UNDER THE BANNER
What's Going On In and Around Black College Sports
HAMPTON, GRAMBLING RANKED: Hampton and
Grambling State were the only black college 
teams to make
The Sports Network NCAA Div. I-AA football
preseason poll released last week. Hampton, the
two-time Mid Eastern Athletic Conference champion
that finished tenth in the final poll last year, was
picked 13th for the second year in a row. The Pirates'
perfect 11-0 regular season record last season included an
8-0 MEAC mark and saw them rise as high as No. 2 in the
final regular season TSN poll. They lost at home to
Richmond (38-10) in a first round playoff game. Defending
I-AA champion Appalachian State was voted first in the
poll receiving 68 first place votes to easily outscore New
Hampshire who finished second. Montana, Norther Iowa
and Furman rounded out the top five. Defending
Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Grambling
State is 23rd in the poll. The Tigers finished a perfect 9-0 against
SWAC competition and 11-1 overall last season suffering
their only loss to Div. IA Washington State (48-7).
| Team (First-place votes) | 2005 Record |
Points |
2005 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Appalachian St (68) | 12-3 |
2,306 |
1 |
| 2. New Hampshire (14) | 11-2 |
2,153 |
5 |
| 3. Montana (5) | 8-4 |
1,954 |
12 |
| 4. Northern Iowa (3) | 11-4 |
1,936 |
2 |
| 5. Furman (1) | 11-3 |
1,928 |
3 |
| 6. Cal Poly (3) | 9-4 |
1,846 |
6 |
| 7. Youngstown State | 8-3 |
1,446 |
14 |
| 8. James Madison | 7-4 |
1,338 |
25 |
| 9. Illinois State | 7-4 |
1,297 |
22 |
| 10. Massachusetts | 7-4 |
1,170 |
19 |
| 11. McNeese State | 5-4 |
1,006 |
NR |
| 12. Georgia Southern | 8-4 |
967 |
9 |
| 13. Hampton | 11-1 |
939 |
10 |
| 14. Eastern Illinois | 9-3 |
865 |
16 |
| 15. Richmond | 9-4 |
835 |
8 |
| 16. Delaware | 6-5 |
815 |
NR |
| 17. Southern Illinois | 9-4 |
809 |
7 |
| 18. Texas State | 11-3 |
770 |
4 |
| 19. North Dakota St | 7-4 |
713 |
NR |
| 20. Eastern Kentucky | 7-4 |
709 |
NR |
| 21. UC Davis | 6-5 |
576 |
NR |
| 22. Montana State | 7-4 |
550 |
18 |
| 23. Grambling State | 11-1 |
511 |
11 |
| 24. Nicholls State | 6-4 |
378 |
17 |
| 25. Coastal Carolina | 9-2 |
356 |
24 |
© 2006 Azeez Communications, Inc.