Only a year old, the United Athletic Conference has quietly become one of the more competitive leagues in the FCS. A merger between the Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference, the UAC is starting to become a real player in football -- the only sport it sponsors -- this season.
Tarleton State, Abilene Christian and Central Arkansas not only all have purple in their uniform, but most importantly, they are all ranked in the FCS Power Rankings. Deservingly so. As we've seen over the course of the season, both Abilene Christian and Central Arkansas have taken FBS teams down to the wire and should have won those games.
Tarleton State, which recently moved up to the FCS in 2020, has been one of the teams mentioned in both Mountain West and Conference USA expansion talks, which speaks to the power and potential of the program.
Elsewhere in the UAC, Eastern Kentucky has won three straight games and could find itself in the Top 25 next week if it takes care of business against Southern Utah. The Colonels have been the focus of Conference USA rumors as well.
If these teams continue to keep up the stellar play, we may see the United Athletic Conference as a multi-team participant in the FCS playoffs this season, which would be a major accomplishment for its two executive directors (Jeff Bacon, A-SUN; Brian Thornton, WAC) and a league still in only its second year of existence.
Team | Rank | Record | Breakdown |
---|---|---|---|
1. Montana State | 6-0 | The Bobcats get their first true test since their Week 1 upset against New Mexico this weekend against Idaho. | |
2. South Dakota State | 4-1 | Over the last three games, the Jackrabbits defense has given up a total of six points. Explain to me how this team does not end up in Frisco, Texas, again in January? | |
3. North Dakota State | 5-1 | The Bison got their revenge against rival North Dakota in a major way, blowing out the Fighting Hawks 41-17. QB Cam Miller is looking like a serious Payton Award candidate, maybe even a frontrunner. | |
4. Villanova | 5-1 | In a game vs. a surging Stony Brook, the Wildcats dominated early and were never in danger of getting upset, winning 42-24. | |
5. South Dakota | 4-1 | The Coyotes blanked Murray State 59-0 , but they get a step up in weight class this upcoming weekend against Northern Iowa. | |
6. Mercer | 5-0 | The Bears made life difficult for the Wofford, holding the Terriers to only a field goal. An intriguing matchup vs. Princeton awaits them this weekend. | |
7. UC DAvis | 5-1 | The Aggies needed a last-minute drive to avoid the upset vs. Portland State. Can't keep playing with your food if you're UC Davis. We'll see if that happens again this week vs. Cal Poly. | |
8. Idaho | 4-2 | Running backs Elisha Cummings and Nate Thomas combined for 186 yards to help the Vandals win a tough game against a good Northern Arizona team. | |
9. Tarleton State | 5-1 | Back-to-back nail-biters by the Texans could mean one of two things: they are either a resilient bunch, or they are extremely lucky. Honestly, the true answer could be a mixture of both. | |
10. Sacramento State | 2-3 | The Hornets get back on the field this week against Eastern Washington, hoping to erase the bitter taste of that loss two weeks ago vs. Northern Arizona. | |
11. Southeast Missouri State | 5-1 | The Redhawks have won four straight games, and QB Paxton DeLaurent, who is fresh off of a 364-yard, three-touchdown performance, is playing some outstanding football. | |
12. Abilene Christian | 4-2 | This offense has been fun to watch all season long. QB Maverick McIvor is one of the more talented passers in the FCS and makes this offense go. His huge game helped them knock off Central Arkansas. | |
13. Central Arkansas | 4-2 | The Bears don't fall far in the rankings. They didn't play terribly against Abilene Christian. It was more like a 12-round heavyweight fight that they ended up losing in the final round. | |
14. North Dakota | 4-2 | Defensively, the Fighting Hawks have some things to work on before they take on Northern Iowa in two weeks. It was like the dam finally broke on that side of the ball vs. the Bison. | |
15. Illinois State | 4-2 | A dominating performance by the Redbirds against Southern Illinois. Impressive defensive effort, holding the Salukis offense to only 10 points is a feat in itself! | |
16. Rhode Island | 4-1 | The Rams' only loss on the season is to Minnesota. Can they show enough defense in the Governor's Cup vs. Brown to stave off the upset? | |
17. William & Mary | 4-2 | The Tribe's offense struggled throughout the day against Towson and never really found its footing until later in the ball game. | |
18. Florida A&M | 3-2 | Ball security is starting to become an issue for the Rattlers. Though they got the win last week vs. Alabama State, they'll have two weeks to tighten that up before taking on a good Jackson State team on the other side of their bye. | |
19. Incarnate Word | 3-2 | The Cardinals begin Southland Conference play this weekend against the always tough Nicholls Colonels. | |
20. Chattanooga | 2-3 | The Mocs have won back-to-back games and take their positive momentum on the road this week against Furman. This is a big test for Chattanooga; this could put them right back in the SoCon race. | |
21. Montana | 4-2 | Football's Kid Icarus flew too close to the sun one too many times, and it ended up costing them against Weber State. Defensively, things are not right with the Griz this season. | |
22. Richmond | 4-2 | The Spiders have won four straight games and now get two weeks to prepare for Delaware. They're looking to make their swan song in the CAA a special one before they relocate to the Patriot League. | |
23. Dartmouth | 3-0 | Three up, three down. Dartmouth has jumped out to an impressive start to the season thanks in part to playing great complementary football. | |
24. UT Martin | 3-3 | The Skyhawks have gotten through the more difficult portion of the schedule and have a chance to really go on a run the rest of the way. I'd expect them to move up these rankings weekly. | |
25. North Carolina Central | 4-2 | Outside of two chunk plays on the ground, the Eagles really dominated Campbell last week in all three phases of the game. NCCU is currently on a three-game winning streak looking to make it four as they take on Lynchburg on Saturday. |