The University of Maine, unranked to begin the season, was listed as No. 22 nationally Monday in the STATS poll for FCS teams after opening the season with a dominating victory against New Hampshire.

The Black Bears received 563 points. New Hampshire dropped out of the top 10 and is listed at No. 20 with 964 points.

Maine will play Saturday night at Western Kentucky, then travel to Central Michigan – both FBS teams – before a third straight road game, taking on Yale, the defending Ivy League champion. Yale is unranked but received 141 points in the poll.

North Dakota State is No. 1, receiving 157 first-place votes from the 160 voters.

James Madison, a member along with Maine and New Hampshire of the Colonial Athletic Association, is No. 2. Other CAA teams ranked are Villanova at No. 12 after defeating Temple; Elon at No. 15; and Stony Brook at No. 24.

Delaware, Rhode Island and Richmond received votes but weren’t ranked.

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ALABAMA: Coach Nick Saban made official what anybody who watched the opener likely assumed: Tua Tagovailoa is the starting quarterback for the top-ranked team.

Saban didn’t wait for the question to be asked before saying Tagovailoa will start Saturday against Arkansas State, but even he acknowledged it wasn’t much of a secret.

OHIO STATE: Coach Urban Meyer returned to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for the first time in a month, arriving before dawn for a staff meeting.

Under the terms of his suspension by Ohio State, Meyer can be on campus, talk to assistants and conduct practice, but is required to disappear for the 24-hour period surrounding the next two games. He’ll be back on the sideline for the Sept. 22 home game against Tulane.

WEST VIRGINIA: Linebacker Charlie Benton will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Coach Dana Holgorsen said Benton will have season-ending surgery after injuring his left knee Saturday in the second quarter of a 40-14 victory against Tennessee.

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CLEMSON: Calmly and clearly, Coach Dabo Swinney shared how once more the second-ranked Tigers will use both senior Kelly Bryant and freshman Trevor Lawrence at quarterback at Texas A&M this week.

Both had good moments Saturday in a blowout win over Furman and both made mistakes, Swinney said. But neither gave the coaches any reason to stick them on the bench against the Aggies (1-0).

ILLINOIS: Wide receiver Mike Dudek will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury sustained Saturday against Kent State – the third major knee injury of the senior’s career.

Dudek missed all of the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and five games last year due to injuries. In 2014, Dudek led FBS freshmen with 79.8 yards receiving per game.

INDIANA: The team lost running back Cole Gest for the remainder of this season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.


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