Commonwealth Collegiate Power Rankings Week 4 (9-18-24)

By: Joe Dillard Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: Brynne Smith-LMS Network 

We are talking all Virginia Football! Let’s see who the top dog by the end of the year will be. We will rank the top 10 teams with an outside shot at a Division II or III cracking into the rankings. We look at the strength of schedule, conference, in-state matchups, and recent success just as a few of the categories helping us decide who is ultimately the state’s top Team! Here we Go!!

Honorable Mention: Virginia Union (1-1) Coming off a bye after traveling down by the Bay to face Hampton, Virginia Union will look to regain stride traveling to Johnson C Smith for a big CIAA conference opener and we know everyone will be gunning for the Panthers as they are the Reigning Champs. With the conference coming as one and not splitting, it will be the top two teams that will play in the title game. 

10. VMI (0-3) This is where it can get ugly for the Cadets of VMI as they will host Norfolk State in what will be a must-win for the Cadets to hold a position in the rankings. It will be very few times that you will have a division I program on the outside looking in, but here we are. A fourth straight loss will knock them out however, a win could move them up so ugly cute, or grimy win, it will not matter as long as the job gets done.  

9. NSU (1-3) If there was a lot of stock in power losses, then the Spartans would have a claim to moving up as they have gone 1-1 in the state and will look to go 2-1 with their last in-state game. With a win, we could be looking at a team that could compete to move up if they have an impressive win against VMI. The Spartans are still in a position to win a MEAC championship and this win would be huge to propel them into conference play against NC Central. 

8. ODU (0-3) It has been a rough start for the Monarchs as they lost 37-17 to Virginia Tech dropping one spot and will be off this week. Hopefully, they can bounce back from a 0-3 start. This will not be good for the rankings as they could go down a spot or two without having a game this week. Tough position to be in however they will resume play against Bowling Green and hopefully will be able to put one on the board. The bright side is they have competed in the games but just falling short of the win is starting to hurt more and more each time. Much needed week off.

7. Richmond (1-2) The Spiders of Richmond are looking to continue rolling as they move up a spot coming off an impressive 38-0 win against Charleston Southern and will travel to Delaware State and should handle business. If that is the case, then they will have some momentum rolling and will look to jump one possibly two teams. If they struggle and still win, we will have to see what the other teams do around them to determine if they move at all. 

6. Hampton (2-1) In the Battle of the Bay, Hampton notched a dominant win against Norfolk State 37-7, as they are heading into another rivalry game with Howard, and if they manage to win this one just look out for that William & Mary Hampton game the following week. The Pirates have a new head coach with new energy and are looking to make a splash in the CAA and it would be no sweeter than knocking off conference foe and powerhouse William & Mary. So, to say the least, it could either be a trap game with Howard or we could be awaiting one Hell of a Game in Williamsburg on September 28. 

5. William and Mary (2-1) The Tribe looked the part on the road playing great on all three phases of the ball to secure a 28-21 win against a feisty Wofford team. The number 12 ranked Tribe will host Furman and look to continue to find their ground as they look to improve with more defense and continue to be balanced on offense. Hopefully, they don’t overlook Furman as the Pirates of Hampton is on the schedule for the CAA opener and that could be electric. 

4. Virginia Tech (2-1) With an impressive win against ODU 37-17, Hokie Nation can breathe again and look forward to the team improving on all phases of the game if they are looking to compete for an ACC title. They will face a tough Rutgers team that will let Hokie Nation know about the grind and grit they have which would be a great test going into the ACC opener against number 8th-ranked Miami. Tech will look to get a more balanced attack this week and will have a claim to move up with a win this week. 

3. Virginia (2-1) It was a second-half meltdown or lack of points either way Maryland handled the Hoos 27-13, moving them down two spots as this was one of those statement games that UVA needed to have. Up 13-7 and outscored 20-0 in the second will cause for pause in Charlottesville as they will look to do what William and Mary couldn’t and that’s go to Coastal Carolina and come out with a Victory. Style points matter here as they are looking right into the eye of ACC competition with Boston College the following week. In this poll, they will have plenty of chances to move up.  

2. JMU (2-0) Coming off a bye week the Dukes move up a spot with the UVA loss and have a huge test in front of them traveling to Chapel Hill in what would be the biggest game on their schedule to face North Carolina. New coaching staff but the same winning ways and the Dukes with this win would be poised for a run at number 1 for the year in the Commonwealth Rankings. They essentially would control their destiny with a conference championship in front of them with a chance to make a splash in the playoffs this year. Many wanted them last year and with the expansion, it just might be a possibility this season. They just must stir the ship and stay the course. 

1. Liberty (3-0) Coming off an impressive 28-10 win against UTEP, we have a new number one as Liberty has been fighting with JMU for state dominance even with the 2 ACC schools in the state. Liberty has perhaps had the best quarterback and record in the state for the past three years. They look even more determined to prove their ranking as they will take on East Carolina who is 2-0 in the state and looking to sweep the state with their last game against a Virginia opponent in Liberty. I will call it State Defense Alert as we would never want any team coming in and sweeping our state as we are regarded as one of the best states in the USA for football.