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My FCS Top 25, 9/19/2011

Below the flip, see my Top 25 for this week.  (more)
1: Georgia Southern Eagles
2: Northern Iowa Panthers
3: Richmond Spiders
4: North Dakota State Bison
5: Wofford Terriers
6: Appalachian State Mountaineers
7: New Hampshire Wildcats
8: Montana State Bobcats
9: Montana Grizzlies
10: William & Mary Tribe
11: Lehigh Mountain Hawks
12: South Carolina State Bulldogs
13: Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
14: Chattanooga Mocs
15: James Madison Dukes
16: Southern Illinois Salukis
17: Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
18: South Dakota Coyotes
19: Jacksonville State Gamecocks
20: Yale Bulldogs
21: McNeese State Cowboys
22: Sam Houston State Bearkats
23: Liberty Flames
24: Eastern Washington Eagles
25: Holy Cross Crusaders

Three quick hits about my Top 25:
1.  Two teams in there are not in a lot of Top 25 lists out there, but should be: Yale and Holy Cross.  The Eli, led by former Nebraska QB Patrick Witt, have a tough, experienced team and don't exactly boast a lot of weaknesses, while the Crusaders, led by QB Ryan Taggart, played UMass extremely tough, beat an always-tough Harvard team, and simply demolished a preseason favorite for the Patriot title, Colgate, 37-7.  Some folks don't know a lot these two teams - but they will.  I waited to put Deep Purple in my Top 25, but they are a very deserving addition.

2.  I find myself putting Georgia Southern No. 1, Wofford No. 5, and Appalachian State No. 6, but I keep scratching my head as to why I do it.  None of these teams have proven a heck of a lot so far, beating the teams they should beat (North Carolina A&T, Savannah State, D-II Tusculum) - while, for good measure, Wofford almost losing to 0-3 Presbyterian 35-28 in Week One.  Perhaps I'm waiting for one of these teams to lose - and them drop them like a rock i my rankings.

3. Compare the SoCon's combined resume with South Carolina State, who had to play the defending MEAC champs, Bethune-Cookman, sandwiched around two FBS opponents in Central Michigan and Indiana - all on the road.  While the Bulldogs went 1-2 in this Theater of Pain tour, they notched a great gut-check win against their Wildcat conferencemates and gave Indiana a pretty good run before falling.  Some might think No. 12 is too high: I don't think so.
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