WACO, Texas – Carson-Newman's football program has been ranked in the top 20 in the American Football Coaches Association's preseason coaches' poll for a second straight season.
The Eagles are ranked 16th. They are a spot in front of Tarleton State and a spot behind St. Cloud State. C-N finished the 2013 season ranked 17th in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls.
"I guess that's where we about finished last year, so I suppose that's where the vote should go," Carson-Newman's 35th-year head coach Ken Sparks said. "But really, who knows? Everyone's going to have a different chemistry and different personnel. What I can tell you, is that I hope we finish a lot higher than that."
The Eagles started out the 2013 season ranked as the 17th-best team in the country in both the AFCA and D2Football.com preseason polls.
Carson-Newman will start to work out its depth chart with the first of three preseason scrimmages Tuesday morning at 6:40 a.m. Media day festivities will follow with press conferences for Sparks, offensive coordinator Mike Turner and defensive coordinator Mike Clowney at 11:30 a.m.
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
PREVIOUS |
2013 RECORD |
|
1 |
Northwest Missouri State (31) |
799 |
1 |
15-0 |
|
2 |
Grand Valley State |
725 |
3 |
12-3 |
|
3 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
634 |
8 |
11-2 |
|
4 |
Colorado State-Pueblo |
619 |
7 |
11-1 |
|
5 |
North Alabama |
589 |
10 |
10-3 |
|
6 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
538 |
2 |
13-2 |
|
7 |
Minnesota State-Mankato |
530 |
6 |
11-1 |
|
8 |
Henderson State (1) |
523 |
13 |
11-1 |
|
9 |
Pittsburg State |
522 |
19 |
10-2 |
|
10 |
West Chester |
477 |
4 |
13-2 |
|
11 |
West Texas A&M |
407 |
11 |
11-3 |
|
12 |
Shepherd |
393 |
9 |
11-1 |
|
13 |
Ohio Dominican |
390 |
12 |
10-1 |
|
14 |
Winston-Salem State |
389 |
14 |
10-2 |
|
15 |
St. Cloud State |
350 |
5 |
12-2 |
|
16 |
Carson-Newman |
333 |
17 |
10-3 |
|
17 |
Tarleton State |
266 |
NR |
7-3 |
|
18 |
Indianapolis |
229 |
18 |
10-2 |
|
19 |
Delta State |
206 |
NR |
7-3 |
|
20 |
Indiana (Pa.) |
167 |
24 |
9-2 |
|
21 |
North Carolina-Pembroke |
140 |
15 |
9-2 |
|
T22 |
Azusa Pacific |
133 |
NR |
10-2 |
|
T22 |
Emporia State |
133 |
20 |
9-2 |
|
24 |
Bloomsburg |
103 |
16 |
10-2 |
|
25 |
Tuskegee |
98 |
25 |
8-3 |
Others receiving votes: Saginaw Valley State, 87; Central Missouri, 82; West Alabama, 67; Valdosta State, 59; American International, 51; Ferris State, 41; California (Pa.), 38; Missouri Western State, 38; Albany State, 32; Midwestern State, 31; Harding, 27; Colorado Mines, 20; Newberry, 20; Concord, 19; East Stroudsburg, 19; Slippery Rock 13; Eastern New Mexico, 12; Ouachita Baptist, 9; Winona State, 9; Fayetteville State, 7; Sioux Falls, 7; Truman State, 5; Findlay, 3; Miles, 3; Chadron State, 2; Michigan Tech, 2; Washburn, 2; West Georgia, 2.