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Following a 2016 season in which it spent the entire campaign in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 poll, Ashland University's football team will begin 2017 among those teams receiving votes, as the 2017 AFCA preseason poll was revealed on Monday (Aug. 14) afternoon.
The Eagles received 130 total voting points, just three shy of No. 25 Bemidji State.
Since 2000, when the AFCA took over the official coaches' poll, Ashland has been in the Top 25 on 59 occasions. The 2017 preseason poll snaps a streak of 25 consecutive times the Eagles landed in the Top 25.
Earlier this offseason, the Eagles, who were 9-2 overall and won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division title in 2016, were picked third in the 2017 GLIAC Football Preseason Poll, and were ranked No. 20 in the Lindy's Sports College Football National 2017 Preview preseason poll.
Ashland's 2017 season will begin on Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at Indiana, Pa. The Crimson Hawks are ranked No. 9 in the AFCA preseason poll.
In addition to IUP, the Eagles will play two more teams in the Top 10 of the AFCA preseason poll this season – No. 3 Ferris State at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., and No. 2 Grand Valley State at home on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
2017 AFCA DIVISION II PRESEASON POLL
|
School (1st votes) |
Rec. |
Pts. |
Rank* |
|
1. Northwest Missouri St. (34) |
15-0 |
850 |
1 |
|
2. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) |
12-1 |
765 |
4 |
|
3. Ferris St. (Mich.) |
12-3 |
716 |
5 |
|
4. Emporia St. (Kan.) |
11-2 |
652 |
10 |
|
5. Texas A&M-Commerce |
10-2 |
634 |
9 |
|
6. North Alabama |
11-2 |
622 |
2 |
|
7. Shepherd (W.Va.) |
13-1 |
574 |
3 |
|
8. California (Pa.) |
11-1 |
568 |
7 |
|
9. Indiana (Pa.) |
10-2 |
500 |
12 |
|
10. Minnesota-Duluth |
10-2 |
431 |
14 |
|
11. Valdosta St. (Ga.) |
8-3 |
390 |
18 |
|
12. Colorado St.-Pueblo |
8-3 |
349 |
NR |
|
13. Azusa Pacific (Calif.) |
9-3 |
302 |
25 |
|
14. LIU-Post (N.Y.) |
12-1 |
288 |
11 |
|
15. Harding (Ark.) |
13-1 |
281 |
6 |
|
16. Colorado School of Mines |
10-3 |
254 |
15 |
|
17. Sioux Falls (S.D.) |
12-1 |
235 |
8 |
|
18. Southwest Baptist (Mo.) |
10-2 |
227 |
22 |
|
19. North Carolina-Pembroke |
10-2 |
220 |
13 |
|
20. Minnesota St. |
8-3 |
201 |
NR |
|
21. Central Missouri |
9-3 |
189 |
21 |
|
22. Southern Arkansas |
9-3 |
157 |
NR |
|
23. Colorado Mesa |
9-3 |
154 |
NR |
|
24. Midwestern St. (Texas) |
8-3 |
138 |
24 |
|
25. Bemidji St. (Minn.) |
9-3 |
133 |
NR |
*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2016
Others Receiving Votes: Ashland (Ohio), 130; Tuskegee (Ala.), 123; North Greenville (S.C.), 121; Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 114; Newberry (S.C.), 107; Ohio Dominican, 86; West Chester (Pa.), 82; West Georgia, 75; Edinboro (Pa.), 57; Albany St. (Ga.), 45; Florida Tech, 43; Assumption (Mass.), 38; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 36; Fairmont St. (W.Va.), 19; Bowie St. (Md.), 16; Augustana (S.D.), 14; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 14; Virginia Union, 12; Arkansas Tech, 11; Central Washington, 10; Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 10; Henderson St. (Ark.), 8; Charleston (W.Va.), 7; Indianapolis (Ind.), 7; Gannon (Pa.), 6; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 6; Truman St. (Mo.), 5; Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 4; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 4; Delta St. (Miss.), 3; East Central (Okla.), 3; Humboldt St. (Calif.), 2; Tusculum (Tenn.), 1; Wingate (N.C.), 1.
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