Oct. 10, 2011
BALTIMORE, MD -- The Johns Hopkins football team continued its steady climb in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Poll as the Blue Jays are ranked 15th in this week's poll. The Blue Jays earned 409 points to rank 15th and move up one spot from last week's ranking of 16th. Johns Hopkins was ranked 23rd in the inaugural AFCA Poll on September 19 and moved to 20th and 16th before this week's number 15 ranking.
In addition to being ranked 15th by the AFCA, Johns Hopkins is also ranked 20th in this week's d3football.com poll. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the AFCA Poll to reflect JHU's official national ranking.
The AFCA Poll is headed again this week by two-time defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, which grabbed 39 of 42 first-place votes and totaled 1,047 points. Mount Union earned the other two first-place votes and checks in at number two with 1,010 points. St. Thomas (MN) (929), Mary Hardin-Baylor (922) and Linfield (OR) (883) round out the top five.
This is the 22nd week that JHU has been ranked in the top 25 since the formation of the AFCA poll in 1999. Including this week's #15 ranking, JHU has been in the top 25 or listed as receiving votes 60 times since 1999. This is the 14th time Johns Hopkins has been ranked in the top 20 and this week's ranking is tied for the third highest in school history. JHU's highest-ever ranking - eighth (8th) - came in the final poll of the 2009 season after the Blue Jays advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Hopkins was ranked 13th for one week in 2003 and has been ranked 15th on two other occasions.
The Blue Jays have currently won 10 straight games dating back to last season, a streak that is one shy of the school record, currently ranks as the second-longest active Division III winning streak in the nation and is tied for the third-longest active winning streak in all divisions of NCAA college football. Wisconsin-Whitewater's 35-game winning streak is currently the longest in Division III and overall, while Stanford's 13-game streak tops Division I-A (FBS) and ranks second overall. Johns Hopkins' 10-game streak is tied with Oklahoma (FBS), Washburn (Division II), Colorado State Pueblo (Division II) and Wayne State (Division II) as the third longest active streaks in the nation.
Johns Hopkins will put its 10-game streak on the line on Friday, October 14 when the Blue Jays welcome Dickinson to Homewood Field. A win against the Red Devils would tie the school record for the longest winning streak (set twice previously: 2002-03, 2004-05) and give JHU just its fifth 6-0 start in school history. Hopkins previously started 6-0 or better in 1892 (7-0), 1931 (6-0), 2003 (7-0) and 2005 (7-0).
AFCA Division III Coaches Poll (10-10-2011)
Rk. - School (Record/Points)
1. - Wisconsin-Whitewater (39) (5-0/1,047)
2. - Mount Union (3) (5-0/1,010)
3. - St. Thomas (MN) (6-0/)929
4. - Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX) (5-0/922)
5. - Linfield (OR) (4-0/883)
6. - Thomas More (KY) (5-0/807)
7. - Montclair St. (NJ) (5-0/743)
8. - Kean (NJ) (5-0/707)
9. - North Central (IL) (4-1/687)
10. - Delaware Valley (PA) (6-0/650)
11. - Wesley (DE) (4-1/614)
12. - Salisbury (MD) (5-0/510)
13. - Wabash (IN) (5-0/504)
14. - Illinois Wesleyan (5-0/495)
15. - Johns Hopkins (5-0/409)
16. - Bethel (MN) (4-1/400)
17. - Wheaton (IL) (4-1/320)
18. - Trinity (TX) (5-0/304)
19. - Wartburg (IA) (5-1/282)
20. - Adrian (MI) (6-0/231)
21. - Cal Lutheran (3-1/199)
22. - Alfred (NY) (4-1/129)
23. - Redlands (CA) (3-1/114)
24. - Wittenburg (OH) (5-1/103)
25. - Franklin (IN) (5-1/72)
- 30 -