KANSAS CITY, Mo.- Carson-Newman football moved into the top 20 of the AFCA Coaches poll, released Monday afternoon.
Carson-Newman jumped five spots from 23 to 18 in the coaches poll. C-N stayed level at 18th in the D2Football.com poll.
Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne (17th/19th) are the only two South Atlantic Conference programs ranked by the polls. Limestone, Emory & Henry and Wingate are all receiving votes in the AFCA Coaches poll.
This is the first time Carson-Newman has appeared in the top 20 of the coaches poll in the regular season since the final October poll of the 2014 season. The Eagles were 16th before losing the following week to fourth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne.
This is Carson-Newman's 147th week ranked since the year 2000 by either D2Football.com or the AFCA. Carson-Newman has been nationally ranked more than any other league institution since the turn of the century.
The Eagles are off to a 6-0 start, their best since 2007. C-N was ranked in the month of September (outside of a preseason poll) for the first time since 2014. Carson-Newman has been ranked for four weeks this season, the most since C-N was ranked in nine polls in the 2014 season.
C-N will be in action Saturday at 1 p.m. against UVA Wise for Community Appreciation Day in Burke-Tarr Stadium. Pregame coverage begins at noon with the AEC Tailgate Show on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), MIX 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
D2Football.com Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous Rank |
| 1 | Harding | 6-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Grand Valley State | 6-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Valdosta State | 6-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Pittsburg State | 5-1 | 4 |
| 5 | Ferris State | 5-1 | 5 |
| 6 | Kutztown | 6-0 | 6 |
| 7 | Slippery Rock | 6-0 | 8 |
| 8 | Central Oklahoma | 6-0 | 11 |
| 9 | Minnesota State | 6-1 | 9 |
| 10 | Western Colorado | 6-0 | 10 |
| 11 | Ouachita Baptist | 6-0 | 12 |
| 12 | West Alabama | 5-0 | 13 |
| 13 | CSU Pueblo | 6-1 | 14 |
| 14 | Colorado Mines | 5-1 | 15 |
| 15 | Central Washington | 4-2 | 7 |
| 16 | Charleston | 6-0 | 16 |
| 17 | Emporia State | 6-1 | 17 |
| 18 | Carson-Newman | 6-0 | 18 |
| 19 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 5-1 | 19 |
| 20 | Augustana | 4-2 | 20 |
| 21 | Johnson C. Smith | 6-0 | 21 |
| 22 | Indianapolis | 5-1 | 22 |
| 23 | Saginaw Valley State | 5-1 | 24 |
| 24 | Wayne State (NE) | 5-1 | NR |
| 25 | Frostburg State | 6-0 | NR |
AFCA Poll
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 6 | Next Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harding (Ark.) (30) | 6-0 | 750 | 1 | D. Northwestern Oklahoma, 62-0 | Oct. 19 at No. 9 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | |
| 2 | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 6-0 | 718 | 2 | D. Northern Michigan, 49-17 | Oct. 19 at Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) | |
| 3 | Valdosta St. (Ga.) | 6-0 | 666 | 3 | D. North Greenville (S.C.), 32-24 | Oct. 19 vs. Mississippi College | |
| 4 | Ferris St. (Mich.) | 5-1 | 625 | 4 | D. Wayne St. (Mich.), 27-14 | Oct. 19 vs. Michigan Tech | |
| 5 | Kutztown (Pa.) | 6-0 | 613 | 5 | D. Lock Haven (Pa.), 24-0 | Oct. 19 at Shippensburg (Pa.) | |
| 6 | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 6-0 | 590 | 6 | D. Gannon (Pa.), 35-17 | Oct. 19 at California (Pa.) | |
| 7 | Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | 5-1 | 583 | 7 | D. Nebraska-Kearney, 20-10 | Oct. 19 vs. Fort Hays St. (Kan.) | |
| 8 | Western Colorado | 6-0 | 537 | 8 | D. Black Hills St. (S.D.), 35-14 | Oct. 19 vs. South Dakota Mines | |
| 9 | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 6-0 | 508 | 10 | D. East Central (Okla.), 40-0 | Oct. 19 vs. No. 1 Harding (Ark.) | |
| 10 | West Alabama | 5-0 | 467 | 11 | D. Mississippi College, 26-0 | Oct. 19 at Delta St. (Miss.) | |
| 11 | Central Oklahoma | 6-0 | 448 | 13 | D. Northwest Missouri St., 48-20 | Oct. 19 at Northeastern St. (Okla.) | |
| 12 | Colorado School of Mines | 5-1 | 419 | 12 | D. South Dakota Mines, 45-20 | Oct. 19 at Adams St. (Colo.) | |
| 13 | Charleston (W.Va.) | 6-0 | 364 | 14 | D. Wheeling (W.Va.), 42-23 | Oct. 19 at No. 22 Frostburg St. (Md.) | |
| 14 | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 6-1 | 352 | 16 | D. Fort Lewis (Colo.), 58-24 | Oct. 19 vs. Black Hills St. (S.D.) | |
| 15 | Minnesota St. | 6-1 | 347 | 15 | D. Minnesota St.-Moorhead, 24-19 | Oct. 26 vs. Augustana (S.D.) | |
| 16 | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 6-1 | 277 | 18 | D. Missouri Southern St., 49-30 | Oct. 26 at Nebraska-Kearney | |
| 17 | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | 5-1 | 275 | 17 | D. Newberry (S.C.), 24-3 | Oct. 19 at Barton (N.C.) | |
| 18 | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | 6-0 | 203 | 23 | D. Mars Hill (N.C.), 28-27 | Oct. 19 vs. Virginia-Wise | |
| 19 | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 5-1 | 200 | 21 | D. Quincy (Ill.), 47-10 | Oct. 19 at McKendree (Ill.) | |
| 20 | Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) | 6-0 | 185 | 22 | Idle | Oct. 19 vs. Shaw (N.C.) | |
| 21 | Central Washington | 4-2 | 147 | 9 | Lost to Texas-Permian Basin, 14-13 | Oct. 19 at Texas A&M-Kingsville | |
| 22 | Frostburg St. (Md.) | 6-0 | 143 | 24 | D. Glenville St. (W.Va.), 41-9 | Oct. 19 vs. No. 13 Charleston (W.Va.) | |
| 23 | West Florida | 3-2 | 59 | NR | D. No. 19 Delta St. (Miss.), 40-28 | Oct. 19 at Chowan (N.C.) | |
| 24 | Southern Arkansas | 5-1 | 48 | NR | D. Oklahoma Baptist, 65-10 | Oct. 19 vs. No. 25 Henderson St. (Ark.) | |
| 25 | Henderson St. (Ark.) | 5-1 | 44 | NR | D. Southern Nazarene (Okla.), 48-21 | Oct. 19 vs. No. 24 Southern Arkansas |
Dropped Out: Delta St. (Miss.) (19), Findlay (Ohio) (20), Indiana (Pa.) (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Augustana (S.D.), 34; Delta St. (Miss.), 19; Virginia Union, 19; Findlay (Ohio), 17; New Haven (Conn.), 12; Wayne St. (Neb.), 12; Angelo St. (Tex.), 11; Colorado Mesa, 8; Emory & Henry (Va.), 8; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 8; Assumption (Mass.), 7; Limestone (S.C.), 7; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 7; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 6; Ashland (Ohio), 2; Davenport (Mich.), 2; Wingate (N.C.), 2; West Virginia St., 1.
