Kats #4 EWU #2 in National Poll
9/23/2013 2:00:00 PM | Football
Sam Houston moved up to No. 4 in both the Sports Network and NCAA Coaches FCCS national rankings Monday.
The Bearkats extended their FCS best consecutive home winning streak to 17 games Saturday with a 52-21 victory over Incarnate Word.
Eastern Washington, the Kats' opponent at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium this weekend, stands No. 2 in the Sports Network polls and No. 3 in the NCAA Coaches rankings.
The match-up between EWU and SHSU has been called the FCS non-conference “Game of the Year” by Sports Network, the premier FCS national sports media outlet.
The two teams met in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs last year with Sam Houston winning a 45-42 thriller to advance to the NCAA Division I championship finals in Frisco for the second year in a row. Eastern Washington won the 2010 FCS national championship.
North Dakota State, the two-time defending FCS champion, remains No. 1 in both polls after shutting out Delaware State, 51-0, Saturday.
Two other Southland Conference teams are ranked. McNeese, now 4-0, is No. 9 in both polls while Central Arkansas (3-1) stands No. 13.
Eastern Washington's visit to Sam Houston is not the only big FCS matchup this weekend.
No. 1 North Dakota State opens its Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule at No. 6 South Dakota State. No. 5 Northern Iowa will host No. 9 McNeese.
With Monday's rankings, Sam Houston extends its streak of national poll appearances to 28 consecutive weeks (since Sept. 9, 2011). The Bearkats have ranked among the FCS top 10 for 24 consecutive polls.
General admission seats (priced at $15) remain for Saturday's 2 p.m. showdown between the Bearkats and the Eagles. Tickets are available online at www.gobearkats.com and at the SHSU athletic ticket office.
The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729. The ticket office is located in the Ron Mafrige Field House in the south end zone of Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
On game day, the West Side ticket office at Bowers Stadium will open at 10 a.m.
| Sports Network | W-L | Pts | NCAA Coaches Poll | W-L | Pts | |||
| 1 | North Dakota St. | 3-0 | 3949 | 1 | North Dakota St. | 3-0 | 650 | |
| 2 | Eastern Washington | 2-1 | 3669 | 2 | Towson | 4-0 | 616 | |
| 3 | Towson | 4-0 | 3580 | 3 | Eastern Washington | 2-1 | 598 | |
| 4 | SAM HOUSTON | 3-1 | 3415 | 4 | SAM HOUSTON | 3-1 | 573 | |
| 5 | Northern Iowa | 3-0 | 3258 | 5 | Northern Iowa | 3-0 | 531 | |
| 6 | South Dakota St. | 3-1 | 2884 | 6 | South Dakota State | 3-1 | 465 | |
| 7 | Montana | 3-0 | 2802 | 7 | Montana | 3-0 | 460 | |
| 8 | Eastern Illinois | 3-1 | 2622 | New Hampshire | 2-1 | 460 | ||
| 9 | McNEESE | 4-0 | 2529 | 9 | McNEESE | 4-0 | 409 | |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1-1 | 2428 | 10 | Montana State | 2-2 | 402 | |
| 11 | Montana State | 2-2 | 2366 | 11 | Coastal Carolina | 4-0 | 372 | |
| 12 | Coastal Carolina | 4-0 | 1809 | 12 | Eastern Illinois | 3-1 | 354 | |
| 13 | CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 2-2 | 1681 | 13 | CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 2-2 | 326 | |
| 14 | James Madison | 3-1 | 1578 | 14 | James Madison | 3-1 | 283 | |
| 15 | Georgia Southern* | 2-1 | 1531 | 15 | Wofford | 2-2 | 278 | |
| 16 | Fordham | 4-0 | 1312 | 16 | Fordham | 4-0 | 217 | |
| 17 | Wofford | 2-2 | 1307 | 17 | Lehigh | 3-0 | 214 | |
| 18 | Cal Poly | 1-2 | 1124 | 18 | Bethune-Cookman | 3-1 | 179 | |
| 19 | Villanova | 1-2 | 966 | 19 | Cal Poly | 1-2 | 169 | |
| 20 | Bethune-Cookman | 3-1 | 876 | 20 | Richmond | 2-2 | 156 | |
| 21 | Lehigh | 3-0 | 821 | 21 | Villanova | 1-2 | 155 | |
| 22 | Richmond | 2-2 | 673 | 22 | Northern Arizona | 2-1 | 117 | |
| 23 | Tenn-Martin | 2-1 | 596 | 23 | Stony Brook | 1-2 | 107 | |
| 24 | Northern Arizona | 2-1 | 556 | 24 | Illinois State | 1-2 | 80 | |
| 25 | Garder-Webb | 3-1 | 483 | 25 | Youngstown State | 3-1 | 47 | |
