CAPE COD, Mass. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced the eighth weekly ECAC Lambert Meadowlands Football Poll presented by FieldTurf, the last until all teams wrap up their seasons with playoffs and bowl championships.  Despite many teams having the week off or being finished with their season, all four polls saw a change in rankings.  West Virginia moved back to the top of the Football Bowl Subdivision poll with a 35-10 win over Big East foe Pittsburgh.  William & Mary, No. 4 in the nation going into the weekend, stays atop the Football Championship Subdivision poll, as the top five teams in that poll had the week off.  Mercyhurst remains at the head of the Division II poll; out of the three previously ranked teams in action, they were the only one to come away with a win.  Wesley College (11-0) remains perfect on the season with a 44-7 win over Montclair State, and remains as the only team amongst the four polls to be in the No. 1 position since it began in October.

Across the four polls, two teams reentered with Louisville and Springfield rejoining the Football Bowl Subdivision and Division III polls respectively, both at No. 10.  In the Division III poll, previously No. 7 Alfred jumps up to No. 2 after its 34-20 win over Cortland State.

This is the last poll the ECAC will release until the final poll in January, which will determine the trophy winners.  The first place teams in the final poll will be presented with their Lambert Meadowlands Awards during the Eastern College Football Awards Banquet at the New Meadowlands Stadium in February.

Established in 1936 as the Lambert Trophy to recognize supremacy in Eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best team in the East in the Bowl Subdivision. In 1957, the Lambert Cup was created to recognize non-Division I-A teams, and in 1966 a Division III award was added. In 1983, the Lambert family decided the Meadowlands Sports Complex would be the best organization with a sincere and involved interest in college athletics to sponsor and manage the award, and since that time, the awards have been known as the Lambert Meadowlands Awards.

To be eligible for the Lambert Meadowlands Award, a school must be located in the East or play at least half of its schedule against eligible Lambert teams.  The territory includes New York, New Jersey, New England and Pennsylvania, while teams in the bordering states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia qualify if at least half of their schedule features eligible teams.  Teams in Eastern-based football conferences, regardless of location, qualify if at least half their schedule is against Lambert eligible teams

About the ECAC®

The ECAC is the nation’s largest athletic and the only multi-divisional conference in the country with approximately 300 Division I, II, and III colleges and universities. The ECAC stretches from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors nearly 100 championships in 37 men’s and women’s sports and assigns more than 4,400 officials in 12 sports. The ECAC also administers nine affiliate sports organizations and six playing leagues, and through the public relations arm of the conference, more than 2,000 student-athletes are recognized annually. Finally, the ECAC serves as the primary conference for select members in the sports of men’s ice hockey, women’s ice hockey, and men’s lacrosse.

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Bowl Subdivision Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

Record Points

1. West Virginia                      8-3       242
2. Navy                                   8-3       206
3. Connecticut                        7-4       200
4. Penn State                         7-5       196
5. Pittsburgh                          6-5       136
6. South Florida                      7-4       124
7. Temple                               8-4       110
8. Boston College                   7-5       80
9. Syracuse                             7-5       66
10. Louisville                           6-6       40

ARV: Army, Cincinnati, Rutgers.

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Championship Subdivision Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

Record Points

1. William & Mary                   8-3       154
2. Delaware                           9-2       146
3. Villanova                            7-4       116
4. Penn                                  9-1       114    
5. New Hampshire                 7-4       106
6. Lehigh                               10-2      84
7. James Madison                  6-5        52
8. Harvard                             7-3        30
9. Richmond                           6-5       28
10. Robert Morris                   8-3       20

ARV: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Yale.

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Division II Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

Record Points            

1. Mercyhurst                          9-2       120
2. Bloomsburg                        10-3      108
3. Kutztown                           10-2       96
4. California (Pa.)                   10-2       84
5. New Haven                         8-2        72
6. Edinboro                             7-4        52
7. American International       6-4        40
7. C. W. Post                           7-4       40
9. Gannon                               6-5        32      
10. Bentley                              5-4       12

ARV: Indiana (Pa.).

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Division III Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf

Record Points

1. Wesley                                11-0     200
2. Alfred                                  10-2     156
3. Thomas More                      11-1     142
4. Cortland State                    10-2     120
5. Montclair State                   10-2     118
5. Delaware Valley                   9-3     118
7. Rowan                                 9-1      84
8. Williams                               8-0      66
9. St. John Fisher                     9-2      30
10. Salisbury                            7-3      24      
10. Springfield                         9-2       24

ARV: SUNY-Maritime, Washington & Jefferson, Muhlenberg.