We’ve crossed the midpoint of the 2023 college football season (already?).
Time to take stock of the Old North State gridiron landscape as we prepare for what should be an exciting stretch run. Here is a recap of this week’s Statewide Standings (full standings posted below):
The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears and North Carolina Tar Heels rolled to comfortable victories Saturday and look as solid as ever. The Bears and Heels remain North Carolina’s last unbeatens. Lenoir-Rhyne is the first to seven wins.
A lot of football remains but it’s time to start asking: can either or both of these teams finish the regular season with perfect records? UNC still has ACC stalwarts Duke and Clemson on the schedule, plus rival NC State and always tricky Georgia Tech. Lenoir-Rhyne plays three more games against SAC Piedmont foes: Newberry (defending champs), Wingate (NCAA D2 quarterfinalist a year ago) and Catawba.
—> READ MORE: Lenoir-Rhyne continues mastery over Barton, South Atlantic Conference foes
Duke, Western Carolina, North Carolina Central and Mars Hill sit right behind the two statewide leaders with 5-1 records. WCU’s only loss came in the season opener to an Arkansas team that pushed Alabama to the limit this past weekend.
Barton, Fayetteville State and Johnson C. Smith each have five wins and two losses. Fayetteville State, the defending champion of the Division II CIAA, is riding a five-game win streak since losing non-conference games to Lenoir-Rhyne and UNC Pembroke.
Speaking of UNCP, the Braves got back over the .500 mark with one of the most impressive wins of the weekend, 49-7 over Fairmont State. Pembroke rushed for 470 yards against a team that had been in the top 20 of Division II in total defense. Coach Mark Hall is building a program that may be a force when the school shifts in Conference Carolinas in 2025. The Braves certainly can be spoilers in the Mountain East this season.
After week seven, the Old North State has 14 teams with winning records and four more sitting even at 3-3. That leaves 17 squads below the .500 mark, including four that still don’t have a win.
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Conference title contenders
A bunch of teams still have legitimate shots at conference championships.
UNC and Duke have undefeated ACC records (along with Florida State). Lenoir-Rhyne (5-0 conference) put itself in the driver’s seat in the Piedmont Division of the D2 South Atlantic Conference with wins over Limestone (4-1) and Barton (3-2) the past two weeks.
Mars Hill (4-1 SAC) has kept pace with Tusculum (also 4-1) in the SAC’s Mountain Division. The Lions played in last year’s conference title game. They face Tusculum on Nov. 4.
Western Carolina plays one of the biggest games in program history this Saturday in Cullowhee against Furman. Both purple-clad squads have unbeaten Southern Conference rankings and Top 10 FCS credentials.
North Carolina Central hasn’t started MEAC play yet — that kicks off Thursday in Baltimore against Morgan State in an ESPNU nationally televised contest. It’s hard to imagine anyone keeping this talented squad away from Atlanta and the Celebration Bowl this December. Howard, Norfolk State and South Carolina State are 2-4 right now. Morgan State is 1-4, while Delaware State is 1-5.
Davidson gets the award for comeback team of the year at the midpoint. The Wildcats fell off the radar after early season losses to VMI and D2 Barton. But coach Scott Abell’s team now sits on top of the Pioneer League standings at 3-0 with Drake. St. Thomas and Marist are 3-1.
Davidson beat Marist a few weeks ago. The ‘Cats don’t play either Drake or St. Thomas, finishing PFL play against Valparaiso (1-5, 0-3), Presbyterian (3-3, 1-2), Stetson (3-3, 1-2), Morehead State (3-3, 2-2) and Dayton (2-5, 0-4).
Fayetteville State still looms as the team to beat in the CIAA South. The Broncos (5-0 conference) don’t always win pretty, and they sure don’t score a lot. But they have done just enough to fend off all challengers thus far. Games against Johnson C. Smith (4-1 CIAA) and Winston-Salem State (3-2) stand in the way of another trip to Salem, Va..
The Brevard Tornados have stormed through USA South competition after starting 0-3 against non-league foes. The Division III ‘Nados improved to 4-0 in conference play with an impressive 52-20 triumph over Methodist.
Brevard, which will take this coming Saturday off, still has games remaining against league leaders Huntingdon (3-1) on Nov. 4 and Belhaven (4-0) on Nov. 11. North Carolina Wesleyan (2-1), which won its second game in a row Saturday, still looms in the mix.
Wingate and Elon technically haven’t fallen out of title contention in their respective leagues. But the Bulldogs from the South Atlantic and the Phoenix from the CAA have uphill climbs after recent losses and may need some help.
Looking Ahead
Charlotte and East Carolina have struggled mightily this season, with each school earning just one win thus far. The 49ers and Pirates meet for the first time as American Athletic Conference members Saturday afternoon in Greenville. One of these beleaguered fan bases will enjoy the taste of winning this weekend.
Johnson C. Smith travels to Fayetteville State. The Golden Bulls can draw even with FSU in the CIAA standings with a road win. The Broncos could all but lock up the South Division crown by turning JCSU away.
Lenoir-Rhyne’s SAC title quest goes on the road again, with the Bears facing last year’s conference champs, Newberry.
Duke has opened a 16-point underdog for its Saturday night clash at Florida State. One ACC unbeaten will drop from the ranks after the final whistle in Tallahassee. North Carolina, meanwhile, looks to avoid a letdown against visiting Virginia.
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- Gardner-Webb football duo collects Big South/OVC honors
- Western Carolina QB Cole Gonzales named Walter Payton finalist, 1st-team all-conference
