Holy Cross Football Concludes Season Ranked #14 In The Nation
WORCESTER, Mass. - The Holy Cross football team is ranked No. 14 in the nation in this season's final Sports Network poll for the football championship subdivision. The Crusaders climbed three spots in the rankings after suffering a narrow 38-28 loss to eventual national champion Villanova in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. In addition, Holy Cross moved up five positions in the final FCS coaches' poll, where it also finished the year in the No. 14 spot.
In the Sports Network poll, Holy Cross received 1,111 total points to earn the 14th position. In the coaches' poll, the Crusaders placed 14th with 317 total points. Two other Patriot League teams, Colgate and Lafayette, were also ranked in both polls. Colgate was listed 21st by the Sports Network with 524 points and 20th by the coaches with 165 points, while Lafayette was ranked 24th by the Sports Network with 223 points and 25th by the coaches with 56 points.
Holy Cross concluded the 2009 season with an overall record of 9-3, and won the Patriot League championship with a 5-1 mark in conference games.
The complete Sports Network and FCS coaches' polls follow.
Final 2009 Sports Network's FCS College Football Poll
| Team (First-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Villanova Wildcats (101) | 14-1 | 2,525 | 2 |
| 2. Montana Grizzlies | 14-1 | 2,415 | 3 |
| 3. Appalachian State Mountaineers | 11-3 | 2,385 | 5 |
| 4. William & Mary Tribe | 11-3 | 2,225 | 6 |
| 5. Richmond Spiders | 11-2 | 2,092 | 4 |
| 6. Southern Illinois Salukis | 11-2 | 2,037 | 1 |
| 7. New Hampshire Wildcats | 10-3 | 1,815 | 10 |
| 8. South Carolina State Bulldogs | 10-2 | 1,685 | 7 |
| 9. Elon Phoenix | 9-3 | 1,672 | 9 |
| 10. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | 10-3 | 1,577 | 12 |
| 11. South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 8-4 | 1,431 | 11 |
| 12. McNeese State Cowboys | 9-3 | 1,391 | 8 |
| 13. Eastern Washington Eagles | 8-4 | 1,150 | 13 |
| 14. Holy Cross Crusaders | 9-3 | 1,111 | 17 |
| 15. Prairie View A&M Panthers | 9-1 | 976 | 18 |
| 16. Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 8-3 | 931 | 14 |
| 17. Weber State Wildcats | 7-5 | 914 | 15 |
| 18. Northern Iowa Panthers | 7-4 | 854 | 16 |
| 19. Eastern Illinois Panthers | 8-4 | 736 | 19 |
| 20. Penn Quakers | 8-2 | 590 | 21 |
| 21. Colgate Raiders | 9-2 | 524 | 20 |
| 22. Liberty Flames | 8-3 | 482 | 22 |
| 23. Florida A&M Rattlers | 8-3 | 366 | 23 |
| 24. Lafayette Leopards | 8-3 | 223 | 24 |
| 25. Texas State Bobcats | 7-4 | 155 | 25 |
| Others receiving votes: James Madison 129, Montana State 112, Delaware 89, Harvard 64, Butler 49, Eastern Kentucky 34, Central Connecticut State 29, UC Davis 28, Furman 26, Illinois State 24, Northern Arizona 21, Grambling 11, Youngstown State 8, Norfolk State 7, Stony Brook 4, Alabama A&M 3, Old Dominion 3, Central Arkansas 2, Chattanooga 1. |
2009 FCS Coaches Poll - Final (December 21, 2009)
Team (No. 1
Votes)
2009 Record
Points Previous Ranking
1. Villanova (28)
14-1
700
3
2.
Montana
14-1
672
1
3. Appalachian
State
11-3
629
5
3. William &
Mary
11-3
629
6
5.
Richmond
11-2
579
4
6. Southern Illinois
11-2
541
2
7. New
Hampshire
10-3
515
10
8. South Carolina
State
10-2
477
7
9. Stephen F.
Austin
10-3
450
12
10.
Elon
9-3
439
9
11. South Dakota
State
8-4
413
11
12. McNeese
State
9-3
375
8
13. Eastern
Washington
8-4
345
14
14. Holy
Cross
9-3
317
19
15. Eastern
Illinois
8-4
272
17
16. Jacksonville
State
8-3
258
13
17. Weber
State
7-5
252
18
18. Northern
Iowa
7-4
246
15
19. Prairie View
A&M
9-1
223
16
20.
Colgate
9-2
165
20
21. Liberty
8-3
155
22
22. Florida
A&M
8-3
127
21
23.
Pennsylvania
8-2
97
23
24. Texas
State
7-4
59
T25
25.
Lafayette
8-3
56
24
Others receiving votes (points in parentheses): Montana State (38), Delaware (18), James Madison (14), Butler (6), Harvard (6), Grambling State (5), Northern Arizona (5), Alabama A&M (4), Illinois State (4), Central Connecticut State (2), Dayton (2), Tennessee Tech (2), Central Arkansas (1), Massachusetts (1), UC Davis (1).
