Flames Remain in Top 25 Following Weekend Results
9/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
FCS Coaches Poll
Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 Poll
Following the results of a hard-fought battle against Robert Morris on Saturday, Liberty remains ranked in both the FCS Coaches poll and the Sports Network/Fathead.com listing, as announced by both organizations earlier today.
The 30-23 loss to Robert Morris dropped the Flames (2-1) seven spots in both listings from the previous week's rankings. Liberty is ranked No. 21 in the FCS Coaches poll and No. 22 in the Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 weekly ranking.
Liberty was one of seven FCS programs to fall in both listings following a topsy-turvy weekend of action, while three others fell out of the national rankings after losses.
The most notable setbacks of the weekend occurred to New Hampshire, Southern Illinois and Montana. New Hampshire dropped a 28-25 game at Rhode Island and fell 10 spots from No. 8 to No. 18.
Southern Illinois and Montana both suffered losses and dropped eight spots in the national polls. Southern Illinois lost a home game to SE Missouri State, 24-21, and dropped from No. 5 to No. 13, while Montana suffered a 30-27 setback to previous No. 16 Eastern Washington on the road to fall from No. 6 to No. 14.
Dating back to the second week of the 2008 season, Liberty has been ranked inside the Top 25 for 25 out of the last 33 weekly polls (including preseason and end of the year rankings).
Appalachian State and Villanova share this week's No. 1 ranking. The Mountaineers are the top-ranked program in the country according to the FCS Coaches listing, while the Wildcats are listed at No. 1 in the Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 poll.
The Flames will be playing in one of the elite FCS games in the country this upcoming weekend, when Liberty makes the trek to Harrisonburg, Va., to face No. 3 James Madison. The match-up will be one of six on Saturday that will feature a pair of ranked FCS programs.
James Madison was off last weekend, following its stunning 21-16 upset of nationally ranked FBS foe and in-state opponent Virginia Tech on Sept. 11. The Dukes come into the match-up as one of 13 FCS teams in the country who remain unbeaten in 2010.
