Three Ohio Valley Conference football teams are ranked in the Preseason Sports Network FCS Top 25 poll which was released on Friday.
Jacksonville State is ranked at No. 6 in the poll, Tennessee State came in at No. 15 while two-time defending champion Eastern Illinois was No. 16. All three teams won at least one game in the FCS Playoffs a season ago.
In the FCS Coaches poll that was released on Monday, Jacksonville State was No. 8, Eastern Illinois was No. 11 and Tennessee State was No. 17.
It marks the first time in the last decade that three OVC football teams have been ranked in the Preseason Top 25 in the same year.
Jacksonville State’s No. 6 ranking is the highest preseason rank by an OVC team in the last decade (the previous-best over the past 10 years was a No. 9 ranking by JSU prior to the 2011 season). The Gamecocks finished last season ranked No. 10 in the Sports Network and No. 12 in the FCS Coaches poll after finishing the year 11-4 overall and advancing to the FCS Quarterfinals. The Gamecocks were picked the OVC preseason favorites by both the coaches and media and return senior All-American running back DaMarcus James who is on the preseason Walter Payton Award Watch List.
Tennessee State is coming off a 10-4 campaign that saw the Tigers top Butler in the first round of the FCS Quarterfinals and finish No. 17 in both major FCS polls. This year the Tigers return 12 starters including Preseason OVC Defensive Player of the Year Anthony Bass and All-American defensive back Daniel Fitzpatrick who is on the preseason Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.
In 2013 Eastern Illinois compiled a 12-2 record and made the FCS Quarterfinals behind Walter Payton Award winner Jimmy Garoppolo; the team finished the season ranked No. 4 in both major polls. Despite losing Garoppolo to the New England Patriots, the team has 13 total starters returning and had eight players named to the Preseason All-OVC team. Junior running back Shepard Little is one of 20 players nationally named to the preseason Walter Payton Award Watch List.
Eastern Kentucky was the only other OVC team to receive votes, picking up two points in the “others receiving votes” category.
The first OVC football teams are in action on Thursday, August 28.
