Waco, Texas - Valdosta State (Ga.), fresh off of their third Division II national championship in 2012, opens up 2013 as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. This is the third time since the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll started in 2000 that the Blazers have begun the season ranked No. 1. Minnesota State-Mankato comes in at No. 2 with three first place votes, followed by West Texas A&M, Northwest Missouri State and last year's national runner-up, Winston-Salem State (N.C.), rounding out the Top 5.
There will be three Top 25 matchups in the first week of the 2013 season, highlighted by No. 4 Northwest Missouri State playing host to No. 22 Saginaw Valley State (Mich.), and No. 7 Shippensburg (Pa.) traveling to No. 25 Shepherd (W.Va.).
2013 American Football Coaches Association Preseason Division II Coaches' Poll – August 19, 2013
|
Rank |
School (1st Place Votes) |
2012 Record |
Pts |
2012 Rank |
Season Opener |
Head Coach |
|
1 |
Valdosta St. (Ga.) (26) |
12-2 |
766 |
1 |
Sept. 7 vs Fort Valley St. (Ga.) |
David Dean |
|
2 |
Minnesota St. - Mankato (3) |
13-1 |
726 |
3 |
Sept. 7 at Mary (N.D.) |
Aaron Kean |
|
3 |
West Texas A&M (1) |
12-3 |
707 |
4 |
Sept 7 at Western St. (Colo.) |
Don Carthel |
|
4 |
Northwest Missouri St. (1) |
10-3 |
616 |
10 |
Sept. 5 vs. No. 22 Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) |
Adam Dorrel |
|
5 |
Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) |
14-1 |
599 |
2 |
Sept. 5 at North Carolina-Pembroke |
Connell Maynor |
|
6 |
Missouri Western St. |
12-2 |
586 |
5 |
Sept. 7 at Central Missouri |
Jerry Partridge |
|
7 |
Shippensburg (Pa.) |
11-2 |
559 |
14 |
Sept. 7 at No. 25 Shepherd (W. Va.) |
Mark Maciejewski |
|
8 |
Colorado St.-Pueblo |
12-1 |
522 |
6 |
Sept. 7 at Northern Colorado |
John Wristen |
|
9 |
Ashland (Ohio) |
11-1 |
506 |
9 |
Sept. 7 at No. 19 Indianapolis |
Lee Owens |
|
10 |
Indiana (Pa.) (1) |
12-2 |
416 |
7 |
Sept. 7 at Southern Connecticut |
Curt Cignetti |
|
11 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
10-2 |
410 |
12 |
Sept. 7 vs. Sioux Falls (S.D.) |
Curt Wiese |
|
12 |
New Haven (Conn.) |
10-1 |
407 |
8 |
Sept. 7 at West Chester (Pa.) |
Peter Rossomando |
|
13 |
Henderson St. (Ark.) |
10-1 |
371 |
11 |
Sept. 7 vs. Southern Nazarene (Okla.) |
Scott Maxfield |
|
14 |
Grand Valley St. (Mich.) |
8-3 |
361 |
NR |
Sept. 7 vs. Azusa Pacific (Calif.) |
Matt Mitchell |
|
15 |
Midwestern St. (Texas) |
9-2 |
319 |
16 |
Sept. 14 vs. Tarleton St. (Texas) |
Bill Maskill |
|
16 |
West Alabama |
9-4 |
297 |
21 |
Sept. 7 vs. Clark Atlanta (Ga.) |
Will Hall |
|
17 |
Carson-Newman |
9-3 |
290 |
13 |
Sept. 5 vs. Wayne St. (Mich.) |
Ken Sparks |
|
18 |
Bloomsburg (Pa.) |
10-2 |
227 |
17 |
Sept. 7 vs Stonehill (Mass.) |
Paul Darragh |
|
19 |
Indianapolis (Ind.) |
10-3 |
212 |
15 |
Sept. 7 vs No. 9 Ashland (Ohio) |
Bob Bartolomeo |
|
20 |
Chadron St. (Neb.) |
9-3 |
195 |
18 |
Sept. 5 at Missouri S&T |
Jay Long |
|
21 |
Pittsburg St. (Kan.) |
7-3 |
165 |
NR |
Sept. 7 vs. Northeastern St. (Okla.) |
Tim Beck |
|
22 |
Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) |
8-3 |
141 |
NR |
Sept. 5 at No. 4 Northwest Missouri St. |
Jim Collins |
|
23 |
Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) |
9-3 |
140 |
20 |
Sept. 7 vs. Concord (W. Va.) |
Mike Houston |
|
24 |
Tuskegee (Ala.) |
10-2 |
124 |
23 |
Sept. 7 at Alabama A&M |
Willie Slater |
|
25 |
Shepherd (W. Va.) |
8-3 |
108 |
25 |
Sept. 7 vs. No. 7 Shippensburg (Pa.) |
Monte Carter |
Others Receiving Votes: Harding (Ark.), 106; Winona St. (Minn.), 77; Albany St. (Ga.), 51; North Alabama, 39; Michigan Tech, 38; Central Washington, 34; Central Missouri, 31; St. Cloud State (Minn.), 30; Delta St. (Miss.), 26; American International (Mass.), 21; Charleston (W.Va.), 21; Ferris St. (Mich.), 21; Emporia St. (Kan.), 20; West Chester (Pa.), 20; Hillsdale (Mich.), 14; Miles (Ala.), 14; Colorado School of Mines, 11; Elizabeth City St. (N.C.), 11; Mercyhurst (Pa.), 11; Washburn (Kan.), 8; Ohio Dominican, 6; Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 4; Tarleton St. (Texas), 3; California (Pa.), 2; Missouri S&T, 2; New Mexico Highlands, 2; North Carolina-Pembroke, 2; Southern Arkansas, 2; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 2; Wayne St. (Mich.), 1.
The Cowboys will open up their season on the road in Portales, N.M. against in-state rival Eastern New Mexico University, on Sept. 7. If you can't make it down to the game you can catch all the action on 96.7 SAM FM here in Las Vegas. Stay tuned to the NMHU Athletics web site for link to video feed and live stats.
GO COWBOYS!!!
