CAA Power Rankings
1. Monmouth University ↑2
2. Campbell University ↓1
3. University at Albany ↑2
4. University of Rhode Island ↑3
5. North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University ↓1
6. Bryant University —
7. Stony Brook University ↓5
8. Sacred Heart University—
9. University of New Hampshire —
10. Towson University ↑1
11. Elon University ↓1
12. University of Maine —
13. Hampton University —
All 13 Coastal Athletic Association teams suited up on Saturday as the push for the postseason continued.
Each week, The Good Five Cent Cigar Sports Staff analyzes and ranks every team in the CAA. Here are the rankings after a wild week across all of college football.
Bottom Feeders
This group is made up of Hampton, Maine, Elon, Towson and UNH.
Hampton’s season-to-forget rolled on with a 14-point loss to Sacred Heart. Hampton has yet to win a game against a Division I opponent, and all of its losses have been by two or more possessions.
A 17-14 loss against Bryant marked the sixth in a row for Maine. The 3-point loss was the smallest margin of defeat for the Black Bears this season, as the offense has yet to put up 20 or more points since its 21-18 win over Towson on Aug. 27.
Elon was, expectedly, thrashed 34-7 by Stanford University. An 18-yard rushing touchdown by first-year Kamerin McDowell-Moore early in the fourth quarter is the only positive the Phoenix can take away, preventing the program from being shut out for a second straight week.
Despite remaining winless, Towson continued to prove how much of a nuisance it can be during its search for its first win. For the fourth week in a row, Towson was defeated by one score. Both Towson and Campbell were held scoreless in the fourth quarter of the 24-20 game, with the teams trading punts on every drive.
UNH had the unfortunate pleasure of playing the unstoppable force that is Monmouth’s offense. The Wildcats lost 42-21 in a game in which they were down 28-0 at halftime.
The Wildcats will have a chance to get right against Merrimack College in their final nonconference game of the season.
Mid.
This tier is made up of Sacred Heart, Stony Brook and Bryant.
Sacred Heart is heating up at the right time, with three wins in its last four games, all against CAA opponents. While its two early-season losses to Monmouth and Elon will more likely than not prevent the Pioneers from securing the automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, Sacred Heart could make a late-season push for a share of the conference championship in its first year in the CAA.
Stony Brook is this week’s biggest faller after a 48-31 upset loss to the University at Albany at home. Three turnovers, two interceptions and a fumble were the biggest reasons for the shocking defeat, and the Seawolves won’t get any reprieve as they travel to Rhode Island to take on Bryant.
Bryant eked out a 17-14 victory against Maine following a shocking 28-13 defeat against Brown University. As of late, the Bulldogs have played some surprisingly close games against inferior opponents, and with four of their next five games against teams with winning records, the Bulldogs’ bark could turn into a whimper real quick.
Cream of the Crop
This tier is made up of NC A&T, Rhode Island, UAlbany, Campbell and Monmouth.
NC A&T ended its nonconference schedule with a 27-12 victory over Chicago State University, as its shocking season will take a momentary pause with a bye this week.
URI and UAlbany are two of our biggest risers after pulling off upset wins. After each offense put up 40 points last week, the Rams’ Family Weekend matchup against the Great Danes on Saturday could result in the game of the week and possibly the game of the year in the CAA.
Monmouth is this week’s new No. 1 team, overtaking Campbell, who remained in the top two. The two teams will face off in the final week of the season in a matchup that could determine the CAA champion and winner of the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
Both Monmouth and Campbell have yet to take home even a share of a CAA title, so while the loser will likely receive an at-large bid, both teams want to be able to show their fans a trophy at the end of the season.
