Bobcats Crack TSN Preseason Poll at #24

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Bobcats Crack TSN Preseason Poll at #24

Montana State enters a season ranked for the first time since 2007

Bill Lamberty

8/16/2010 6:03:44 PM

MSU opens 2010 as the 24th-ranked team in the FCS

For the first time since 2007, Montana State opens the 2010 football season as a nationally-ranked Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) squad.

The Bobcats enter the season ranked 24^th nationally in The Sports Network/Fathead.com preseason poll, which was released Monday. MSU joins Big Sky league-mates Montana (#2), Eastern Washington (#13) and Weber State (#19) in the TSN poll, selected by media members and Sports Information Directors nationally. NAU’s 286 poll points is the 28^th-most, while Portland State (18) and Idaho State (15) also received votes.

Montana State entered the 2007 season, Rob Ash’s first at MSU, ranked 23^rd in the land among FCS schools. That capped the sixth straight season for MSU in the national preseason polls. MSU was unranked throughout 2008, and was ranked three different weeks last fall. The Cats have now been ranked in 18 of the 33 seasons since becoming a Division I-AA (now FCS) school in 1978.

The Bobcats open the season September 4 against Fort Lewis in Bobcat Stadium.

The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top-25 College Football Poll

Team (First-place votes)	Record	Points	Previous Rank
1. Villanova Wildcats (104)	14-1	3,112	1
2. Montana Grizzlies (9)	14-1	2,899	2
3. Appalachian State Mountaineers (8)	11-3	2,857	3
4. William & Mary Tribe (3)	11-3	2,631	4
5. Southern Illinois Salukis (1)	11-2	2,569	6
6. Richmond Spiders (1)	11-2	2,317	5
7. Elon Phoenix	9-3	2,243	9
8. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks	10-3	2,041	10
9. South Dakota State Jackrabbits	8-4	1,863	11
10. New Hampshire Wildcats	10-3	1,837	7
11. South Carolina State Bulldogs	10-2	1,607	8
12. McNeese State Cowboys	9-3	1,475	12
13. Eastern Washington Eagles	8-4	1,422	3
14. Northern Iowa Panthers	7-4	1,269	18
15. James Madison Dukes	6-5	1,237	NR
16. Delaware Blue Hens	6-5	879	NR
17. Jacksonville State Gamecocks	8-3	833	16
18. Eastern Illinois Panthers	8-4	762	19
19. Weber State Wildcats	7-5	716	17
20. Prairie View A&M Panthers	9-1	709	15
21. Liberty Flames	8-3	633	22
22. Colgate Raiders	9-2	608	21
23. Penn Quakers	8-2	593	20
24. Montana State Bobcats	7-4	584	NR
25. Holy Cross Crusaders	9-3	560	14

Others receiving votes: Illinois State 488, Wofford 311, Northern Arizona 286, Cal Poly 239, Furman 229, Texas State 206, Florida A&M 153, Lafayette 98, Maine 88, Harvard 85, Eastern Kentucky 81, UC Davis 61, Samford 61, Massachusetts 45, Southeastern Louisiana 45, Alabama A&M 45, Missuori State 40, Central Arkansas 39, Norfolk State 28, Lehigh 27, Old Dominion 25, Grambling State 24, Davidson 23, Georgia Southern 22, Princeton 21, Dayton 20, Portland State 18, Chattanooga 17, Youngstown State 15, Idaho State 15, Southern utah 14, Northwestern State 12, Indiana State 12, Stony Brook 12, Hampton 12, Gardner-Webb 11, Tennessee Tech 9, Robert Morris 9, North Dakota 8, Southern 8, Central Connecticut State 7, Morgan State 7, Jackson State 7, North Carolina A&T 6, VMI 5, North Dakota State 5, Austin Peay 4, Butler 4, Alcorn State 3, Jacksonville 2, Texas Southern 2, Brown 2, Howard 2, Cornell 1, Coastal Carolina 1.