KANSAS CITY, Mo.- Carson-Newman football has moved up one spot to 17th in both AFCA and D2Football.com polls, both organizations released Monday morning.
Carson-Newman was 18th in both polls last week.
Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne (18th/16th) are the only two South Atlantic Conference programs ranked by the polls. Emory & Henry, C-N's opponent this week, 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. C-N spent seven weeks inside the top 20 that year.
This is Carson-Newman's 148th 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 7-0 start, their best since 2003. 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 five 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 Emory & Henry at Fred Selfe 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 | Grand Valley State | 7-0 | 2 |
| 2 | Valdosta State | 7-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Pittsburg State | 6-1 | 4 |
| 4 | Ferris State | 6-1 | 5 |
| 5 | Kutztown | 7-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Central Oklahoma | 7-0 | 8 |
| 7 | Ouachita Baptist | 7-0 | 11 |
| 8 | Harding | 6-1 | 1 |
| 9 | Minnesota State | 6-1 | 9 |
| 10 | Western Colorado | 7-0 | 10 |
| 11 | CSU Pueblo | 7-1 | 13 |
| 12 | Colorado Mines | 6-1 | 14 |
| 13 | Central Washington | 5-2 | 15 |
| 14 | Charleston | 7-0 | 16 |
| 15 | Emporia State | 6-1 | 17 |
| 16 | Slippery Rock | 6-1 | 7 |
| 17 | Carson-Newman | 7-0 | 18 |
| 18 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 6-1 | 19 |
| 19 | West Alabama | 5-1 | 12 |
| 20 | Augustana | 5-2 | 20 |
| 21 | Johnson C Smith | 7-0 | 21 |
| 22 | Indianapolis | 6-1 | 22 |
| 23 | Wayne State (NE) | 6-1 | 24 |
| 24 | California | 6-1 | NR |
| 25 | Southern Arkansas | 6-1 | NR |
AFCA Poll
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 7 | Next Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (27) | 7-0 | 747 | 2 | D. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 16-9 | Oct. 26 vs. No. 3 Ferris St. (Mich.) | |
| 2 | Valdosta St. (Ga.) (3) | 7-0 | 720 | 3 | D. Mississippi College, 35-10 | Nov. 2 vs. Chowan (N.C.) | |
| 3 | Ferris St. (Mich.) | 6-1 | 657 | 4 | D. Michigan Tech, 51-13 | Oct. 26 at No. 1 Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | |
| 4 | Kutztown (Pa.) | 7-0 | 634 | 5 | D. Shippensburg (Pa.), 31-2 | Oct. 26 vs. Shepherd (W.Va.) | |
| 5 | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 7-0 | 627 | 9 | D. No. 1 Harding (Ark.), 17-13 | Oct. 26 at Arkansas Tech | |
| 6 | Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | 6-1 | 590 | 7 | D. Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 18-17 | Oct. 26 at No. 9 Central Oklahoma | |
| 7 | Harding (Ark.) | 6-1 | 579 | 1 | Lost to No. 9 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 17-13 | Oct. 26 vs. No. 22 Southern Arkansas | |
| 8 | Western Colorado | 7-0 | 554 | 8 | D. South Dakota Mines, 35-24 | Oct. 26 at No. 10 Colorado School of Mines | |
| 9 | Central Oklahoma | 7-0 | 513 | 11 | D. Northeastern St. (Okla.), 64-57 | Oct. 26 vs. No. 6 Pittsburg St. (Kan.) | |
| 10 | Colorado School of Mines | 6-1 | 460 | 12 | D. Adams St. (Colo.), 56-14 | Oct. 26 vs. No. 8 Western Colorado | |
| 11 | Charleston (W.Va.) | 7-0 | 439 | 13 | D. No. 22 Frostburg St. (Md.), 48-7 | Oct. 25 vs. Fairmont St. (W.Va.) | |
| 12 | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 7-1 | 419 | 14 | D. Black Hills St. (S.D.), 24-21 | Nov. 2 at No. 8 Western Colorado | |
| 13 | Minnesota St. | 6-1 | 341 | 15 | Idle | Oct. 26 vs. No. 25 Augustana (S.D.) | |
| 14 | Emporia St. (Kan.) | 6-1 | 333 | 16 | Idle | Oct. 26 at Nebraska-Kearney | |
| 15 | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 6-1 | 300 | 6 | Lost to California (Pa.), 28-7 | Oct. 31 at Clarion (Pa.) | |
| 16 | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | 6-1 | 290 | 17 | D. Barton (N.C.), 20-0 | Oct. 26 vs. Limestone (S.C.) | |
| 17 | Carson-Newman (Tenn.) | 7-0 | 287 | 18 | D. Virginia-Wise, 35-23 | Oct. 26 at Emory & Henry (Va.) | |
| 18 | West Alabama | 5-1 | 220 | 10 | Lost to Delta St. (Miss.), 21-6 | Oct. 26 vs. Chowan (N.C.) | |
| 19 | Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) | 7-0 | 200 | 20 | D. Shaw (N.C.), 21-14 | Oct. 26 at Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) | |
| 20 | Central Washington | 5-2 | 181 | 21 | D. Texas A&M-Kingsville, 31-0 | Oct. 26 vs. Midwestern St. (Tex.) | |
| 21 | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 6-1 | 177 | 19 | D. McKendree (Ill.), 42-34 | Oct. 26 at Upper Iowa | |
| 22 | Southern Arkansas | 6-1 | 117 | 24 | D. No. 25 Henderson St. (Ark.), 42-19 | Oct. 26 at No. 7 Harding (Ark.) | |
| 23 | West Florida | 4-2 | 115 | 23 | D. Chowan (N.C.), 35-6 | Oct. 26 vs. Shorter (Ga.) | |
| 24 | Delta St. (Miss.) | 5-2 | 58 | NR | D. No. 10 West Alabama, 21-6 | Oct. 26 at North Greenville (S.C.) | |
| 25 | Augustana (S.D.) | 5-2 | 29 | NR | D. Winona St. (Minn.), 31-0 | Oct. 26 at No. 13 Minnesota St. |
Dropped Out: Frostburg St. (Md.) (22), Henderson St. (Ark.) (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Angelo St. (Tex.), 22; Findlay (Ohio), 22; California (Pa.), 21; Virginia Union, 20; Wayne St. (Neb.), 16; Wingate (N.C.), 10; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 8; Colorado Mesa, 7; Indiana (Pa.), 7; New Haven (Conn.), 7; Davenport (Mich.), 6; Frostburg St. (Md.), 6; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 4; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 3; Ashland (Ohio), 2; Emory & Henry (Va.), 1; Western Oregon, 1.
