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 #6 in the league in 2014:

Long Island University-Post Pioneers (5-6, 3-6 NE-10)

Coach: Bryan Collins, 17th season (115-60)

Opening Game: September 6th vs East Stroudsburg


2014 Schedule

2013 Stats

2014 Roster

The welcome back to the NE-10 party never materialized for LIU-Post last year. They were supposed to contend for the league title but struggled the entire year. A second half stumble at Bentley was a precursor for the rest of the season. The Pioneers are hoping for a much better 2014 season.

The offense has plenty of familiar faces back. Redshirt senior quarterback Steve Laurino is back as the signal caller. He is a dual threat as he led the Pioneers in rushing last year. He will have fellow classmate Anthony Brunetti in the backfield after missing most of last year with an injury. Senior wide receiver Kamron Palmer is the top returning pass catcher and will hope to stretch the field for the offense. The Post offensive line is always strong and athletic.

The defense will feature several solid lineman led by senior David Sumter and redshirt sophomore Kenny Scotland. The duo combine for seven sacks and 20 tackles for loss last year. The linebacking core is very young and will need to make plays this year if LIU-Post is going to contend for the league title. Sophomore Ryan Renfroe will be the anchor in the secondary for the Pioneers.

Head coach Bryan Collins has not seen the success on the field the past two years that he has been accustomed to at LIU-Post. He will need get his defense to make plays and get his offense to move the ball consistently. He has plenty of talent on the roster to compete for the league title but it has to translate to the field.