New FCS Top 25, a few LU hoops nuggets

Apologies for posting the rankings so late this week. That Tuesday basketball game sort of threw a wrench in my entire week. Nine hours of driving in one day will do that to you … Before I get to the Top 25, a few thoughts from Tuesday. I would have blogged about it yesterday, but there’s no internet access in UNCA’s Justice Center, save for one line that has to be used for live stats during the game.

1. Take a deep breath people. Yes, Liberty looked bad Tuesday. Awful. But it’s one game. College basketball is a grind, and one game is virtually meaningless. Even in conference play. With four additional league games this year, one game out of 18 will not kill a team.

2. The game exposed plenty of weaknesses for the Flames, the most glaring being a lack of a defensive mindset. When I talked to Ritchie McKay last week, he worried that his team—at least early on—would play as the offense went. When the shots didn’t fall early Tuesday, I knew Liberty was in a lot of trouble.

3. Anthony Smith cannot have games like he did Tuesday, at least not early. He’s the one experienced leader on that team, and if he doesn’t play well, the rest will follow suit. He just didn’t look like himself.

4. The Flames were out-hustled Tuesday. They didn’t dive for loose balls. Film won’t lie, let’s just put it that way. Practices won’t be easy this week.

4a. Let me add this about college basketball. Coaches rely so much on scouting reports and video, especially when it comes to league play. Neither team had much to work with there. The game was played more on instinct than scouting reports.

5. Take a deep breath. It’s the second game of the season. Now if LU strings together four or five games like that … then it’s time to worry.

6. Best moment of the day was when a UNC Asheville student flashed a sign with “Erin Andrews, will you marry me?” on it. He included his cell phone number on the sign. Oops. Within seconds, he had texts, calls and voicemails from all sorts of random people. Presumably, none of them were from Erin Andrews herself.

Now to those rankings …

1. JAMES MADISON (9-1)
Last week: beat No. 12 William & Mary, 48-24
The scoop: In line for No. 1 seed in playoffs.
Next up: Nov. 22 at Towson (3-8).

2. APPALACHIAN STATE (9-2)
Last week: beat No. 10 Elon, 24-16
The scoop: Eighth straight win seals SoCon championship for the Fighting Armantis.
Next up: Nov. 22 at Western Carolina (3-8).

3. WEBER STATE (9-2)
Last week: Idle
The scoop: Win seals first ever outright Big Sky title.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. Eastern Washington (5-5).

4. MONTANA (10-1)
Last week: beat Idaho State, 29-10
The scoop: Time for the Brawl of the Wild.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. Montana State (7-4).

5. VILLANOVA (8-2)
Last week: beat Towson, 34-31
The scoop: Tigers gave ‘Nova more trouble than expected.
Next up: Nov. 22 at Delaware (4-7).

6. CAL POLY (8-1)
Last week: beat UC Davis, 51-28
The scoop: Playoff berth secured, no matter what happens in Mad-town.
Next up: Nov. 22 at Wisconsin (6-5).

7. NORTHERN IOWA (9-2)
Last week: beat Indiana State, 28-0
The scoop: UNI has allowed six points in its last three games and has recorded consecutive shutouts.
Next up: Nov. 22 at Southern Utah (4-6).

8. RICHMOND (8-3)
Last week: beat Delaware, 31-14
The scoop: Is Richmond in the playoffs regardless of what happens in Williamsburg?
Next up: Nov. 22 at No. 16 William & Mary (7-3).

9. WOFFORD (8-2)
Last week: beat Samford, 28-7
The scoop: The win in Birmingham should have Wofford feeling safe regardless of what happens against Furman.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. No. 21 Furman (7-4).

10. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (8-2)
Last week: beat South Dakota State, 38-35
The scoop: Win, and the Salukis earn the MVC’s auto bid. Lose, and the Salukis sweat out Sunday.
Next up: Nov. 22 at Illinois State (3-7).

11. ELON (8-3)
Last week: lost to No. 2 Appalachian State, 24-16
The scoop: I refuse to drop the Phoenix more than one spot for a single-digit loss in Boone.
Next up: Nov. 22 at No. 20 Liberty (9-2).

12. NEW HAMPSHIRE (8-2)
Last week: beat No. 21 Massachusetts, 52-21
The scoop: Wildcats ambushed UMass early.
Next up: Nov. 22 at No. 14 Maine (8-3).

13. CENTRAL ARKANSAS (9-2)
Last week: beat Stephen F. Austin, 49-41
The scoop: So much for winning a Southland title. League officials need to learn to read NCAA by-laws.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. No. 22 McNeese State (7-3).

14. MAINE (8-3)
Last week: beat Rhode Island, 37-7
The scoop: Bears will not make the playoffs without beating UNH. Bank on that.
Next week: Nov. 22 vs. No. 12 New Hampshire (8-2).

15. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (9-2)
Last week: beat Morgan State, 32-0
The scoop: Bulldogs have posted consecutive shutouts.
Next up: Nov. 22 at North Carolina A&T (3-8).

16. WILLIAM & MARY (7-3)
Last week: lost to No. 1 James Madison, 48-24
The scoop: Win & in for the Tribe.
Next week: Nov. 22 vs. No. 8 Richmond (8-3).

17. HARVARD (8-1)
Last week: beat Pennsylvania, 24-21
The scoop: Watched part of this game. Harvard didn’t look great in the first half, but the Crimson rebounded after the break.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. Yale (6-3).

18. TENNESSEE-MARTIN (8-3)
Last week: beat Southeast Missouri State, 31-21
The scoop: Skyhawks survive trap game, prep for OVC title game against EKU.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. No. 25 Eastern Kentucky (7-3).

19. COLGATE (8-2)
Last week: Idle
The scoop: Patriot auto-bid comes down to game against Crusaders.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. Holy Cross (7-3).

20. LIBERTY (9-2)
Last week: beat Gardner-Webb, 30-10
The scoop: Flames have won 11 straight Big South games.
Next up: Nov. 22 vs. No. 11 Elon (8-3).

21. FURMAN (7-4)
Last week: lost to Georgia Southern, 17-10
The scoop: Loss to Eagles bounced Furman from playoff chase.
Next up: Nov. 22 at No. 9 Wofford (8-2).

22. McNEESE STATE (7-3)
Last week: beat Northwestern State, 24-17
The scoop: McNeese needs win and Texas State loss to earn playoff bid.
Next up: Nov. 22 at No. 13 Central Arkansas (9-2).

23. HOLY CROSS (7-3)
Last week: beat Lafayette, 27-26
The scoop: Last-second touchdown pass set up showdown with Colgate for playoff berth.
Next up: Nov. 22 at No. 19 Colgate (8-2).

24. ALBANY (8-3)
Last week: beat Wagner, 30-11
The scoop: Great Danes win seven straight after 1-3 start against difficult non-conference slate.
Next up: Gridiron Classic vs. Pioneer League champion.

25. EASTERN KENTUCKY (7-3)
Last week: beat Murray State, 34-7
The scoop: Colonels have won six straight league games since dropping opener to Tennessee State.
Next week: Nov. 22 at No. 18 Tenn.-Martin (8-3).

DROPPED OUT: Lafayette, Tennessee State, Massachusetts.

ON THE RADAR (in no particular order): Montana State, Bethune-Cookman, Grambling, Prairie View A&M, South Dakota State, Lafayette, North Dakota State, Tennessee State, Jacksonville State.