WACO, Texas – For the first time since 2014, Carson-Newman football has garnered a national ranking in the American Football Coaches Association.
Carson-Newman debuts 22nd in the preseason coaches poll. The Eagles started off the 2014 season ranked 16th. The Eagles spent the majority of that year (nine weeks) in the top 25 before falling out late.
The Eagles' preseason national ranking snaps a 26-week absence from the national polls. Carson-Newman received votes in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but hasn't been in the top 25 since finishing 2015 in a tie for 21st.
The span of 26-weeks without a national ranking goes down as the longest such drought for the Eagles' in the polls as long as the week-by-week histories date back. The previous high-water mark came with a span of 19 polls missed from 2011 to 2012. The Eagles were ranked in the first three weeks of the 2011 season before falling out until late in the 2012 season when they regained a foothold in the top 25 in the third from the last poll of that year.
By comparison, Carson-Newman missed a grand total of 11 polls from 1995-2008. The Eagles were ranked the entirety of the 1995-2000 seasons, missing the final eight weeks of the 2001 rankings to snap a streak of 81 consecutive weeks in the top 25. Then, from 2002-2006, the Eagles spent a series of 65 straight weeks ranked before falling out the final three weeks of the rankings in 2006.
Several other Carson-Newman foes also factor into the national rankings, chief among this is opening-day opponent West Florida. The defending national runners up start out 2018 No. 2 in the country. The Argos received 14 first-place votes and are a mere 27 points behind top-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce.
The Eagles' Aug. 30 matchup with West Florida is one of four matchups between teams ranked in the preseason top 25 for week one. No. 4 Indiana (Pa.) travels to No. 15 Ashland. The third matchup is a conference battle as No. 5t Fort Hays State plays host to No. 18 Central Missouri. The final matchup has No. 10 Grand Valley State hosting No. 13 Indianapolis.
Conference mates Wingate and Catawba are both receiving votes for the preseason AFCA Coaches Poll.
The Eagles are the fourth highest-ranked Super Region II team in the poll. The Gulf South sports West Florida (2), West Alabama (12) and West Georgia (19) ahead of the Eagles.
The Eagles open the season Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. at West Florida. The reigning national runners-up have been tabbed as 2018's top-ranked team by Street and Smith, Lindy's and the College Football Yearbook. The Eagle Sports Network will hit the air from Pensacola, Fla. and Blue Wahoos Stadium at 7 p.m. with the AEC Countdown to Tipoff on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mountain Country 106.3 (WPFT-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live.
2018 American Football Coaches Association Preseason Division II Coaches' Poll
August 13, 2018
2017 2017
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Rank* Season Opener Head Coach
1. Texas A&M-Commerce (13) 14-1 748 1 Aug. 30 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville Colby Carthel
2. West Florida (14) 11-4 721 2 Aug. 30 vs. No. 22 Carson-Newman (Tenn.) Pete Shinnick
3. Minnesota St. (2) 13-1 691 4 Aug. 30 vs. Southwest Minnesota St. Todd Hoffner
4. Indiana (Pa.) (2) 13-1 666 3 Aug. 30 at No. 15 Ashland (Ohio) Paul Tortorella
5t. Fort Hays St. (Kan.) 11-1 591 8 Aug. 30 vs. No. 18 Central Missouri Chris Brown
5t. Northwest Missouri St. (2) 9-3 591 16 Aug. 30 vs. Missouri Western St. Rich Wright
7. Harding (Ark.) 11-4 550 6 Aug. 30 at Henderson St. (Ark.) Paul Simmons
8. Ferris St. (Mich.) 11-2 503 5 Aug. 30 vs. East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Tony Annese
9. Central Washington 11-1 494 7 Sept. 1 at Eastern Washington Ian Shoemaker
10. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 8-3 478 NR Aug. 30 vs. No. 13 Indianapolis (Ind.) Matt Mitchell
11. Midwestern St. (Texas) 10-1 473 11 Sept. 1 vs. Humboldt St. (Calif.) Bill Maskill
12. West Alabama 10-3 470 12 Aug. 30 vs. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) Brett Gilliland
13. Indianapolis (Ind.) 11-1 402 13 Aug. 30 at No. 10 Grand Valley St. (Mich.) Bob Bartolomeo
14. Colorado St.-Pueblo 9-3 401 17 Sept. 1 vs. Dixie St. (Utah) John Wristen
15. Ashland (Ohio) 11-2 350 10 Aug. 30 vs. No. 4 Indiana (Pa.) Lee Owens
16. Shepherd (W.Va.) 10-1 332 14 Sept. 1 at Notre Dame (Ohio) Ernie McCook
17. Assumption (Mass.) 11-2 292 9 Sept. 1 vs. Kutztown (Pa.) Andy McKenzie
18. Central Missouri 9-3 209 NR Aug. 30 at No. 5t Fort Hays St. (Kan.) Jim Svoboda
19. West Georgia 9-4 196 19 Sept. 1 vs. Catawba (N.C.) David Dean
20. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 9-3 158 20 Aug. 30 vs. Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) Jon Anderson
21. Winona St. (Minn.) 10-2 134 15 Aug. 30 at Wayne St. (Neb.) Tom Sawyer
22. Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 8-3 118 NR Aug. 30 at No. 2 West Florida Mike Turner
23. Ohio Dominican 7-3 105 NR Aug. 30 vs. California (Pa.) Kelly Cummings
24. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 9-3 102 NR Aug. 30 at Northwestern Oklahoma St. Todd Knight
25. Findlay (Ohio) 10-3 101 22 Sept. 1 at Kentucky Wesleyan Rob Keys
*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2017
Others Receiving Votes: California (Pa.), 89; Delta St. (Miss.), 74; West Chester (Pa.), 74; Colorado Mesa, 66; Bowie St. (Md.), 60; Virginia St., 51; Minnesota-Duluth, 41; Albany St. (Ga.), 39; Florida Tech, 36; Colorado Mines, 34; Shippensburg (Pa.), 31; Tuskegee (Ala.), 26; Wingate (N.C.), 25; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 22; Valdosta St. (Ga.), 22; Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 21; Notre Dame (Ohio), 18; Eastern New Mexico, 17; Edinboro (Pa.), 15; Missouri Western St., 14; Bloomsburg (Pa.), 13; Emporia St. (Kan.), 11; Central Oklahoma, 9; LIU Post (N.Y.), 8; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 8; Augustana (S.D.), 5; Fairmont St. (W.Va.), 5; Humboldt St. (Calif.), 4; Catawba (N.C.), 3; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 3; Hillsdale (Mich.), 3; Southern Arkansas, 1; Washburn (Kan.), 1.
