Taking a note from the men’s college rankings, the Women’s DI College Top 20s have been parceled into seasons. These rankings include fall-based and split-season teams, as well as any spring teams that play meaningful (i.e., competitive) schedules throughout the remainder of 2015. In the New Year, a new Top 20 will evaluate teams building toward a spring championship.

The fall has already been dramatic, and Army is leading the charge. Last year, the Black Knights went winless against their Northeast counterparts, but officially christened this season a turnaround with a 43-17 win over Norwich last weekend.

Lindenwood has shocked as well, posting two 100+ wins over Northern Iowa and Indiana. The Lady Lions might have ranked a couple of spots lower – below Norwich – if UNI and Indiana weren’t traditionally strong programs, but we think those scorelines reflect Lindenwood’s power more than their opponents’ rebuilding status. Those questions will be answered, as Lindenwood plays Army on Friday night and Penn State Saturday afternoon.

There are several teams that won’t start their competitive seasons until October, and at first glance, it appears that some teams are given the benefit of the doubt over others. But for teams like Central Washington, BYU, and Life – all of which are getting later starts to their season – we know they’re returning many playoff-hardened athletes and exciting new recruits. The rest of the idle teams, we’ll have to wait until they play meaningful games.

There are some new names on the fall Top 20, as well. UConn is 2-0 in the DI Northeast. The conference used to be split into two tiers, but the top three teams have left the league for varsity-only competition.

The Big Ten could be a little tighter at the top this year – with the exception of Penn State, of course. The traditional runner-up, Indiana, dropped two big games to Lindenwood and DII Davenport during pre-season. The Redstorm opened up the league season with a solid win over Michigan State, but the nod went to Michigan, which defeated Ohio State in a convincing 55-7 contest. Notre Dame looked good, too, so we could see some teams cycle through that league #2 spot.

And Iowa State overcame longtime regional power Northern Iowa, which has fallen off a bit this year. Not only had head coach Steve Murra stepped down, but the university imposed a $500/season membership fee that has excluded some of the team’s best players. Needless to say, UNI is rebuilding.

There are some important games this weekend that we’ll be tracking, so stay tuned for reports and their effect on the rankings.