Results go more to form as teams position themselves for April stretch drive
Let's face it: It hasn't taken until Thursday (April 1) for the FCS spring college football season to make a fool out of all of us.
Well, everybody can breathe a little easier today — the often topsy-turvy action went more to form this past weekend. At least with the games played during a second straight weekend full of postponements and cancellations.
Here's the Athlon FCS Power Poll following Week 7 games:
1. North Dakota State
(5-1, 4-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 1
Week 7 Result: Canceled at South Dakota
Next Game: April 3 vs. No. 3 South Dakota State
2. James Madison
(4-0, 2-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 4
Week 7 Result: 38-10 win at William & Mary
Next Game: April 3 at No. 19 Richmond
3. South Dakota State
(4-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 3
Week 7 Result: No game
Next Game: April 3 at No. 1 North Dakota State
4. Weber State
(3-0 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 2
Week 7 Result: 28-23 win over Northern Arizona
Next Game: April 3 at Southern Utah
5. North Dakota
(4-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 5
Week 7 Result: Postponed at Youngstown State
Next Game: April 3 vs. No. 14 Missouri State
6. Sam Houston
(3-0 Southland)
Previous Ranking: 6
Week 7 Result: No game
Next Game: April 1 at Northwestern State
7. Delaware
(3-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 9
Week 7 Result: 31-17 win at Rhode Island
Next Game: April 3 vs. UAlbany
8. UC Davis
(3-1 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 8
Week 7 Result: 31-27 win over Idaho State
Next Game: April 3 vs. No. 10 Eastern Washington
9. Eastern Washington
(3-1 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 13
Week 7 Result: 62-10 win over Cal Poly
Next Game: April 3 at No. 9 UC Davis
10. Kennesaw State
(3-0, 1-0 Big South)
Previous Ranking: 11
Week 7 Result: Postponed at Gardner-Webb
Next Game: April 3 vs. Robert Morris
11. Jacksonville State
(7-2, 4-1 Ohio Valley)
Previous Ranking: 7
Week 7 Result: 13-10 loss to Austin Peay
Next Game: April 3 at Eastern Illinois
12. Nicholls
(4-1, 3-1 Southland)
Previous Ranking: 16
Week 7 Result: 75-45 win over UIW
Next Game: April 3 at McNeese
13. VMI
(5-0 Southern)
Previous Ranking: 25
Week 7 Result: 36-31 win at Wofford
Next Game: April 3 vs. ETSU
Team of the Week
14. Missouri State
(4-4, 4-1 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 23
Week 7 Result: 30-27 win over Southern Illinois
After kicking down the door to the power poll last week, head coach Bobby Petrino's Bears made it three straight MVFC wins on Jose Pizano's game-winning, 33-yard field goal as time expired against SIU. Running back Celdon Manning totaled 182 yards from scrimmage and scored four touchdowns.
Next Game: April 3 at No. 5 North Dakota
15. Northern Iowa
(3-3 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 17
Week 7 Result: 34-20 win at Western Illinois
Next Game: April 2 at South Dakota
16. Villanova
(1-1 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 18
Week 7 Result: Postponed vs. New Hampshire
Next Game: April 3 at No. 22 Maine
17. Murray State
(5-0 Ohio Valley)
Previous Ranking: 22
Week 7 Result: 41-27 win over Eastern Illinois
Next Game: April 3 at Austin Peay
18. Monmouth
(1-0 Big South)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 7 Result: 35-17 win over Charleston Southern
Next Game: April 3 at Gardner-Webb
19. Richmond
(3-0 CAA)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 7 Result: 31-17 win over Elon
Next Game: April 3 vs. No. 2 James Madison
20. Rhode Island
(2-1 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 15
Week 7 Result: 31-17 loss to Delaware
Next Game: April 3 vs. No. 25 New Hampshire
21. Southern Illinois
(4-3, 3-3 Missouri Valley)
Previous Ranking: 10
Week 7 Result: 30-27 loss at Missouri State
Next Game: April 10 vs. Western Illinois
22. Maine
(2-1 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 19
Week 7 Result: No game
Next Game: April 3 vs. No. 16 Villanova
23. Idaho
(2-1 Big Sky)
Previous Ranking: 24
Week 7 Result: 33-32 win over Southern Utah
Next Game: April 3 at Idaho State
24. Chattanooga
(3-2, 3-1 Southern)
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 7 Result: 35-28 loss to Mercer
Next Game: April 3 at Western Carolina
25. New Hampshire
(0-1 CAA)
Previous Ranking: 21
Week 7 Result: Postponed at Villanova
Next Game: April 3 at No. 20 Rhode Island
Also Considered: Furman (3-2 Southern); UIW (3-1 Southland)
— Written by Craig Haley, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Haley has covered the FCS level since 1999 and is the national writer for www.fcs.football. He appears frequently on radio shows and podcasts to discuss everything FCS. Follow him on Twitter @CraigHaley.
(Photo courtesy of James Madison Athletics)
