Villanova University

Oct. 12, 2009

VILLANOVA, Pa. - In the latest national polls released today, Villanova is ranked No. 6 in the nation in both the Sports Network Top 25 poll and the FCS Coaches Poll. The Wildcats currently own the fourth-longest active streak for consecutive weeks ranked in the top 10 in the country.

Last week, Villanova traveled on the road for the first time in conference play and was defeated at New Hampshire by a score of 28-24. The loss dropped the Wildcats from No. 2 to No. 6 in the polls, while New Hampshire moved up one spot in each poll to No. 4.

The game at New Hampshire marked the second straight week that Villanova was involved in a game pitting the No. 2 team against a No. 5 squad. One week earlier, the Wildcats had defeated William & Mary at home by a 28-17 count.

Villanova has now been ranked in the top 10 for 16 straight weeks, a streak that trails only Appalachian State (55 weeks), Northern Iowa (36) and Richmond (25). The Wildcats are 11-2 in their last 13 games against league rivals from the CAA, which currently has four teams in the top seven poll positions.

On tap for this week, the Wildcats will travel to No. 16 James Madison on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Villanova is 6-6 against nationally-ranked opponents since the start of the 2007 season and returns to JMU's Bridgeforth Stadium for the first time since losing there in the quarterfinals of last season's Division I Football Championship.

Saturday's game against James Madison will be broadcast live on the Comcast Network.