Cats Continue To Climb
By: Lance Fleming/ACU SID
Updated: September 8, 2009
WACO – The unbeaten ACU Wildcats moved up to No. 2 in the American Football Coaches' Association NCAA Division II football poll on Monday, matching the program's highest NCAA ranking.
The Wildcats improved to 2-0 on the season last Saturday with a 58-10 thumping of Fort Lewis (Colo.) in a non-conference matchup at Shotwell Stadium. ACU will be back in action this Saturday when it plays Texas A&M-Commerce in the second annual Harvey Martin Classic at the historic Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
ACU was ranked No. 2 in the nation for the last three weeks of the 2008 regular season, which marked the program's high-water mark in the AFCA Division II poll.
Grand Valley State (Mich.) is the top-ranked team in the poll having gathered all 25 first-place votes and 625 points to 589 points for the Wildcats. North Alabama – led by head coach Terry Bowden – is ranked No. 3 with 571 points, while Pittsburg State (Kan.) and Bloomsburg (Pa.) round out the top five.
ACU's season-opening opponent, Northwest Missouri State, is No. 10 in this week's poll, one spot ahead of Texas A&M-Kingsville, which is up to No. 11 from No. 18 last week.
Other Lone Star Conference schools in this week's poll are unbeaten Tarleton State at No. 22 and 1-1 Central Oklahoma, which is tied with Indiana (Pa.) at No. 24 in the country.
West Texas A&M lost to Central Oklahoma last Saturday to fall to 0-2 on the season and out of the top 25 rankings. The Buffs could be staring at their worst start since 2004 this week when they travel to Washington to take on sixth-ranked Central Washington.
