CAA Power Rankings
1. Campbell University —
2. Stony Brook University ↑1
3. Monmouth University ↓1
4. Bryant University ↑1
5. Sacred Heart University ↑3
6. University at Albany —
7. University of Rhode Island ↑3
8. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University ↓2
9. University of New Hampshire ↑2
10. Elon University ↓6
11. Towson University ↑1
12. University of Maine ↓3
13. Hampton University —
While Stony Brook University enjoyed its bye week, moving up one spot, the remaining 12 Coastal Athletic Conference teams took the field as the push for the regular season championship continued.
The Good Five Cent Cigar Sports Staff does not take bye weeks, so we updated our rankings for all 13 teams in the CAA.
Hampton
Hampton stays at the bottom of the rankings for a second straight week and has performed so poorly to this point that the Pirates deserve their own tier.
All five of Hampton’s losses have been by at least two scores, with its most recent matchup, a 14-point loss to Howard University, being its closest game so far.
The Pirates probably won’t get much rest during their bye week as they search for their first win against a Division I opponent. The Pirates’ next game is a road trip to Fairfield, Connecticut, to face Sacred Heart on Oct. 17.
The Bottom Feeders
A new bombshell has entered the villa as Elon joins Towson and Maine in this tier.
Elon is this week’s biggest faller after giving UNH its first conference win and second overall win of the season.
Elon first-year running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore rushed for a career-high 273 yards and took home CAA Offensive Player of the Week Honors, but second-year quarterback Elijah Guttman’s zero-touchdown and three-interception performance was the main contributor to the Phoenix’s failed comeback.
Towson almost pulled off the upset against Monmouth but fell just short after a missed PAT from second-year kicker Zaydaan Faridi that would have tied the game.
Despite being winless, the Tigers carry serious momentum into their next game against Stony Brook.
Maine suffered its fifth consecutive loss with a 24-16 defeat to Sacred Heart on Saturday after allowing 21 unanswered points between the second and third quarters. Maine’s only win remains a 21-18 nailbiter against Towson on Aug. 27.
Mid.
A majority of the conference resides in our middle tier at the halfway point of the season. In the next couple of weeks, teams will begin to separate from each other as their places in the conference become clearer.
The teams in this tier are UNH, NC A&T, URI, UAlbany and Sacred Heart
UNH moves up two spots after beating Elon 30-27 for its first conference win and will look to build its first winning streak of the season against NC A&T.
NC A&T blew a 30-21 lead with 40 seconds left against Bryant, but back-to-back competitive games against top conference opponents will keep them in this tier for now.
URI bounced back from a two-game losing streak that knocked them out of the national rankings by bringing the Governor’s Cup back to Kingston with a 13-10 win over Brown University.
Fourth-year Ty Groff, who earned CAA Co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors, made the go-ahead field goal with 10 seconds left.
UAlbany stayed put at sixth after no offensive player recorded 100 yards despite a 28-3 victory over Delaware State University.
Sacred Heart is tied with URI for the week’s biggest riser after its 24-16 victory over Maine, in which third-year quarterback Poochie Snyder led the team in passing and rushing yards.
Cream of the Crop
The top four teams in our rankings are: Bryant, Monmouth, Stony Brook and Campbell
Bryant pulled off the improbable win against NC A&T and remains undefeated in FCS play. The Bulldogs will take a break from CAA play to face in-state rival Brown.
Monmouth falls one spot after escaping by the skin of its teeth against Towson, 41-40. Monmouth will get a chance to recover from the nail-biter with a bye week.
Stony Brook might technically get another bye week when they face a winless Towson team on Saturday.
Campbell remains the top team in our rankings for the third straight week after a 38-31 win against North Carolina Central University. The schedule rewards the Camels with a bye week and then a matchup against Towson on Oct. 17.
