will be interesting as mainstay Alabama has unfamiliar company in the top 10 of the Roby Ratings in Troy, Middle Tennessee, Iowa, UAB, TCU, and Army, along with USC and Michigan, who are general mainstays as well. It will be interesting to see how much of the season it takes for Ohio State and Clemson to rise back into their usual spots in the top 5. History has shown that the same familiar members are usually at the top of numerous college football ranking lists at the end of the season, usually with one or two surprises. Time will tell, as to whether this year will be the same as the last 130 or so .It’s understood that this ranking system will draw cynicism as Ohio St, Georgia and a few other teams aren’t where they probably should be in the pecking order. However, there’s a commitment by the publication editor to just let the numbers from the field in any given season to be that: Numbers from this year’s competition with as little preconceived human input as possible. It’s a given that Weeks Zero through Four usually produce statistical anomalies, but increased data as the weeks go by separates the pretenders from the contenders. As a matter of fact, UAB plays Georgia this weekend, and Middle Tennessee plays Virginia Tech. These games should be very interesting. Most people who know the college game understand that the Georgia Bulldogs beating Clemson this weekend was a big win for them that indeed may have college football playoff implications. (No one in their right mind really believes that there are 126 teams better than the Clemson Tigers or 112 teams better than the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.) It’s a certainty that after the dust has settled from week two, that either the Troy Trojans or the Liberty Flames will be in the pretender or contender for a BCS bowl conversation.
The Dukes of James Madison remain the favorite to come out on top in the tough CAA, although Delaware’s Blue Hens are expected to give them a stiff challenge.
James Madison
Delaware
New Hampshire
Villanova
Rhode Island
Richmond
Albany
William & Mary
Stony Brook
Maine
Elon
Towson
Towson will be chomping at the bit to return to the gridiron, as they opted to not participate in the spring of 2021.
The AQ7, officially titled the WAC/ ASUN challenge is a football scheduling alliance that will allow for seven institutions to have the opportunity to qualify for an automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA FCS Division Playoffs. The seven member institutions are Abilene Christian University, Lamar, Sam Houston St., Stephen F. Austin, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville St.
South Dakota St. put a 30 point beatdown on Delaware in the FCS semifinals and will face Sam Houston St. The Bearkats made a dramatic comeback against James Madison to claim a 38-35 win after trailing 24-3 at halftime.
South Dakota St. Jackrabbits (8-1) RR 47.63
Sam Houston St. Bearkats (9-0) RR 35.95
SDSU is headed to the FCS National Championship game for the first time in program history. https://t.co/9i1RYYkpFb
Sam Houston St. now holds the top ranking among FCS teams in this week’s Roby Ratings as they hung on to defeat Monmouth 21-15 in a nail biter. The Bearkats moved to 7-0 on the season with the win and face the North Dakota St. Bison in the quaterfinal round of the FCS Spring Playoffs.
Sam Houston St. (7-0) RR 31.70 FCS Quarterfinals vs. North Dakota St. 5/2
Monmouth (3-1) RR 26.40 Season Complete
Delaware (6-0) RR 24.21 FCS Quarterfinals vs. Jacksonville St. 5/2
South Dakota St. (6-1) RR 23.03 FCS Quarterfinals vs. Southern Illinois 5/2
Jacksonville St. (9-2) RR 19.57 FCS Quarterfinals vs. Delaware 5/2
James Madison (6-0) RR 14.96 FCS Quarterfinals vs. North Dakota 5/2
Southern (4-1) RR 9.97 Season Complete
Sacred Heart (3-2) RR 8.87 Season Complete
North Dakota St. (7-2) RR 6.87 FCS Quarterfinals vs. Sam Houston St. 5/2
Alabama A&M (3-0) RR 5.61 Season Complete
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-0) RR 4.62 Season Complete
Fordham (2-1) RR 1.40 Season Complete
North Dakota (5-1) RR 1.11 FCS Quarterfinals vs. James Madison 5/2
Montana (2-0) RR 0.97 Season Complete
Southern Illinois* (6-3) RR 0.65 FCS Quarterfinals vs. South Dakota St. 5/2
Weber St. (5-1) RR 0.64 Season Complete
VMI (6-2) RR (4.55) Season Complete
Eastern Washington (5-2) RR (7.42) Season Complete
Monmouth and Sam Houston St. hold the top statistically rated spots among FCS teams in this most recent edition of the Roby Ratings. It’s anticipated by the editor that both of these teams may fall in the ratings after facing one of the several teams from the Missouri Valley Conference or James Madison in the FCS Spring Playoffs. Time will tell.
#32 Monmouth (3-0) RR 27.90 FCS Playoffs vs. Sam Houston St. 4/24
#33 S. Houston St. (6-0) RR 27.20 FCS Playoffs vs. Monmouth 4/24