FCS Coaches Preseason Poll Ranks Kats No. 4
8/6/2015 7:20:00 AM | Football
Sam Houston stands No. 4 in the NCAA's 2015 FCS Coaches Poll.
The preseason picks of the committee of FCS head coaches were announced on the eve of the Bearkats' reporting date for training camp Thursday. A total of 95 student-athletes are now on campus for orientation and team meetings. The team's first practice is Friday morning at 8 a.m.
Four-time national champion North Dakota State is the unanimous No. 1 selection after garnering all 24 coaches' votes following a 15-1 campaign last year.
Illinois State (13-2) and Villanova (11-3) are ranked second and third ahead of Sam Houston (11-5). The Bearkats defeated Villanova in the NCAA quarterfinals to earn their third FCS semifinals appearance in the past four years. Coastal Carolina (12-2) rounds out the top five.
Eastern Washington (11-3) stands No. 6 followed by New Hampshire (12-2), Chattanooga (10-4), Jacksonville State (10-2) and Northern Iowa (9-5).
Montana State (8-5) ranks No. 11 in the coaches' preseason rankings followed by Montana (9-5), James Madison (9-3), Liberty (9-5) and South Dakota State (7-5).
Youngstown State (7-5) and Eastern Kentucky (9-5) stand No. 16 and 17 with Richmond (9-5), Southeastern Louisiana (9-4) and Indiana State (8-6) following behind.
Fordham (11-3), Harvard (10-0), McNeese State (6-5), Idaho State (8-4) and Eastern Illinois (5-7) round out the top 25. Two other Southland Conference teams, Stephen F. Austin and Central Arkansas, were listed as receiving votes.
The first practice session will run Friday from 8 to 10 a.m. on the turf at Bowers Stadium. The Kats will work daily from 8 to 10 a.m. with strength and conditioning lifting sessions and individual position meetings in the afternoons through Tuesday, August 11. The team will take a day off from on field sessions before resuming workouts with a two-a-day session Thursday, August 13.
Season tickets for Sam Houston's six home games at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium plus the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com or at the SHSU Athletic Ticket Office now located on the west side of Bowers Stadium.
Beginning Thursday and running for the first week of Sam Houston practice, any fan who buys a season ticket will be eligible to win a special prize in a daily season ticket holder drawing.
