ST. LOUIS – The Drake University football team was picked to finish third in the Pioneer Football League standings in a preseason vote of the league's head coaches.
The Bulldogs, set to begin their fifth season under head coach
Rick Fox, return 12 All-PFL honorees and 23 student-athletes that started in last season.
Drake earned 58 total points in the poll. San Diego, who won the 2017 title, again received the coaches nod to win the 2018 PFL title, earning 81 points with nine first-place votes. Dayton earned 72 points with one first-place vote. Butler and Valparaiso were picked tied for fourth with 48 points.
The upcoming 2018 season marks the 26th year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation's only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature 10 teams each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship.
The Bulldogs begin the 2018 campaign on Sept. 1 against William Jewell at Drake Stadium at 6 p.m.
Pioneer Football League
2018 Preseason Coaches' Poll
|
| Team |
Points |
| 1. |
San Diego (9) |
81 |
| 2. |
Dayton (1) |
72 |
| 3. |
Drake |
58 |
| 4. |
Butler |
48 |
|
Valparaiso |
48 |
| 6. |
Jacksonville |
47 |
| 7. |
Marist |
44 |
| 8. |
Morehead State |
22 |
| 9. |
Stetson |
19 |
| 10. |
Davidson |
11 |
- First-place votes in parentheses.
- Nine points awarded for a first-place vote, with one point less for each succeeding place. (Maximum score = 81)
- Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
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