Bearkats No. 4 in FCS Coaches Preseason Poll
8/6/2013 3:50:00 PM | Football
Sam Houston State will go into the 2013 season as the fourth-ranked team in the nation, according to the annual preseason FCS Coaches Poll.
The No. 4 Bearkats are ranked behind two of the three teams they defeated in last season's FCS playoffs, Montana State and Eastern Washington. SHSU will host EWU at Bowers Stadium Sept. 28 in one of the nation's top early season matchups.
National finalists the past two seasons, the Bearkats return several key players with a wealth of experience, such as running back Timothy Flanders, quarterback Brian Bell, receiver Richard Sincere, defensive linemen Andrew Weaver, Jarrett Brown and Gary Lorance, linebackers Eric Fieilo and Jesse Beauchamp and All-American cornerback Bookie Sneed.
“It's good to be ranked in the preseason polls,” said Bearkat coach Willie Fritz. “But we understand that it's more important what happens at the end of the year. We do want to change the culture to where Sam Houston is always in the polls and in the discussion for championships.”
While the Bearkats will have plenty of experience, there are also some big vacancies to fill in the secondary, on the offensive line and at tight end. Addressing those vacancies will be one of the priorities for Fritz and his staff as camp kicks off this week.
For the second straight season, North Dakota State will start the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the poll. Montana State earned the No. 2 preseason ranking while Eastern Washington is third.
Southland foe Central Arkansas is sixth in the poll after sharing the league title with the Bearkats last season. Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State are among the others receiving votes.
The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA) and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and is administered by the Southern Conference.
Season tickets for Sam Houston State football are now on sale online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the SHSU athletic ticket office. The ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
Preseason 2013 FCS Coaches Preseason Poll (August 6, 2013)
Team (No. 1 Votes) 2012 Record Points Final 2012 Ranking
1. North Dakota State (23) 14-1 645 1
2. Montana State (1) 11-2 591 5
3. Eastern Washington 11-3 549 4
4. Sam Houston State (1) 11-4 534 2
5. Wofford 9-4 450 7
6. Central Arkansas 9-3 428 10
7. South Dakota State 9-4 410 17
8. New Hampshire 8-4 386 13
9. Villanova 8-4 381 16
10. Illinois State 9-4 379 9
11. Cal Poly 9-3 348 11
12. Towson 7-4 347 15
13. Stony Brook 10-3 326 12
14. Richmond 8-3 274 18
15. James Madison 7-4 235 21
16. Northern Iowa 5-6 218 NR
17. Lehigh 10-1 198 14
18. Northern Arizona 8-2 196 20
19. Eastern Kentucky (1) 8-3 188 19
20. Bethune-Cookman 9-3 159 23
21. Coastal Carolina 8-5 140 24
22. Montana 6-2* 135 NR
23. Eastern Illinois 7-5 120 25
24. Youngstown State 7-4 107 NR
25. Chattanooga 6-5 104 NR
Others receiving votes: Wagner (87), Colgate (67), Tennessee State (52), Harvard (48), Delaware (47), The Citadel (39), Liberty (39), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (35), Indiana State (27), Stephen F. Austin (19), McNeese State (16), Penn (13), Alcorn State (12), Jacksonville State (11), Samford (10), Norfolk State (7), Alabama State (7), UC Davis (7), Southern Illinois (6), Maine (5), Albany (5), Tennessee Tech (5), UT Martin (4), Gardner Webb (4), Sacramento State (3), Hampton (3), San Diego (2), Jackson State (1), Missouri State (1), Brown (1)
* Final 6 games of 2012 vacated
