Four SAC Teams Claim Spots in Initial NCAA Football Regional Rankings
Four teams from the SAC have earned spots in the season's first NCAA Division II Football southeast region rankings, including the region's top two teams, Lenoir-Rhyne and Newberry.
INDIANAPOLIS – Four teams from the SAC have earned spots in the season's first NCAA Division II Football southeast region rankings, including the region's top two teams, Lenoir-Rhyne and Newberry.
Joining L-R and Newberry in the poll are No. 7 Carson-Newman and No. 10 Wingate. The regional rankings are the official poll utilized by the NCAA Division II Football Committee during the championship selection process.
Lenoir-Rhyne is the region's top-ranked team after winning its seventh-straight game on Saturday against Mars Hill. The Bears are 7-1 overall, 5-0 in the SAC and boast the nation's fifth-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 13.8 points per game.
Newberry also improved to 7-1 overall on Saturday with a victory over the region's third-ranked team, UNC Pembroke. The Wolves are 4-1 in the conference, with their only loss coming against Lenoir-Rhyne.
Carson-Newman, led by the nation's second-ranked rushing offense, is off to a 7-1 start overall and is 3-1 in the SAC. The Eagles – winners of four straight - have scored a league-high 325 points this season. Wingate, meanwhile, has won three straight to improve its record to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the conference.
In addition to their regional positions, Carson-Newman was ranked 16th, Lenoir-Rhyne 22nd and Newberry 25th in Monday's AFCA national rankings.
NCAA regional rankings will be released each week prior to NCAA Championship selections.