CAPE COD, MA—Montclair State and Kean were ranked sixth and 10th respectively in the final ECAC Lambert Meadowlands Football Poll of the 2009 season released on January 4.
The ECAC releases weekly Lambert polls in each of the four divisions (Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III). The first place teams in the final poll will be presented with the Lambert Meadowlands Award during the Eastern College Football Awards Banquet.
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 each NCAA football classification.
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.