Preseason Top 25 Poll

[Wallst]

No, you gave them a clear backhanded compliment. Finding a new QB will do anything but hamper the offense (lol) and Pueblo is nearly always a RB by committee type team, their most talented and deepest position since they brought the program back in my opinion.

You have won 1 out of conference game since 2016. 1. ONE, UNO UNE EIN.

This years senior class would have been true freshmen in 2016.

Since as stated this is where I think teams match up across the country not based on conference or region and due to your past history of choking every time there is an out of conference game I'm ok ranking you where I did.

Maybe you should just stop playing Mankato. Perhaps the new playoff format will benefit you all.

[Wallst]

Last year I did a preseason top 25 poll about 2 days before the AFCA poll. We both had Minnesota State and Ferris State in our poll in almost exactly the same places but neither AFCA or myself had Valdosta or Notre Dame.

I got crazy heat from IUP fans for daring to rank them 16th.....they didn't make the playoffs. Also got heat from both RMAC fans on here due to my east coast bias. Which is true I am on the east coast, of KANSAS.

This poll is based on who I think the better team is regardless of region or conference.
I put a lot of weight on top returning starters because I don't have enough time to dig deep into every teams news and roster. I admittedly did a very poor job looking to see who was lost on the defensive side of the ball.
Notes are up on why I put the top 12 where I did. After that I ran out of time and energy.
I am only as good as the rosters and stats on YOUR teams homepage. If anything I say is incorrect as far as returning players or leading statistical players blame your SID

So without further ado, making no apologies and moving forward with my general lack of football knowledge from my armchair filled with chip crumbs and surrounded by bourbon glasses here is the preseason top 25 poll.

1. Valdosta State: Won it last year and return QB and RB
2. MN State: They are always a tough hard nosed team and as Josh Buchanan wrote in another thread they have (2) players on the NFL radar
3. Ferris State: Lost in a classic title game last year will come back with returning players and hungry
4. Tarleton State: 3 NFL prospects including 2 at offensive skill positions. Add to that a SR QB in an offensive minded league and you have a team that will be a tough out
5. Notre Dame: a huge surprise last year, now knows what it takes to survive and advance. Return top 2 RB's and QB
6: Ouchita Baptist: Very similar to Notre Dame. Coin flip put them at 6 and ND at 5. Plus OBU lost leading rusher but returns 2nd and 3rd in a running back by committee offense
7:Texas A&M Commerce: Yes I know their preseason conference poll has them in 3rd in their own league and I give ZERO bourbons about that. They return a qb into a big offense. This same QB
replaced a great qb and led Commerce to the regional semifinals last year. Plus I think Midwestern loses too much.
8: Indianapolis: Hard to argue against a team that hasn't lost a conference game since 2016 and brings back leading rushers. Needs to replace QB and find out how to deal with new conference
member Lindenwood formerly of the MIAA
9. Northwest Missouri : They had a "terrible" year last year floundering to a 10-3 record before losing to eventual national runner up Ferris State. MIAA has a chance to be incestuously brutal this year
and NW looks like the cream of the crop.
10. Lenoir Rhyne -always there and bring back most of their offense. Their gimmick offense works well until they run into a team that is just way more athletic - See Valdosta game last year
11. Fort Hays State: Solid team, great coach but until they can get over the playoff jitters and losing one game they shouldn't in conference it's hard to rank them any higher.
12: CSU Pueblo: Great D but easy to look great on D in a conference full of pillow fighters. Looks like a new QB this year who will be a QB with NFL bloodlines. Also need to replace leading rusher.
13. Minnesota Duluth
14. Ashland
15: West Georgia
16: Slippery Rock
17:Ohio Dominican - I just think they have a lot to play for
18. Hillsdale
19. Bowie State
20. University Central Oklahoma
21. Winona State
22. Harding
23. Grand Valley
24. Colorado School of Mines
25. Sioux Falls

Others receiving votes in my head from various sips of bourbon: Lindenwood, University Central Missouri, Midwestern State (watch they will win it all since I dogged on them), Saginaw State, West Chester, Bemidji State (penalty points for being hard to spell), Florida Tech, West Alabama

89. IUP.

not bad...out of 16 remaining teams I had 12 in my top 27.
D2 football preseason poll has 10 out of 16 left but they didn't do others also receiving votes so we can say D2 might have 12 still in out of top 27.
AFCA 10 out of the 16 left. You have to go out to # 36 in the others receiving votes for that poll to get to 12 teams left.

All of us missed on the exact same teams
We all liked West Georgia over West Florida
AFCA and I both had Lindenwood and UCM in our other receiving votes
AFCA also had a couple others on OTV at the very bottom that I don't really count.
All of us missed badly on Kutztown, Sheperd ,and Carson Newman.

[Wide_Right]

not bad...out of 16 remaining teams I had 12 in my top 27.
D2 football preseason poll has 10 out of 16 left but they didn't do others also receiving votes so we can say D2 might have 12 still in out of top 27.
AFCA 10 out of the 16 left. You have to go out to # 36 in the others receiving votes for that poll to get to 12 teams left.

All of us missed on the exact same teams
We all liked West Georgia over West Florida
AFCA and I both had Lindenwood and UCM in our other receiving votes
AFCA also had a couple others on OTV at the very bottom that I don't really count.
All of us missed badly on Kutztown, Sheperd ,and Carson Newman.

So... who do you see in N.C.??

[Brandon]

So... who do you see in N.C.??

Lenoir-Rhyne? Wingate? Fayetteville State?

[Wide_Right]

Lenoir-Rhyne? Wingate? Fayetteville State?

I can see you C-Pap is on the fritz! Lol.

[Boohaha]

Maybe you should just stop playing Mankato. Perhaps the new playoff format will benefit you all.

This didn't age well.....HAHAHA

[Marvin Everett]

That was very clever their Brandon.

[OldBison]

[Wallst]

So... who do you see in N.C.??

Not going out too much on a limb here but I would say Valdosta and Minnesota State. As a fan I don't think the MIAA has a team good enough, so the fan in me wants Notre Dame and Commerce.

[Wallst]

This didn't age well.....HAHAHA

lol or perhaps too well? Turbonium was pissed that I ranked Pueblo 12th and apparently didn't do enough homework about their team, even though I led off with the face I'm only as good as the stats on the team page. I responded that I ranked them 12th because they have beaten 1 OOC team since 2015 and all of their last losses have come to MN State.

Should be an interesting Saturday for D2 message board I told you so's between Turbo and I! which will have to come Monday for me. For me, this is a weekend brought to you by bourbon

[Boohaha]

lol or perhaps too well? Turbonium was pissed that I ranked Pueblo 12th and apparently didn't do enough homework about their team, even though I led off with the face I'm only as good as the stats on the team page. I responded that I ranked them 12th because they have beaten 1 OOC team since 2015 and all of their last losses have come to MN State.

Should be an interesting Saturday for D2 message board I told you so's between Turbo and I! which will have to come Monday for me. For me, this is a weekend brought to you by bourbon

Honestly this year it appears Pueblo may have a sufficient offense to win on what their defense gives.

[Wide_Right]

I agree, that Minnesota Mankato and VSU are the favorites. Although the Blazers have get it done with a very good West Florida team.
If I had to pick an upset special, it would be Slipper Rock and Roland Rivers.

[FSUBulldog27]

lol or perhaps too well? Turbonium was pissed that I ranked Pueblo 12th and apparently didn't do enough homework about their team, even though I led off with the face I'm only as good as the stats on the team page. I responded that I ranked them 12th because they have beaten 1 OOC team since 2015 and all of their last losses have come to MN State.

Should be an interesting Saturday for D2 message board I told you so's between Turbo and I! which will have to come Monday for me. For me, this is a weekend brought to you by bourbon

No Ferris State love

[4nick8]

No Ferris State love

Not without J-rue

[FSUBulldog27]

Not without J-rue

Travis will be enough. Remember him?