Which is FCS' best football conference? It might depend on whether you like quality or quantity. Well, whether you like lots and lots of quality or a little bit of very high quality. The CAA, for one, put a record nine teams into the latest FCS top 25, led by the Maine Black Bears at No. 9.
FCS Top 25, Week 8: Record CAA Showing, But SoCon The Conference To Beat
But the SoCon maintained its grasp on the upper tier of postseason-enhanced college football, putting three teams in the top six. The Georgia Southern Eagles again locked down a strong majority of first-place votes, with 125 out of 157 favoring the team from Statesboro. The Wofford Terriers and Appalachian St. Mountaineers filled out the upper ranks. The 'Neers acquired spot No. 6 after the New Hampshire Wildcats were toppled by William & Mary.
Leaving us: the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles and McNeese St. Cowboys. Joining us: the UMass Minutemen and Norfolk St. Spartans.
The complete top 25:
| Team (First-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Georgia Southern Eagles (125) | 6-0 | 3,871 | 1 |
| 2. Northern Iowa Panthers (18) | 5-1 | 3,732 | 2 |
| 3. North Dakota State Bison (9) | 6-0 | 3,509 | 4 |
| 4. Montana State Bobcats (2) | 6-1 | 3,502 | 3 |
| 5. Wofford Terriers (3) | 5-1 | 3,354 | 5 |
| 6. Appalachian State Mountaineers | 4-2 | 2,957 | 6 |
| 7. Sam Houston State Bearkats | 6-0 | 2,808 | 10 |
| 8. Lehigh Mountain Hawks | 6-1 | 2,795 | 8 |
| 9. Maine Black Bears | 5-1 | 2,481 | 12 |
| 10. Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 5-1 | 2,480 | 11 |
| 11. James Madison Dukes | 5-2 | 2,275 | 13 |
| 12. Montana Grizzlies | 5-2 | 2,083 | 14 |
| 13. New Hampshire Wildcats | 4-2 | 2,062 | 6 |
| 14. William & Mary Tribe | 4-3 | 1,882 | 16 |
| 15. Towson Tigers | 5-1 | 1,795 | 17 |
| 16. Delaware Blue Hens | 4-3 | 1,371 | 9 |
| 17. Indiana State Sycamores | 5-2 | 1,235 | 21 |
| 18. Richmond Spiders | 3-3 | 843 | 20 |
| 19. Alabama State Hornets | 6-1 | 768 | 24 |
| 20. North Dakota Fighting Sioux | 4-2 | 747 | 23 |
| 21. Old Dominion Monarchs | 5-2 | 671 | 18 |
| 22. Massachusetts Minutemen | 4-2 | 668 | NR |
| 23. Jackson State Tigers | 6-1 | 529 | 25 |
| 24. Norfolk State Spartans | 6-1 | 511 | NR |
| 25. South Dakota Coyotes | 4-3 | 477 | 15 |
| Others receiving votes: Texas State 217, Tennessee Tech 211, Liberty 150, Chattanooga 135, Sacramento State 111, Central Arkansas 109, San Diego 104, Harvard 98, Samford 93, McNeese Sate 79, Illinois State 41, Weber State 36, South Carolina State 30, Eastern Washington 30, Brown 23, Cal Poly 22, Albany 19, Coastal Carolina 17, Furman 16, Tennessee State 13, Elon 10, Alabama A&M 9, Jacksonville 8, Stony Brook 8, Portland State 6, South Alabama 4, North Carolina A&T 4, Southern Utah 3, Southern Illinois 3, Penn 3, Sacred Heart 2, Northwestern State 2, Murray State 1, Alcorn State 1, UT Martin 1. |
For more on the Week 8 college football rankings, check out our comprehensive StoryStream.
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