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NORTH ALABAMA WILL OPEN  2010 SEASON AT NO. 3 IN THE AFCA DIVISION II COACHES’ POLL

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WACO, TEX. Despite returning just six starters from last season's team that went 11-2 and won a Gulf South Conference Championship, the University of North Alabama will enter the 2010 season as the No. 3 ranked team in the nation in American Football Coaches Association NCAA Division II poll.

UNA finished the 2009 season ranked sixth nationally after falling in the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs. It marked the 16th time since 1980 that UNA had ranked in Division II final Top 20, and it was the fifth season in a row that UNA had ranked in the Top six in the final poll. 

"This ranking, like several others that have come out this preseason, are just a testament to the tradition and expectations of the UNA football program," said UNA Head Football Coach Terry Bowden. "There is a great tradition here and people expect you to do well. Even though we have just six starters back, the expectation is still there that we should be a national contender, and I wouldn't want it any other way. That's one of the reasons I came to North Alabama was because of the tradition and the high expectations."

Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State opens up 2010 as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. 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. 

The ranking marks the 56th consecutive Division II poll where UNA has been ranked No. 11 in the nation or higher. 

2010 American Football Coaches Association Preseason Division II Coaches’ Poll – August 9, 2010

                                                              2009                 2009

Rank  School (1st votes)                Rec.     Pts.  Rank*      Season Opener                                                                              Head Coach

     1.    Northwest Missouri St. (22)  14-1     645           1      Sept. 2 vs. No. 16 Texas A&M-Kingsville                               Mel Tjeerdsma

     2.    Grand Valley St. (Mich.) (3)  13-2     621           2      Sept. 2 vs. No. 11 West Texas A&M                                             Matt Mitchell

     3.    North Alabama (1)                 11-2     580           6      Sept. 4 vs. Henderson St. (Ark.)                                                 Terry Bowden

     4.    Minnesota-Duluth                   11-2     549           5      Aug. 28 at No. 5 Central Washington                                           Bob Nielson

     5.    Central Washington               12-1     499           3      Aug. 28 vs. No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth                                        Blaine Bennett

     6.    California (Pa.)                       11-4     489           7      Sept. 4 at No. 14 Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.)                         John Luckhardt

     7.    Abilene Christian (Texas)       9-4     435         13      Sept. 4 at No. 10 Washburn (Kan.)                                         Chris Thomsen

     8.    West Liberty (W.Va.)              11-2     420           9      Sept. 4 vs. Edinboro (Pa.)                                                          Roger Waialae

     9.    Carson-Newman (Tenn.)      11-3     400           4      Aug. 28 vs. Winona St. (Minn.)                                                        Ken Sparks

  10.    Washburn (Kan.)                       8-3     339         25      Aug. 28 at Colorado School of Mines                                       Craig Schurig

  11.    West Texas A&M                       7-5     337        NR      Sept. 2 at No. 2 Grand Valley St. (Mich.)                                      Don Carthel

  12.    West Alabama                           8-5     313         21      Aug. 28 vs. Shorter (Ga.)                                                           Bobby Wallace

  13.    Nebraska-Kearney                 11-2     296           8      Aug. 28 vs. Wayne St. (Neb.)                                                       Darrell Morris

  14.    Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.)      9-3     235         19      Sept. 4 vs. No. 6 California (Pa.)                                                     Jim Collins

  15.    Nebraska-Omaha                     7-5     232        NR      Sept. 4 vs. No. 13 Nebraska-Kearney                                            Pat Behrns

  16.    Texas A&M-Kingsville              9-3     216         16      Sept. 2 at No. 1 Northwest Missouri St.                                      Bo Atterberry

  17.    Tuskegee (Ala.)                      10-2     210         17      Sept. 4 vs. Benedict (S.C.)                                                              Willie Slater

  18.    Hillsdale (Mich.)                      10-3     188         11      Sept. 3 vs. Ferris St. (Mich.)                                                       Keith Otterbein

  19.    Midwestern St. (Texas)            9-3     163         14      Sept. 2 at New Mexico Highlands                                                    Bill Maskill

  20.    Missouri Western St.                9-3     160        NR      Sept. 2 vs. Mesa St. (Colo.)                                                        Jerry Partridge

  21.    Minnesota St.-Mankato         10-2     127         12      Sept. 2 vs. Northern Michigan                                                     Todd Hoffner

  22.    West Chester (Pa.)                   7-4     122        NR      Sept. 2 at Delaware                                                                            Bill Zwaan

  23.    North Carolina-Pembroke      9-2     115         20      Sept. 4 vs. Fayetteville St. (N.C.)                                                Pete Shinnick

  24.    Delta St. (Miss.)                         5-5        93        NR      Sept. 4 at Jackson St. (Miss.)                                                         Ron Roberts

  25.    East Stroudsburg (Pa.)            8-4        74        NR      Sept. 4 at Pace (N.Y.)                                                                    Denny Douds

*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2009

 

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.

 

For more information on the AFCA and its programs, log on to the AFCA’s website at www.afca.com.

-(AFCA)-