WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsMocs shrug off rise in rankings

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) -- At No. 14 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll and No. 17 in the FCS Coaches' poll this week, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program is enjoying its highest ranking in nearly 20 years.

Or at least it would be if it paid any attention to where it was ranked.

"You know, I haven't really talked about the rankings much. Maybe I should start. It's kind of cool," said head coach Russ Huesman. "Our guys all know what we're ranked, I think."

Turns out they don't.

"I don't know. I haven't even looked at the polls. We're just looking straight ahead," said running back Chris Awuah.

"I think someone said we're ranked 14th in one or something like that," added linebacker Wes Dothard. "That's about all I know. I haven't really paid attention to it."

While the Mocs may not be aware of the number in front of their name, one would think they'd always know the ranking of an opponent to use it as motivation.

But Huesman said no one in the locker room really realized last week's win over No. 10 Jacksonville State was the program's first win over a top-ten team since 2000.

"Somebody said hoopty-holler or something and started cheering. Then I got them up and said they beat the number ten team in the country. They probably knew it, but that was when it finally hit them that they did," he said.

The primary reason for UTC to be skeptical of the polls is how biased the FCS system can be. Perennial power teams rarely drop far even in bad years, and newcomers find it hard to break through.

Huesman used defending national champ and preseason No. 1 Eastern Washington as a prime example. The Eagles are still ranked tenth in the FCS Coaches' poll despite an 0-2 record, which includes a 30-17 loss to newly-ranked South Dakota (1-1).

"I guarantee if we lose a game we won't get any votes we'll be so far out of that poll," Huesman said. "I don't think anyone's scared of us right now. I think they think they've gotten better but they're not championship caliber."

After last season's upset of Georgia Southern, a few UTC players said they finally felt a swagger coming back to the program.

Huesman disagrees.

He's wary to use the term, noting a different between confidence and swagger. The latter, he said, is something the Mocs will have to earn by becoming one of the elite FCS programs.

"The swagger isn't back for us until we win a championship, go to the playoffs, and do those things," Huesman said. "We'll figure out that swagger thing, if we have it or not, at the end of the year."