Undefeated West Georgia now ranks as the No. 1 team in Division II football.
The Wolves (8-0) earned the No. 1 rankings in the American Football Coaches Association poll, the D2Football.com poll and more important the region rankings.
“The No.1 ranking in the media poll and the coaches poll are good things to have,” assistant athletic director Matt Cooke said. “But when it comes down to it for Division II, you don’t get to the playoffs without being ranked in the region.”
The Wolves are the only remaining undefeated team in Super Region Two and one of the five remaining undefeated teams in the AFCA poll.
“Being ranked No. 1 in the region right now, from an athletic-department standpoint, is very exciting.” Cooke said. “It’s the first time we’ve had this happen, and it puts us in a very good place to potentially host the first playoff game in school history.”
“It’s great for our university, athletic department and our football team as a whole,” coach Will Hall said. “Getting that No. 1 ranking will only bring more and more notoriety and more exposure to (the team) and what (the players) are doing.”
Despite the honor and recognition of being the No. 1 team in the nation, the Wolves remain focused on the goals the team set at the beginning of the season.
The team achieved one of its primary goals by defeating its conference in-state rival Valdosta State (5-2) for the first time at home.
Beyond Valdosta State, the Wolves have their eyes on a Gulf South Conference title and the playoffs.
“We set some goals early in the year to beat Valdosta, which we accomplished, and the next one was to win the first outright conference title in school history,” Hall said. “We’re in the driver’s seat to achieve that goal.”
The team has operated on a high-level all season and has dominated each of its opponents. Hall believes that the team’s production is a result of the high level of competition among his players.
“I think the No. 1 way to keep young men motivated is to have somebody behind them that can beat them out,” he said. “We’re really deep, so there’s still battles for starting spots and playing time.”
The Wolves average 41.25 points per game, compared with their opponents’ 13.25. The team has scored more than 50 points twice this season.
Running backs Devontae Jackson and Aares McCall lead the team in rushing yards, with each rushing for more than 450 yards this season. They are followed by quarterback Dallas Dickey, who has gained 435 yards on the ground himself.
Dickey has completed 65.48 percent of his passes for 1,369 yards and 13 touchdowns.
With three regular-season games remaining, the Wolves have survived the toughest part of their schedule. Two of the three teams left on the schedule, Mississippi College (2-5) and Shorter (2-5), are at the bottom of the conference standings.
“Each team we’re going to play will present their own problems and issues to us,” Hall said. “This week we’ve got Mississippi College. It’s on the road, and it’s probably going to be a torrential downpour, so we’ve got to be able to manage that situation.”
