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
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.
