By Edythe Bradley

The Albany State University Golden Rams continue to climb to the top in the national football polls.

Unbeaten at 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the SIAC, the Golden Rams made a two-spot jump in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll on Monday, leaping from No. 10 to No. 8 as a showdown with Morehouse College, which jumped from No. 22 to No. 19, looms Saturday in Atlanta. Morehouse is 6-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Tuskegee dropped from the poll after a 26-0 loss to Fort Valley State University.

The No. 8 ranking is the second highest under head coach Mike White since he took over in 2000. The Rams made it to No. 2 in 2004, won the SIAC and then had a first-round bye in the D-II playoffs. After winning its second-round game against Arkansas Tech (42-24) that year, the Rams lost to Valdosta State (38-24) in the quarterfinals and ended the season ranked No. 5.

“We rarely ever talk about it, we just try to get ready for the next one,” White said of the team’s improvement in the polls. “Every game is big this time of year, especially this one. Concentration will be high this week.

The Golden Rams hold on to their No. 1 spot in the Heritage Sports Radio Network’s Division II football poll, with Morehouse at No. 3 and Tuskegee at No. 4. The Rams remain at No. 3 in both the Sheridan Broadcasting Network (SBN) Black College Football and Boxtorow.com/Black Athlete.com HBCU Media Top 10 polls.