CAPE COD, Mass. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced the first weekly ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Football Poll presented by FieldTurf Tarkett of the 2009 season. In the Bowl Subdivision poll, Cincinnati (5-0), ranked No. 8 nationally, opens at No. 1 with Penn State (5-1) in second and South Florida (5-0) in third place. Defending national champion Richmond (5-0) grabs the top spot in the Championship Subdivision poll with New Hampshire (5-0) second and Villanova (5-1) third. Bloomsburg (Pa.), undefeated at 7-0, is the top team in Division II. Unbeaten Wesley (5-0), ranked fifth in the country, takes the top spot in the Division III poll.

The ECAC will release the weekly poll in each of the four divisions (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II and Division III) and the final poll in January will determine the trophy winners. The first place teams in the final poll will be presented with their Lambert Meadowlands Awards during the Eastern College Football Awards Banquet, held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

Established in 1936 as the Lambert Trophy to recognize supremacy in Eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best team in the East in the Bowl Subdivision. In 1957, the Lambert Cup was created to recognize non-Division I-A teams, and in 1966 a Division III award was added. In 1983, the Lambert family decided the Meadowlands Sports Complex would be the best organization with a sincere and involved interest in college athletics to sponsor and manage the award, and since that time, the awards have been known as the Lambert Meadowlands Awards.

To be eligible for the Lambert Meadowlands Award, a school must be located in the East or play at least half of its schedule against eligible Lambert teams. The territory includes New York, New Jersey, New England and Pennsylvania, while teams in the bordering states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia qualify if at least half of their schedule features eligible teams. Teams in Eastern-based football conferences, regardless of location, qualify if at least half their schedule is against Lambert eligible teams.

About the ECAC®
The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic and the only multi-divisional conference in the country with approximately 300 Division I, II, and III colleges and universities. The ECAC stretches from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors nearly 100 championships in 37 men's and women's sports and assigns more than 4,400 officials in 12 sports. The ECAC also administers nine affiliate sports organizations and six playing leagues, and through the public relations arm of the conference, more than 2,000 student-athletes are recognized annually. Finally, the ECAC serves as the primary conference for select members in the sports of men's ice hockey, women's ice hockey, and men's lacrosse.

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Bowl Subdivision (I-A) Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf Tarkett

1. Cincinnati                           

2. Penn State                         

3. South Florida                     

4. Pittsburgh                          

5. West Virginia                   

6. Boston College                  

7. Rutgers                               

8. Connecticut                          

9. Navy                                  

10. Army                           

10. Temple                             
             

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Championship Subdivision (I-AA) Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf Tarkett

1. Richmond                        

2. New Hampshire             

3. Villanova                        

4. William & Mary               

5. Colgate                             

6. Delaware                            

7. Holy Cross                     

8. Massachusetts                   

9. James Madison                 

10. Lafayette                               

10. Harvard                             

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Division II Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf Tarkett

1. Bloomsburg                     

2. Edinboro                         

3. California (PA)                  

4. Bentley                             

5. Shippensburg                     

6. East Stroudsburg           

7. West Chester                   

8. Mercyhurst                      

8. Clarion                           

10. Slippery Rock                  

10. Southern Conn. State       

ECAC® Lambert Meadowlands Division III Football Poll
presented by FieldTurf Tarkett

1. Wesley                         

2. Washington & Jefferson    

3. Alfred                             

4. Albright                          

5. Thomas More                     

6. Delaware Valley           

7. Kean                              

8. Cortland State                    

9. Ithaca                                 

10. Union