In the FCS Huddle: No. 3 SE Louisiana takes FBS shot

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - It's statement week for the Southeastern Louisiana football team.

As if the Lions haven't made a few already.

The defending Southland Conference champions on Monday maintained a No. 3 ranking, which is their highest ever in The Sports Network FCS Top 25. They continued to trail only No. 1 North Dakota State and No. 2 Eastern Washington.

Southeastern Louisiana has lived a little bit in the shadow of those two teams, but the early results this season merit attention. The Lions eased off Jacksonville in a 44-3 rout to open the campaign, and then they pulled away from Southern Utah, which made the FCS playoffs last season, for a 41-14 victory this past weekend.

The Lions hit the road for the first time on Saturday when they visit Tulane. They are seeking their first victory over an FBS opponent since the program's rebirth after an 18-year hiatus. Since 2003, the Lions are winless in 18 games versus the higher half of Division I football.

This year's team is seeking to end the drought. Southeastern, which reached the quarterfinal round in its first FCS playoff appearance last season, has loaded up for a run at the national title. The Lions' roster includes 13 FBS transfers, none more important than former Oregon quarterback Bryan Bennett, the 2013 Southland player of the year who is off to an impressive start as a senior.

Including Bennett, the Lions entered the season with 15 players who earned All- Southland preseason honors. Senior outside linebacker Isaiah Corbett and junior cornerback Harlan Miller are among the standouts on the defensive side of the ball.

"We have been fortunate to play a lot of players in the first two games," third-year coach Ron Roberts said. "But we have to play with more of a sense of urgency and execute better as the season progresses."

The Lions, who earned 3,613 points in Monday's Top 25 voting, are seeking the high level of play that North Dakota State and Eastern Washington displayed in their matchups against FBS competition.

North Dakota State (2-0) opened defense of its three consecutive FCS national titles with a 34-14 thrashing of Iowa State on Aug. 30. This past Saturday, Eastern Washington (2-1) lost a 59-52 thriller at Washington as junior quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 475 yards and seven touchdowns.

NDSU remained at No. 1 after collecting 137 of the 158 first-place votes and 3,928 points. Eastern Washington, which held onto the No. 2 ranking despite the loss to the Huskies, had the other 21 first-place votes and 3,744 points.

Voters have taken notice of how FCS teams are faring against the FBS. After the first weekend of action, Bethune-Cookman was the biggest mover in the poll following a win at FIU, while Montana, Northern Iowa, Villanova and Chattanooga moved up after close losses. This week, McNeese State moved up one spot to No. 6 following a last-minute loss at Nebraska.

The remainder of the Top 10 was No. 4 Montana (1-1), No. 5 Coastal Carolina (2-0), No. 6 McNeese State (0-1), No. 7 New Hampshire (0-1), No. 8 Villanova (1-1), No. 9 Jacksonville State (1-1) and No. 10 Northern Iowa (0-1). Villanova and Jacksonville State gained in the poll after important wins over Fordham and Chattanooga, respectively, on Saturday.

Next up were No. 11 South Dakota State (1-1), No. 12 Furman (2-0), No. 13 Bethune-Cookman (1-0), No. 14 Chattanooga (0-2), No. 15 Sam Houston State (1-2), No. 16 William & Mary (1-1), No. 17 Montana State (1-1), No. 18 Richmond (1-1), No. 19 Fordham (1-1) and No. 20 Southern Illinois (2-0), which after beating Eastern Illinois moved into the rankings for the first time since Oct. 3, 2011.

Youngstown State (1-1) checked in at No. 21 as one of five ranked teams from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Tennessee State (1-1) was No. 22, followed by No. 23 Maine (1-0), one of the five CAA Football teams in the rankings, No. 24 Northern Arizona (1-1) and No. 25 Eastern Illinois (0-2).

Towson dropped out of the Top 25 following its second straight loss.

A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the Top 25. In the voting, a first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.

During the regular season, the Top 25 will be released every Monday afternoon, except for the final weekend of the regular season, when it will be released Sunday morning, Nov. 23, prior to the selection of the 24-team FCS playoff field.

The Sports Network will release a final Top 25 following the FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 10 in Frisco, Texas.