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Villanova opened the season ranked 23rd in the country in the FCS Preseason Poll by STATS. After one week of action, they've registered an uptick, going to the 22nd spot, with New Hampshire dropping down to 24th after their 31-0 loss at San Diego State.
In total, the CAA conference put five members into the polls, with the University of Richmond shooting up to second in the nation after handing ACC foe UVa a decisive loss on Saturday. James Madison held steady at number 12, while William & Mary dropped four spots to 13th after a loss on the road at NC State. Richmond picked up 21 first-place votes after the weekend's results, but not enough to overtake NDSU, who had 137 first place votes.
Richmond's victory ended a 68-game winning streak for the ACC against FCS opponents. The Spiders were joined by the Albany Great Danes in knocking off an FBS opponent this weekend by taking down fellow SUNY school, Buffalo -- though their victory over the MAC's easternmost member wasn't enough to push them into the top-25. Albany was five spots out of the poll with 181 points, joined by Towson, Stony Brook, and Delaware among CAA schools also receiving votes.
Things should shake up again next weekend, with three top-25 match-ups scheduled between the Missouri Valley and Big Sky conferences: No. 8 Eastern Washington at No. 1 North Dakota State, No. 14 Montana at No. 3 Northern Iowa and No. 19 Northern Arizona at No. 18 Western Illinois.
September 5, 2016 - STATS FCS Poll
| Rank | School | Votes | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State (1-0) | 4067 (137) | 1 |
| 2 | Richmond (1-0) | 3860 (21) | 4 |
| 3 | UNI (1-0) | 3699 (5) | 5 |
| 4 | Sam Houston State (1-0) | 3627 | 2 |
| 5 | Jacksonville State (1-0) | 3535 (1) | 3 |
| 6 | Chattanooga (1-0) | 3004 | 6 |
| 7 | Charleston Southern (1-1) | 2937 | 7 |
| 8 | Eastern Washington (1-0) | 2849 (1) | 14 |
| 9 | South Dakota State (0-1) | 2641 | 8 |
| 10 | Illinois State (1-0) | 2584 | 10 |
| 11 | McNeese (1-0) | 2352 | 11 |
| 12 | James Madison (1-0) | 2350 | 12 |
| 13 | William & Mary (0-1) | 2195 | 9 |
| 14 | Montana (1-0) | 1994 | 13 |
| 15 | Citadel (1-0) | 1667 | 15 |
| 16 | Portland State (1-0) | 1539 | 17 |
| 17 | Coastal Carolina (1-0) | 1428 | 16 |
| 18 | Western Illinois (1-0) | 1280 | 20 |
| 19 | Northern Arizona (0-1) | 1108 | 18 |
| 20 | Youngstown State (1-0) | 692 | NR |
| 21 | Colgate (0-1) | 600 | 21 |
| 22 | Villanova (0-1) | 554 | 23 |
| 23 | North Carolina A&T (1-0) | 528 | 25 |
| 24 | New Hampshire (0-1) | 460 | 22 |
| 25 | North Dakota (0-1) | 253 | 19 |