Edinboro Ranked 23rd In AFCA Preseason Top 25

EDINBORO, PA - A year ago it took the Edinboro University football team two-thirds of the season to crack the American Football Coaches Association Division II rankings. With the 2004 season less than two weeks away the Fighting Scots won't have to worry about reaching the poll this year, just staying in it.

Edinboro is ranked 21st in the 2004 preseason AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, released earlier today. The Fighting Scots ended the year 18th in the 2003 AFCA Top 25. It marks the fifth national ranking to include the Fighting Scots, and the one which carries the most weight. Previously Edinboro was ranked 13th in Street & Smith's College Football Preseason NCAA Division II Top 25, 14th in Lindy's College Football Top 25, 23rd in the D2Football.com Top 25, and 24th in Football Gazette's Top 40.

Three other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams show up in the AFCA Top 25. Leading the way is Indiana(Pa.), who was 10-1 a year ago. The Indians are ranked 16th. Shippensburg, the pre-season favorite in the PSAC West Coach's Poll, is ranked 20th, while Bloomsburg, the Eastern Division pre-season number one pick, is ranked 22nd. The PSAC and the Gulf South Conference are tied for the most schools in the poll with four apiece.

A year ago Edinboro and IUP were co-champions of the PSAC West. The Fighting Scots finished the year with a 9-3 record, making the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time since 1995. Head coach Lou Tepper's squad lost to then top-ranked Saginaw Valley State in the first round of the playoffs. IUP finished with a 10-1 ledger.

Grand Valley State, seeking its third straight national championship, is ranked first, followed by North Dakota. Valdosta State is third, with Texas A&M-Kingsville and Saginaw Valley State rounding out the top five. Grand Valley State received 23 of a possible 25 first place votes. Valdosta State and Texas A&M-Kingsville each received one first place vote.

Edinboro opens the 2004 season on Saturday, September 4, hosting East Stroudsburg. The Warriors were 8-3 a year ago.

~ Fighting Scots ~

AFCA 2004 NCAA DIVISION II PRESEASON TOP 25
RATING
TEAM
2003 RECORD
1
Grand Valley State
14-1
2
North Dakota
12-2
3
Valdosta State
10-2
4
Texas A&M-Kingsville
11-2
5
Saginaw Valley State
12-1
6
Carson-Newman
11-2
7
Pittsburg State
9-3
8
North Alabama
13-1
9
Delta State
9-2
10
Central Missouri State
9-2
11
Tarleton State
8-4
12
Mesa State
10-2
13
Central Oklahoma
9-3
14
Tusculum
9-2
15
Nebraska-Omaha
8-3
16
Indiana(Pa.)
10-1
17
Catawba
9-2
18
Winona State
11-2
19
Northwest Missouri State
8-3
20
Shippensburg
8-3
21
EDINBORO
9-3
22
Bloomsburg
7-4
23
Albany State
10-2
24
Southern Arkansas
9-3
25
Bentley
10-1
Other PSAC teams in italics

[Bullet] Edinboro Athletic Press Release Index

Created on ... August 24, 2004