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.
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.
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