Commonwealth Collegiate Rankings Week 13 (11-26-2025)
By: Joe Dillard Jr.
The holiday season is here, and we have plenty to be thankful for. With half of the teams already home celebrating, and the other half preparing to eat the game plan of their opponent, what a time of year! To be known not only in Virginia but also to whoever steps in their way of success and a title chance is what our 1-5 teams will be facing, while 6-10 might be set in stone after this week, as the seasons have come to an end. Let’s get right into it!
10. Virginia State University (6-4). A couple of seasons in a row with momentum but not long enough to make it to the postseason. They jump back in the top ten with a 6-4 record for Division II and will look to fix that in-state record of 0-2 as this is already a competitive state for recruiting so the Trojans will need to get one of those games next season. 4-3 in the CIAA and posting a 3-1 home record were some of the highlights of this season. Giving Mike Vick and the Spartans their first and only win will be the story of this season.
9. Shenandoah College (8-3) Losing on a last-second field goal against Wilkes College in the Cape Henry Bowl game 35-37 marks the second consecutive season the Hornets have lost in this bowl game. Trailing 21-34 at the end of the third quarter, the Hornets fought in the fourth quarter with two 8-play drives for touchdowns that led to their first lead of the game with only 2:08 left. 14 plays later, yes 14 plays with 2:08 left to go Wilkes lines up for a 20-yard game-winning field goal. The Hornets are in a good position to continue to build and hopefully next season they will have that extra push they were missing this season.
8. College of William and Mary (7-5) Going 6-2 in the conference is a great record except as we mentioned before three of the four teams above the Tribe are post-season bound. That speaks highly of the conference however this keeps the Tribe on the outside looking in and they will need to find a year where both the offense and defense are booming on all cylinders, and I believe that it would provide a great post-season run. Losing 21-28 for the first home loss has to leave a bad taste in an up-and-down season. Finishing 1-2 with in-state battles is not a good look for trying to get some shine in your own state.
7. University of Richmond (7-5) Winning 28-21 against William and Mary propels the Spiders one slot ahead of the Tribe as they have identical records. With the move to the Patriot League, Richmond finished 4-3 in conference play and did a good job with having first-time opponents in the new conference. Going 2-0 against in-state competition shows they have a handle on what is going on in-state and will focus on finding ways to compete against Lehigh and Lafayette. Ending the season on a good note beating a rival should send good energy to the program as the win against William and Mary makes the move look good.
6. Virginia Union University #17 (9-3) After a great regular season, the Panthers lost at home in the first round of the playoffs to California University of Pennsylvania 24-27. Spotting them 14 points in the first quarter and playing from behind the whole game proved to be too much for Virginia Union to overcome. Having a great offensive line and running back is one thing but if you fall behind and don’t have a solid passing game, it will hurt you in the long run. Union had a whopping 85 yards passing and without that balance teams stacked the box for Curtis Allen and limited him to 21 carries for 128. That would be good stats in a normal game but when you rely on the run you would need more than that. In the two playoff losses, the Panthers had a total of 233 passing yards. It seems things had to be perfect in order to advance and that was not the case the past two weeks for the Panthers.
5. Old Dominion University (8-3) With their highest ranking coming in at 5 is ODU handled Georgia Southern with a beatdown 45-10 on the road. It looks like the Monarchs have solidified a strong bounce-back season going 5-2 in the conference with one game left against Georgia State at home. A win would give the Monarchs a 6-2 record in the SunBelt. The problem is the way the alignment in the conference is as they are the second-best team in the conference by overall record and conference standings yet will sit behind JMU in the East division while Southern Miss and Troy both 7-4 and 5-2 will battle it out to see who will face JMU in the title game. Winners of 4 straight and surging at the right time of the season, one would think they are in a prime position for a title shot however conference alignment prevents this opportunity from happening.
4. Randolph Macon College #17 (9-1) The YellowJackets enter this week with a road playoff matchup against a similar opponent in NCAC Conference Champions John Carroll who is also 9-1 while finishing the season ranked 8th behind CNU. What appears to be a 7 vs 10 matchup where the winner will most likely face #2 Mount Union. But first Macon looks to make some noise on the road against Caroll who has not had a losing season since 2009 and has averaged 8 to 9 wins since that season outside of the pandemic season. So, if Macon plans on getting the upset, then they will need to play complete football and find a way to win the turnover battle and limit mistakes. The YellowJackets have an outstanding 30 takeaways to 9 turnovers. The passing game will be the key as they have to establish that balance to keep the defense on their heels, while the defense needs to take advantage of the passing opportunities to create turnovers. Always easier said than done but this is what the playoffs are all about.
3. University of Virginia #17 (9-2) Bounce back wins from a loss were the struggle for UVA last season and with both losses avenged as they handle Duke 34-17, all seems right in Charlottesville as the game of the century is about to happen as they welcome Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash. Game of the Century for Virginia fans who have been completely owned by their rival as the Hokies have won 23 of the last 25 meetings and if UVA can make that go to three, this one will have just as much meaning as the 1999-2000 wins that propelled Virginia Tech to a National Title appearance. If they are struggling then you expect Virginia to take care of business, but history says otherwise. This is why we play the game and we will see if UVA prevails and keeps its ACC Championship and National Championship dreams alive. This is for all the marbles and if they pull this off then the momentum going into the ACC title game should be huge for UVA.
2. Christopher Newport University #7 (10-0) Usually it’s the NFL or college basketball where you have to beat a team twice, however, in this case, the Captains welcome Susquehanna River Hawks back to Newport News, Virginia in the second round of the Division III playoffs. In the first matchup, CNU won 41-27 shutting out the River Hawks in the second half, forcing three turnovers and a couple of punts. I am sure the River Hawks have got better and learned from the loss however the blueprint is right there for the Captains as they have a powerful offense and will need pivotal stops during the game to swing the favor their way. After losing to the Captains, Susquehanna went on a six-game winning streak outscoring their opponents 302-37 before handling Washington and Jefferson College in the first round 38-32. Keynote in the first matchup starting quarterback and captain Josh Ehrlich was out and they will have him to deal with this matchup. CNU clearly got better as well with a key win against then-ranked #4 Salisbury University as Susquehanna was ranked 13th when they first faced the Captains.
1. James Madison University #20 (10-1) 10 wins in a football season is saying something but I am sure after the 24-20 win against Washington State, Duke nation is looking at the national polls and trying to see where they fit in the National Championship discussion. Already in the SunBelt Championship game, JMU still has Coastal Carolina on the schedule and will travel to South Carolina for that one. With a win, you could be looking at a higher ranking and would be one win away from saying “Put us in the playoffs!” Tulane seems to be the team in the way as they are the fifth conference champion listed and if JMU can finish the part they can control then they will be 12-1 and a conference champion versus Tulane’s’ 2 losses. Coastal Carolina looks to blow all of this up but if the Dukes get this win, the College Football Committee will have to include them in their top 25 to give them a chance to pass Tulane even if they win out. Apply pressure Duke Nation and make sure you spread the word if JMU handles Coastal Carolina.
