BY RALPH VENTRE
The top-seven teams all posted Week 11 victories to retain their status on Talking Pigskin’s latest Division I FCS Top 25 ballot.
Coming off an impressive 35-24 road win over Chattanooga, Samford moved up one spot past idle Incarnate Word to No. 8 overall. Samford, which has secured the SoCon’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, and UIW both own 9-1 overall records with one regular season game to play.
After clinching its first SoCon crown since 2013, Samford earned FedEx Ground FCS National Team of the Week honors from Stats Perform.
Two CAA teams made notable leaps in this week’s rankings. New Hampshire jumped up four spots to No. 17 overall following its 31-28 win over previously-ranked Rhode Island. The Wildcats’ lone conference loss happened on the road at Richmond.
Meanwhile, No. 23 Elon, which had been as high as No. 12 before back-to-back losses knocked it from the rankings, reappeared on Talking Pigskin’s Top 25 ballot. The Phoenix have won three games in a row since suffering a 40-22 setback to New Hamsphire on October 22.
UC Davis (24) and Austin Peay (25) also joined the Talking Pigskin Top 25 this week. The former posted a 44-26 win over previously-ranked Idaho.
Saint Francis stands two spots away from cracking the official Stats Perform FCS Top 25, but head coach Chris Villarrial’s team has ascended to No. 21 on Talking Pigskin’s ballot. SFU, which has already clinched a spot in the FCS Championship bracket, rides an eight-game win streak into its regular season finale against Merrimack.
Following an 0-2 start that included an overtime defeat at FBS member Akron, Saint Francis has scored at least 38 points in seven of its eight consecutive victories.
Critics can claim that SFU has played one of the weaker schedules in Division I, but the program deserves some credit for respectable showings during road dates against Akron and nationally-ranked Richmond.
A CASE FOR HOLY CROSS
Despite not hailing from one of the more powerful FCS conferences, Holy Cross remains steady at No. 6 nationally. After an impressive run into the 2021 FCS Playoffs, Matthew Sluka and the Crusaders have won all 10 games thus far in 2022.
In addition to a victory over FBS member Buffalo, the Crusaders have logged three non-conference wins against FCS teams with winning records (Yale, Merrimack, Harvard).
Having already secured its fourth straight Patriot League title, Holy Cross looks to complete a perfect regular season when it visits Georgetown. Bob Chesney’s team, which played four of the season’s first five games away from home, owns a 5-0 road record.
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Ballot
(Ralph Ventre – Week 11)
25. Austin Peay (7-3)
24. UC Davis (6-4)
23. Delaware (7-3)
22. Elon (8-3)
21. Saint Francis (8-2)
20. Montana (7-3)
19. Southeastern Louisiana (7-3)
18. Mercer (7-3)
17. New Hampshire (7-3)
16. North Dakota (7-3)
15. Fordham (8-2)
14. Chattanooga (7-3)
13. Southeast Missouri State (8-2)
12. Richmond (8-2)
11. Furman (8-2)
10. Weber State (8-2)
9. Incarnate Word (9-1)
8. Samford (9-1)
7. William & Mary (9-1)
6. Holy Cross (10-0)
5. Jackson State (10-0)
4. North Dakota State (8-2)
3. Montana State (9-1)
2. Sacramento State (10-0)
1. South Dakota State (10-1)
TALKING PIGSKIN 
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