Commonwealth Collegiate Power Rankings Week 8 (10-16-24)

By: Joe Dillard Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: Brynne Smith-LMS Network 

We are talking all Virginia Football! Teams have had multiple chances to prove themselves and we will see how conference titles shake out.  We are starting to look at conference positioning and will see who will still have a shot at the conference championship.    

HM Virginia State University (3-3) On homecoming week the Trojans dominated Bowie State 38-17 as they now will head on the road for three consecutive games and if they manage to win all three will have Virginia Union waiting for them at the finish line. The Trojans will have to be strong needing all three road wins, but it will start with Elizabeth City State this week.  

10. Norfolk State (2-6) It’s starting to get ugly for the Spartans as they have lost their third game in a row and thus have them hanging on to a spot as the division II schools are starting to roll.  Howard is up next, and a loss here might just move them below a team they beat.  

9. Virginia Union (4-2) a 31-13 win against Winston-Salem State propels the first division II team into the top ten and as a first-time resident they move up another spot with dominance.  All they come back and do is win 35-0 solidifying their spot in the top 10.  In the past three games, Union has outscored their opponents 108-20. They will travel to Lincoln and will have back-to-back conference road games that will be tough battles. They seem to have the best shot at challenging Johnson C. Smith for a CIAA title.

8. Hampton (3-3) With a bye week comes a decline in the rankings as that’s the name of the game sometimes.  Hampton is still looking to gain some traction in the CAA and we will see how well they will be with all conference games left starting with North Carolina A&T, which should be a game the Pirates should win.  Staying above .500 and getting momentum could be the sign of new life for the team by the sea.

7. Old Dominion (2-4) A huge one-possession win, moves ODU to number 7 beating Georgia State 21-14, and will host (4-2) Texas State Bobcats and not the Fightin Armadillos referencing a 1991 movie “Necessary Roughness” and will look to gain another huge win and have been trending up especially if they can get this win.  They will have plenty of games where a win will improve their standing in the rankings. 

6. Virginia Tech (3-3)-The Hokies are coming off a dominant performance winning 31-7 against Stanford and with the bye week, are well rested and should be prepared for Boston College in a huge ACC game that will separate teams each week as we get to December.  The Hokies have a favorable schedule and will need to capitalize off the chance to run the ACC with only Clemson as the one ranked team left on schedule.  They almost need to root for the other in-state team so they can have a meaningful game come November.    

5. William and Mary (4-2) Dropping one spot after having a three-game winning streak snapped, the Tribe had plenty of time with a bye to plan for the next run as they have Campbell coming in town.  If William and Mary can get on a run and win out, they will have everything in front of them with a playoff appearance coming.  The Tribe will need some help in the conference as 5 teams are undefeated and of course, a lot of football left but every game must be won by the Tribe to contend.   

4. Richmond (4-2), after running four games off and sitting at 2-0 in the conference, Richmond looks to make a splash with the rankings as they are the second-hottest team on the list.  Very big game against Delaware who is 6-0 and also 2-0 in the conference.  If they win this game, they will be knocking on that top 3 spot as again 5 straight wins would be very impressive, let alone beating a 6-0 conference team.     

3. Virginia (4-2) With the second game that could have ascended UVA, they fall short at home to Louisville 24-20 in a must-win game to stay unbeaten in the ACC.  They must turn around and face Clemson now and will look to get an upset win that just might propel them up in the rankings.  This would be the third big game that if they win would have them ranked nationally and would put pressure on those mid-major schools in the state.  

2. JMU (5-1).  Moving up one spot after a 39-7 beat down on Coastal Carolina, this is the energy needed to make a case for a playoff spot and to move up in this ranking.  The Dukes’ are poised for a conference title and it will be watched like CBS with one eye open from a microscope and find out if they are resilient and a good enough football team to be considered in the playoffs. Georgia State is next up and JMU will need to continue this dominant brand of football to make some noise.

1. Liberty (5-0) Even with the bye week we still have Liberty listed as the number one team.  They will have 15 days off and will look to remain unbeaten traveling to Kennesaw State with back-to-back Wednesday night games. The noise will start soon as we head into November so with back-to-back wins don’t be surprised to see a nationally ranked Liberty Flames and the talk for playoffs will be more than local news talk.