After thrashing Towson 51-13, Delaware remained just outside the top five of the latest FCS Football rankings. 

The Blue Hens, facing a Towson team that had scored wins against New Hampshire and William & Mary already this season, didn’t overlook the Tigers. They led by as many as 34-0 in the first half at one point. 

But the win wasn’t good enough to move up in the rankings as Delaware stayed at No.6 in the FCS Coaches poll. 

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• Delaware Football Schedule 2023: What To Know

However, the FCS poll could be getting a drastic makeover in Week 10 as No.1-ranked South Dakota State plays rival No. 10 North Dakota State, No. 2-ranked Furman faces No. 13 Chattanooga and No. 3 Montana faces No. 7 Sacramento State. 

Delaware, meanwhile, faces Elon, who scored a victory against William & Mary, which stayed in the rankings after a 31-28 win over Monmouth in Week 9. The Tribe are No. 24. 

New Hampshire, which had been the only team ranked without winning record the week before, finally dropped from the rankings after a 34-28 loss to Rhode Island.

Villanova, which beat Stony Brook 48-13, entered the rankings at No. 22. The 6-2 Wildcats give the CAA three teams ranked in the top 25. 

Villanova and UNH play a massive CAA game in Week 10. 

Here’s a look at the rankings.

FCS Football Rankings For Week 9

• No. 1 South Dakota St. (25)    8-0    625    
• No. 2 Furman    7-1    577    
• No. 3 Montana    7-1    544    
• No. 4 UIW    7-1    533    
• No. 5 Idaho    6-2    515
• No. 6 Delaware    7-1    507    
• No. 7 Sacramento St.    6-2    471    
• No. 8 Montana St.    6-2    458    
• No. 9 North Carolina Central    7-1    407    
• N. 10 North Dakota St.    6-2    398    
• No. 11 Southern Illinois    6-2    380    
• No. 12 South Dakota    6-2    330    9        
• No. 13t.    Chattanooga    7-2    296    
• No, 13t.    Florida A&M    7-1    296    
• No. 15 North Dakota    5-3    260    
• No.16 Lafayette    7-1    241    
• No. 17 Austin Peay    6-2    218    
• No. 18     UT Martin    6-2    179    
• No. 19 Harvard    6-1    137    
• No. 20 Western Carolina    5-3    124    
• No. 21 Holy Cross    5-3    120    
• No. 22 Villanova    6-2    107    
• No. 23     Northern Iowa    5-3    105    
• No. 24 William & Mary    5-3    83    
• No. 25 Central Arkansas    5-3    73    

Dropped Out: New Hampshire (20t), UC Davis (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Mercer, 50; Youngstown St., 44; Fordham, 27; Albany, 23; Illinois St., 7; New Hampshire, 5; Eastern Illinois, 3; Princeton, 2; Davidson, 1; Samford, 1.

FCS Playoffs 2023 Outlook

Twenty-four teams will advance to the FCS playoffs in 2023.  Ten of those teams will automatically qualify for the playoffs via conference titles. Those conferences are: 

• Big Sky 
• Big South/Ohio Valley 
• Coastal Athletic Association 
• Missouri Valley Football Conference
• Northeast
• Patriot League
• Pioneer Football League
• Southern
• Southland
• United Athletic Conference

The Ivy League does not enter the FCS playoffs, meaning No. 19-ranked Harvard won't be in the field. If the season ended on Oct. 23., South Dakota State would likely be the overall No.1 seed and Delaware would be the CAA automatic qualifier. 

When Do The 2023 FCS Playoffs Start?

The first round of the FCS playoffs are scheduled for Nov. 25. 

When Is The 2024 FCS National Championship Game?

The FCS National Championship is at 2 p.m. on Jan. 7 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game will be on ABC. 

How To Watch FCS Football 

FloFootball and the FloSports app is home to CAA college football and more. FloFootball will also be home to game replays and highlights 

For more action, including all the CAA conference games, check out the FloFootball schedule page.

Archived Footage On FloFootball

Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloFootball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

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