Oct. 19, 2009

VILLANOVA, Pa. - In the latest national polls released today, Villanova is ranked No. 4 in the nation in both the Sports Network Top 25 poll and the FCS Coaches Poll. The Wildcats currently own the fourth-longest active streak for consecutive weeks ranked in the top 10 in the country.

Last week, Villanova posted its first shutout since 2002 with a 27-0 victory at then-No. 16 James Madison. One week after suffering its first loss of the year, the Wildcats bounced back in a big way and avenged a pair of losses to the Dukes last season. As a result of Saturday afternoon's win, Villanova moved up two spots in this week's polls from No. 6 to No. 4.

The game against James Madison was the third straight for Villanova against a nationally-ranked opponent. The Wildcats hosted William & Mary on Oct. 3 (28-17 win) and played at New Hampshire on Oct. 10 (28-24 loss) prior to the game against the Dukes. Villanova is 7-6 against ranked opponents since the start of the 2007 season.

Villanova has now been ranked in the top 10 for 17 straight weeks, a streak that trails only Appalachian State (56 weeks), Northern Iowa (37) and Richmond (26). The Wildcats are 12-2 in their last 14 games against league rivals from the CAA, which currently has four teams in the top eight poll positions.

This week, Villanova returns home after two straight games on the road to host Rhode Island in its homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.