I will be previewing all of the NE-10 football teams over the next 10 days. I will roll out each team in my preseason poll from # 10 to # 1. The NE-10 will release the coaches' preseason poll on August 25th.

The season starts on September 4th when defending champ American International travels to Assumption to open the 2014 season.

Here is the my pick for #8 in the league in 2014:

Southern Connecticut State University Owls (3-8, 3-6 NE-10)

Coach: Tom Godek, 1st season (0-0)

Opening Game: September 6th @ Gannon

2014 Schedule

2013 Stats

2014 Roster

For the first time in 30 years, Southern Connecticut has a new head coach roaming the sidelines and he has some pretty big shoes to fill. Offensive coordinator Tom Godek was promoted to head coach in the spring and is now in charge of getting the Owls back on track from consecutive losing seasons.

The offense has always been the strength of Southern but has struggled mightily the past several years. They need to find a dependable quarterback who can spread the field and move the ball. Sophomore Brandon Basil might be that player and has plenty of weapons to help him succeed. Senior John Moscatel is back after a breakout 2013 season that saw him move to running back. He is listed as a wide receiver and will team with Garry Williams to help Basil stretch the field. The Owls will also need to win the battle in the trenches with their always strong offensive line led by senior Tywan Jenkins.

The defense played well at times and will need to improve if the Owls are going to compete for the NE-10 title. Senior Brian Wilcox will anchor the defense from his linebacking position. Senior cornerback Mike Dunkley led the team with four interceptions last year and will look to stop the passing game of the opposing team. The defensive line will need to stop the running game including senior A.J. Marsiglia.

Head coach Tom Godek has seen the good and bad days at Southern Connecticut as he played and coached there. He won the support of the team as he was the favorite to replace Rich Cavanaugh after he announced his retirement. Now he needs to get his team to play well on the field and get them back into contention.