Matt Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 http://www.soconspor...Poll/index.html North Dakota State Tabbed Top Team in Preseason Poll SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the second straight season, North Dakota State Bison will start the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the FCS Coaches Preseason Poll. The Bison are coming off back-to-back FCS National Championships in 2011 and 2012, going 28-2 over that stretch with victories over FBS schools Minnesota and Colorado State. North Dakota State defeated Sam Houston State 39-13 in the FCS National Championship to cap a 14-1 campaign in 2012, the second consecutive season in which the two teams met in the title game. The Bison will return 18 starters, including All-American selections Billy Turner at tackle and Marcus Williams at cornerback. The Bison also bring back starting quarterback and 2012 FCS National Championship MVP Brock Jensen who threw for 2,331 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. NDSU received 23 of 26 first place votes to earn the top spot in the opening poll of the 2013 campaign. Montana State earned the No. 2 preseason ranking and received one first-place vote after finishing 11-2 in 2012. Fellow Big Sky member Eastern Washington is third in the poll, followed by Sam Houston State. Sam Houston State earned a first place vote, as did Eastern Kentucky, which sits at No. 19 in the poll. Wofford holds down the No. 5 spot, while Central Arkansas, South Dakota State, New Hampshire, Villanova and Illinois State round out the top 10. Six Colonial Athletic Association schools earned a top 25 selection, the most from any conference. The Big Sky and Missouri Valley each placed five teams in the poll. In all, nine conferences had representatives in the preseason poll. The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference. The following programs are ineligible for the Coaches Poll due to their transition to the FBS- Appalachian State, Charlotte, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion. Team (No. 1 Votes) 2012 Record Points Final 2012 Ranking 1. North Dakota State (23) 14-1 645 1 2. Montana State (1) 11-2 591 5 3. Eastern Washington 11-3 549 4 4. Sam Houston State (1) 11-4 534 2 5. Wofford 9-4 450 7 6. Central Arkansas 9-3 428 10 7. South Dakota State 9-4 410 17 8. New Hampshire 8-4 386 13 9. Villanova 8-4 381 16 10. Illinois State 9-4 379 9 11. Cal Poly 9-3 348 11 12. Towson 7-4 347 15 13. Stony Brook 10-3 326 12 14. Richmond 8-3 274 18 15. James Madison 7-4 235 21 16. Northern Iowa 5-6 218 NR 17. Lehigh 10-1 198 14 18. Northern Arizona 8-2 196 20 19. Eastern Kentucky (1) 8-3 188 19 20. Bethune-Cookman 9-3 159 23 21. Coastal Carolina 8-5 140 24 22. Montana 6-2* 135 NR 23. Eastern Illinois 7-5 120 25 24. Youngstown State 7-4 107 NR 25. Chattanooga 6-5 104 NR Others receiving votes: Wagner (87), Colgate (67), Tennessee State (52), Harvard (48), Delaware (47), The Citadel (39), Liberty (39), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (35), Indiana State (27), Stephen F. Austin (19), McNeese State (16), Penn (13), Alcorn State (12), Jacksonville State (11), Samford (10), Norfolk State (7), Alabama State (7), UC Davis (7), Southern Illinois (6), Maine (5), Albany (5), Tennessee Tech (5), UT Martin (4), Gardner Webb (4), Sacramento State (3), Hampton (3), San Diego (2), Jackson State (1), Missouri State (1), Brown (1) * Final 6 games of 2012 vacated Note: The following programs are ineligible for the Coaches Poll due to their transition to the FBS- Appalachian State, Charlotte, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNDColorado Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 We better have a chip on our shoulder because some of these teams who are receiving votes are crap. Isn't Hampton a hotel chain? Alcorn State, really? Non-scholly San Diego? We definitely don't deserve to be top 25 but this is flawed. We need to knock off SDSU to make a statement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmksioux Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 We better have a chip on our shoulder because some of these teams who are receiving votes are crap. Isn't Hampton a hotel chain? Alcorn State, really? Non-scholly San Diego? We definitely don't deserve to be top 25 but this is flawed. We need to knock off SDSU to make a statement! You could add Sacremento State to the list as we beat them at their place last year... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMSioux Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Not saying the upper echelon isn't accurate but this isn't a relevent poll - it's just to give fans something to talk about - and that's a good thing. ESPN was discussing how most of these ballots are filled out by ADs or assistant ADs at the schools the coaches don't even bother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNDColorado Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Not saying the upper echelon isn't accurate but this isn't a relevent poll - it's just to give fans something to talk about - and that's a good thing. ESPN was discussing how most of these ballots are filled out by ADs or assistant ADs at the schools the coaches don't even bother. That makes sense. I have never been a fan of any of the coaches polls. I do think it is kind of funny that two teams that we beat last year are ahead of us. As for Sac we owned them in their house last year...let's hope they don't do the same to us this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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