Kats & Cowboys Both Climb In Rankings
11/2/2015 2:43:00 PM | Football
The stage is set for the Southland Conference football game of the year Saturday in Lake Charles, La., which Sam Houston and McNeese State battle at 6 p.m. at Cowboy Stadium.
Both teams are in the top 10 in each of the FCS national polls again this week.
Sam Houston moved up to No. 7 in the STATS FCS rankings and No. 9 in the NCAA Coaches poll Monday. McNeese State also jumped in the rankings, climbing to a No. 5 nod from the coaches and the No. 9 spot in STATS.
The Bearkats upped their winning streak to six games with a 38-24 victory over NCAA Division II eighth-ranked A&M-Commerce Saturday at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. Sam Houston stands 6-2 for the season and 6-1 in Southland Conference play.
McNeese State and Harvard are the only two undefeated teams in the FCS rankings. The Cowboys are 8-0 while Harvard is 7-0.
Since Sept. 9, 2011, Sam Houston has been ranked among the top 25 FCS teams 58 times in 65 weekly polls. The Kats have been voted among the top 10 in 40 of those weeks.
Saturday's contest in Lake Charles marks the 36th time that Sam Houston has entered a game with both the Bearkats and their opponent ranked among the FCS top 25. The Kats are 19-17 in those encounters. Sam Houston owns 14 wins over FCS teams that were ranked in the top 10.
The McNeese versus Sam Houston match-up has to be a fan's dream with the Southland Conference's top offense (the Bearkats with 46.4 points and 549.2 yards per game) and the league's top defense (McNeese gives up only 10.9 points and 281.5 totals yards per outing).
History proves the Cowboys are a tough team to beat in Lake Charles. Sam Houston stands 6-14 all-time against McNeese in Louisiana.
Only two of those victories have come since the Bearkats joined the Southland Conference in 1987. Sam Houston won 20-3 in Lake Charles in 1999 and 38-14 there in 2011. The Kats are 2-12 at Cowboy Stadium in FCS play including a 31-23 loss in their last visit in 2013.
The STATS FCS poll comes from a vote by a national panel of sports information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. A group of head coaches from each FCS conference votes on the coaches poll.
The two polls are released every Monday afternoon during the regular season. A final top 25 will follow the FCS national championship game Jan. 9 in Frisco, Texas.
| STATS FCS Poll | W-L | ||
| 1 | Jacksonville (139) | 7-1 | 3953 |
| 2 | Illinois St. (18) | 7-1 | 3825 |
| 3 | Chattanooga | 7-1 | 3540 |
| 4 | Eastern Washington | 6-2 | 3275 |
| 5 | Richmond | 7-1 | 3240 |
| 6 | North Dakota St. | 6-2 | 3097 |
| 7 | SAM HOUSTON | 6-2 | 2843 |
| 8 | Coastal Carolina | 7-1 | 2753 |
| 9 | McNEESE ST. | 8-0 | 2710 |
| 10 | Portland St. | 7-1 | 2699 |
| 11 | South Dakota St. | 6-2 | 2280 |
| 12 | William & Mary | 6-2 | 2268 |
| 13 | Harvard | 7-0 | 1964 |
| 14 | James Madison | 7-2 | 1841 |
| 15 | Charleston Southern | 7-1 | 1738 |
| 16 | Fordham | 7-2 | 1349 |
| 17 | Northern Iowa | 4-4 | 1282 |
| 18 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-3 | 1227 |
| 19 | North Carolina A&T | 7-1 | 1176 |
| 20 | Southern Utah | 6-2 | 799 |
| 21 | Youngstown St. | 4-4 | 670 |
| 22 | Montana | 4-4 | 609 |
| 23 | Indiana St. | 4-4 | 436 |
| 24 | Dartmouth | 6-1 | 335 |
| 25 | Citadel | 6-2 | 295 |
| NCAA Coaches Poll | W-L | Pts | |
| 1 | Jacksonville (23) | 7-1 | 647 |
| 2 | Illinois St. (3) | 7-1 | 625 |
| 3 | Chattanooga | 7-1 | 586 |
| 4 | Eastern Washington | 6-2 | 536 |
| 5 | McNEESE ST. | 8-0 | 517 |
| North Dakota St. | 6-2 | 517 | |
| 7 | Richmond | 7-1 | 498 |
| 8 | Coastal Carolina | 7-1 | 471 |
| 9 | SAM HOUSTON | 6-2 | 435 |
| Portland St. | 7-1 | 435 | |
| 11 | South Dakota St. | 6-2 | 346 |
| 12 | William & Mary | 6-2 | 341 |
| 13 | Charleston Southern | 7-1 | 241 |
| 14 | James Madison | 7-2 | 213 |
| 15 | Harvard | 7-0 | 182 |
| 16 | North Carolina A&T | 7-1 | 165 |
| 17 | Fordham | 7-2 | 161 |
| 18 | Southern Utah | 6-2 | 158 |
| 19 | Eastern Kentucky | 5-3 | 95 |
| 20 | Northern Iowa | 4-4 | 83 |
| 21 | Youngstown State | 4-4 | 83 |
| 22 | Citadel | 6-2 | 56 |
| Montana | 4-4 | 44 | |
| 24 | Montana St. | 4-4 | 56 |
| 25 | Bethune-Cookman | 6-2 | 44 |
