WACO, Texas - West Chester University's football squad is ranked 22nd nationally in the American Football Coaches' Association Division II preseason football poll it was announced Monday. It marks the third consecutive year that the Golden Rams' gridders have entered their fall campaign nationally ranked by fellow Division II head coaches.
West Chester (7-4, 5-2 PSAC East) is coming off a disappointing campaign as far as its own expectations are concerned. The Golden Rams finished out of the national rankings for the first time in four years and failed to reach the NCAA II playoffs for the first time since 2003.
The Golden Rams have been ranked in the AFCA preseason coaches' poll in four of the past five seasons and strung together a run of 15 straight weeks in the national polls from 2006 to 2008. West Chester was 20th in the preseason polls a year ago, eventually working its way up to 14th. The Golden Rams have now been nationally ranked at sometime during the season in each of the past eight gridiron campaigns.
West Chester is one of three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) teams who are ranked in the AFCA preseason poll. Western Division favorite, California (Pa.), is ranked sixth nationally. The Vulcans reached the NCAA semifinals a year ago. Eastern Division rival East Stroudsburg is ranked 25th.
Five other PSAC institutions appear among others receiving votes -- all five are also on West Chester's 2010 schedule. Bloomsburg, Indiana (Pa.), Shippensburg, Edinboro and C.W. Post all received votes. The Golden Rams play a total of six teams, which appear somewhere in the preseason polls.
Northwest Missouri State, fresh off of their third national championship in 2009, opens up 2010 as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. This is the second time since the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll started in 2000 that the Bearcats have begun the season ranked No. 1. Northwest Missouri State received 22 first place votes, while 2009 national runner-up Grand Valley State (Mich.) received three and comes in ranked No. 2. North Alabama received the final first place vote, and is ranked No. 3, with Minnesota-Duluth and Central Washington rounding out the Top 5.
Fans can catch their first glimpse of the 2010 West Chester University Golden Rams when camp officially opens on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 9 a.m. Head coach Bill Zwaan has a situational scrimmage scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 2:45 p.m. and two full scrimmages on Aug. 21 and Aug. 27.
West Chester University opens its 2010 regular-season slate at Delaware on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. inside Delaware Stadium. The Rams' home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. against Edinboro.
2010 AFCA Division II Football Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
2009 Record |
Points |
2009 Final Ranking |
| 1. |
Northwest Missouri St. (22) |
14-1 |
645 |
1 |
| 2. |
Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (3) |
13-2 |
621 |
2 |
| 3. |
North Alabama (1) |
11-2 |
580 |
6 |
| 4. |
Minnesota-Duluth |
11-2 |
549 |
5 |
| 5. |
Central Washington |
12-1 |
499 |
3 |
| 6. |
California (Pa.) |
11-4 |
489 |
7 |
| 7. |
Abilene Christian (Texas) |
9-4 |
435 |
13 |
| 8. |
West Liberty (W.Va.) |
11-2 |
420 |
9 |
| 9. |
Carson-Newman (Tenn.) |
11-3 |
400 |
4 |
| 10. |
Washburn (Kan.) |
8-3 |
339 |
25 |
| 11. |
West Texas A&M |
7-5 |
337 |
NR |
| 12. |
West Alabama |
8-5 |
313 |
21 |
| 13. |
Nebraska-Kearney |
11-2 |
296 |
8 |
| 14. |
Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) |
9-3 |
235 |
19 |
| 15. |
Nebraska-Omaha |
7-5 |
232 |
NR |
| 16. |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
9-3 |
216 |
16 |
| 17. |
Tuskegee (Ala.) |
10-2 |
210 |
17 |
| 18. |
Hillsdale (Mich.) |
10-3 |
188 |
11 |
| 19. |
Midwestern St. (Texas) |
9-3 |
163 |
14 |
| 20. |
Missouri Western St. |
9-3 |
160 |
NR |
| 21. |
Minnesota St.-Mankato |
10-2 |
127 |
12 |
| 22. |
West Chester (Pa.) |
7-4 |
122 |
NR |
| 23. |
UNC-Pembroke |
9-2 |
115 |
20 |
| 24. |
Delta St. (Miss.) |
5-5 |
93 |
NR |
| 25. |
East Stroudsburg (Pa.) |
8-4 |
74 |
NR |
Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M-Commerce, 73; Valdosta St. (Ga.), 59; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 56; Wingate (N.C.), 49; Bloomsburg (Pa.), 34; Tarleton St. (Texas), 32; Albany St. (Ga.), 30; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 28; Colorado School of Mines, 27; St. Cloud State (Minn.), 17; Benedict (S.C.), 16; Morehouse (Ga.), 15; Indiana (Pa.), 14; Shaw (N.C.), 14; Augustana (S.D.), 13; Findlay (Ohio), 13; Winona St. (Minn.), 13; Central Missouri, 11; Charleston (W.Va.), 11; Shippensburg (Pa.), 11; Angelo St. (Texas), 9; Shepherd (W.Va.), 9; Bentley (Mass.), 8; Chadron St. (Neb.), 6; Southern Connecticut St., 6; Arkansas Tech, 4; Southeastern Oklahoma St., 4; Edinboro (Pa.), 3; C.W. Post (N.Y.), 2; Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 1; Henderson St. (Ark.), 1; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 1; Wayne St. (Neb.), 1; Western Oregon, 1.
