Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com

The University of New Hampshire football team, which improved its record to 3-0 with a 32-24 victory over Albany on Saturday, moved up from 10th to No. 7 in this week's Sports Network FCS Top 25 National Poll.

The Wildcats began the 2008 campaign ranked No. 16 in The Sports Network Preseason Top 25.

UNH is off to a 3-0 start for the third time in the last four seasons, and will play at Dartmouth in the Granite Bowl on Saturday. That game will be shown live on WMUR-TV (Channel 9).

The last time UNH opened the season with four consecutive victories was in 2006, when the Wildcats won their first five contests.

The Colonial Athletic Association has three teams among the top 10: Richmond (No. 1), James Madison (No. 2) and UNH (No. 7). The Wildcats also received one first-place vote.

SPORTS NETWORK FCS TOP 25 NATIONAL POLL  
(First-place votes in parenthesis)     

1. Richmond Spiders (49), 2,389
2. James Madison Dukes (37), 2387
3. Appalachian State Mountaineers, 2122
4. Montana Grizzlies (12), 2,095
5. Northern Iowa Panthers (2), 1,979
6. McNeese State Cowboys, 1,760
7. New Hampshire Wildcats (1), 1,528
8. Elon Phoenix, 1,306
9. Cal Poly Mustangs, 1,272
10. North Dakota State Bison, 1,257
11. Eastern Washington Eagles, 1,197
12. Central Arkansas Bears, 1,184
13. The Citadel Bulldogs, 1,155
14. Wofford Terriers, 1,137
15. Southern Illinois Salukis, 1,115
16. Furman Paladins, 970
17. Delaware Blue Hens, 880
18. Massachusetts Minutemen, 870
19. Villanova Wildcats, 883
20. South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 773
21. Eastern Illinois Panthers, 754
22. Western Illinois Leathernecks, 743
23. Tennessee State Tigers (1), 576
24. Georgia Southern Eagles, 544
25. Liberty Flames, 431