Nov. 7, 2011

Official AFCA Poll Release (11-7-11)

BALTIMORE, MD -- The Johns Hopkins football team has moved into the top 10 of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Poll. The Blue Jays check in at number 10 in this week's poll and earned 640 points. This is the first time Johns Hopkins has ever been ranked in the top 10 during the regular season (JHU was ranked 8th in the final poll of the 2009 season). The climb to #10 has been a steady one for the Blue Jays, who were ranked 23rd in the inaugural AFCA Poll on September 19 and moved to 20th, 16th, 15th, 14th, 12th and 11th before this week's number 10 ranking.

In addition to being ranked 10th by the AFCA, Johns Hopkins is also ranked 12th in this week's d3football.com poll. Johns Hopkins was also ranked second in the official NCAA Regional Rankings announced last Thursday (Nov. 3). The next set of regional rankings will be announced on November 10. The Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications Office uses the AFCA Poll to reflect JHU's official national ranking.

Two-time defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater continues to lead the AFCA poll as the Warhawks grabbed 41 of 42 first-place votes and totaled 1,049 points to easily outdistance second-ranked Mount Union, which earned the other first-place vote and checks in with 1,005 points. St. Thomas (MN) (953), Mary Hardin-Baylor (930) and Linfield (OR) (884) round out the top five.

This is the 26th week that JHU has been ranked in the top 25 since the formation of the AFCA poll in 1999. Including this week's #10 ranking, Johns Hopkins has been in the top 25 or listed as receiving votes 64 times since 1999. This is the 18th time Johns Hopkins has been ranked in the top 20.

The Blue Jays (9-0, 8-0 Centennial) have currently won a school-record 14 straight games dating back to last season. The streak is the longest in school history and currently ranks as the second-longest active Division III winning streak in the nation. In addition, the streak is tied for the third-longest active winning streak in all divisions of NCAA college football. Wisconsin-Whitewater's 39-game winning streak is currently the longest in Division III and overall, while Stanford's 17-game streak tops Division I-A (FBS) and ranks second overall. Johns Hopkins' 14-game streak is tied with Colorado State Pueblo (Division II) as the third longest active streak and is also tied for the longest winning streak ever by a Centennial Conference team.

Johns Hopkins, which has already wrapped up the Centennial Conference title and the league's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Playffs, closes the regular season this Saturday at rival McDaniel (2-7, 2-6 CC). The bracket for the 2011 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs will be announced on Sunday, November 13 at 6 pm.

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