Another Day, Another National Ranking
MOORHEAD, Minn. (9/23/14)—Concordia stepped into the top 25 in another national poll. The Cobbers checked into the No.19 spot in the very first American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III rankings.
Concordia entered the D3football.com rankings on Sunday when they were the No.24 team in the national poll. The Cobbers then slid into the top 20 in the AFCA rankings. The two polls are the major ranking system for Division III. The D3football.com poll is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country while the AFCA poll is voted on solely by Division III football coaches.
The American Football Coaches Association began publishing a Division III Top 25 Coaches' Poll in 1999. Prior to 1999, there were no coaches' polls for any NCAA divisions other than Football Bowl Subdivision. The NCAA had published a regional poll for Division III prior to 1999, but discontinued the poll because of changes in the selection process for the Division III playoffs that took effect in 1999.
The Division III poll follows the same basic format as the USA Today Coaches' Poll. The 2014 Division III Board of Coaches will have 42 voters, representing all Division III conferences. The Division III Coaches' Poll is released on Mondays beginning on September 21 and will run through the completion of the regular season in mid-November. A final poll will be released on the Monday following the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.
Concordia is one of three MIAC schools ranked in the top 25 in the AFCA poll. The Cobbers are joined by St. Thomas who is ranked 10th and Bethel who is one spot behind Concordia at No.20.
The Cobbers are also one of three conference teams that remain undefeated on the year. Concordia is 3-0 in all games and 1-0 in the MIAC. It is the third straight season that CC has opened the year with three straight wins.
Concordia has scored 12 touchdowns this season with seven of those scoring drives covering at least 70 yards and five lasting for at least 12 plays. In addition, CC has had five TD drives that have lasted over five minutes in length. The Cobbers' winning score against St. John's was a season-long 15-play drive that lasted a season-best 7:40.
The Cobbers will host St. Olaf in the annual Lefse Bowl game on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. The winner of the clash walks away with the ugliest rivalry trophy in the nation. The Troll trophy was created in 1974 and the teams have been trying to hoist the trophy ever since. Concordia has won three straight against the Oles.
AFCA Division III Rankings - Sept. 22, 2014
1. Wis.-Whitewater (36)
2. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) (2)
3. Mount Union (Ohio) (4)
4. Wesley (Del.)
5. North Central (Ill.)
6. Linfield (Ore.)
7. St. John Fisher (N.Y.)
8. John Carroll (Ohio)
9. Wartburg (Iowa)
10. St. Thomas (Minn.)
11. Hobart (N.Y.)
12. Johns Hopkins (Md.)
13. Wabash (Ind.)
14. Wheaton (Ill.)
15. Ithaca (N.Y.)
16. Wis.-Platteville
17. Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)
18. Widener (Pa.)
19. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.)
20. Bethel (Minn.)
21. Texas Lutheran
22. Wittenberg (Ohio)
23. Muhlenberg (Pa.)
24. Washington & Jefferson (Pa.)
25. Thomas More (Ky.)
Others Receiving Votes: Hampden-Sydney (Va.), 118; Delaware Valley (Pa.), 99; Lycoming (Pa.), 86; Heidelberg (Ohio), 74; Illinois Wesleyan, 47; Simpson (Iowa), 31; St. John's (Minn.), 23; Willamette (Ore.), 23; Maryville (Tenn.), 19; Guilford (N.C.), 12; Salisbury (Md.), 10; Franklin (Ind.), 9; Ohio Wesleyan, 8; Rowan (N.J.), 8; Chapman (Calif.), 7; Ohio Northern, 7; Monmouth (Ill.), 6; Alfred (N.Y.), 5; Framingham St. (Mass.), 5; Millsaps (Miss.), 5; Rose-Hulman (Ind.), 5; Wesleyan (Conn.), 5; Adrian (Mich.), 3; Rhodes (Tenn.), 3; Williams (Mass.), 3; Amherst (Mass.), 2; Carroll (Wis.), 2; Luther (Iowa), 2; Ursinus (Pa.), 2; Wis.-Stevens Point, 2; Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.), 1; Lousiana College, 1; Stevenson (Md.), 1; Trinity (Conn.), 1.