LIBERTY, Mo. -- Slippery Rock University broke into the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll Tuesday morning with a No. 22 ranking.
The Rock, owners of a 7-1 overall record, were one of five Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams and one of eight Super Region One competitors included in the web site's top 25 and were ranked one spot below PSAC-Western Division rival California U. of Pa. (7-2) despite having beaten the Vulcans by a 17-3 score Oct. 15 on Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in Slippery Rock.
The Rock currently sits atop the PSAC-West standings with a 5-0 record, one game ahead of both California (4-1 PSAC-W) and Indiana U. of Pa. (5-2 overall, 4-1 PSAC-W), with two weeks of division competition remaining on the 2011 schedule.
SRU hosts defending conference champion Mercyhurst College in the home finale Saturday (1 p.m. kickoff) at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, while California travels to Indiana.
A Rock win over Mercyhurst would assure the Green and White of at least a share of their first PSAC-West title since they shared it with three other teams in 2000 and would also guarantee SRU a spot in the Nov. 12 PSAC championship game.
PSAC-Eastern Division leader Bloomsburg University (8-0) led the list of PSAC teams ranked by D2Football.com. The Huskies were ranked third behind Delta State of Mississippi (8-1) and Pittsburg State of Kansas (8-0).
Kutztown University (7-1), one of the two teams tied for second place behind Bloomsburg in the PSAC-East standings, was ranked 17th and Edinboro University (6-2), which is tied for fourth place in the PSAC-West standings, rounded out the PSAC teams ranked by D2Football.com.
Other Super Region One teams listed in the D2Football.com Top 25 included Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association leader Winston-Salem State University (8-0) at No. 12, Northeast-10 Conference leader New Haven of Connecticut (7-1) at No. 18 and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference leader West Virginia Wesleyan (8-0) at No. 19.
The D2Football.com Top 25, like the American Football Coaches Association natiional poll, has no bearing upon the NCAA super region rankings that will ultimately determine which six Super Region One teams compete in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Rock, who were ranked 18th in the AFCA national poll released Monday, were sixth in the NCAA Super Region One rankings also released Monday.
The top six teams in the NCAA super region rankings in order were: New Haven, Bloomsburg, West Virginia Wesleyan, Winston-Salem State, Elizabeth City State (6-2) and The Rock. Rounding out the top 10 in the NCAA rankings were Southern Connecticut State (7-1), Kutztown, Indiana and Edinboro.
The complete D2Football.com Top 25 poll for Oct. 25, 2011 included:
|
Rank |
School |
W-L |
Prev. |
|
1. |
Delta State, Miss. |
8-1 |
1 |
|
2. |
Pittsburg State, Kans. |
8-0 |
4 |
|
3. |
Bloomsburg, Pa. |
8-0 |
3 |
|
4. |
Northwest Missouri |
7-1 |
7 |
|
5. |
North Alabama |
6-1 |
5 |
|
6. |
Minnesota Duluth |
7-1 |
8 |
|
7. |
Colorado State-Pueblo |
8-0 |
9 |
|
8. |
St. Cloud State, Minn. |
7-1 |
11 |
|
9. |
Midwestern State, Texas |
7-0 |
13 |
|
10. |
Wayne State, Mich. |
7-1 |
12 |
|
11. |
Nebraska-Kearney |
7-1 |
14 |
|
12. |
Winston-Salem State, N.C. |
8-0 |
15 |
|
13. |
Abilene Christian, Texas |
5-2 |
2 |
|
14. |
Valdosta State, Ga. |
6-2 |
10 |
|
15. |
Washburn, Kans. |
7-1 |
6 |
|
16. |
West Texas A&M |
5-2 |
17 |
|
17. |
Kutztown, Pa. |
7-1 |
18 |
|
18. |
New Haven, Conn. |
7-1 |
19 |
|
19. |
West Virginia Wesleyan |
8-0 |
22 |
|
20. |
Albany State, Ga. |
6-2 |
21 |
|
21. |
California, Pa. |
6-2 |
23 |
|
22. |
SLIPPERY ROCK |
7-1 |
NR |
|
23. |
Central Missouri |
5-3 |
20 |
|
24. |
Edinboro, Pa. |
6-2 |
NR |
|
25. |
Humboldt State, Calif. |
6-1 |
16 |
