Five-time defending FCS national champion North Dakota State begins the season ranked No. 1 in both polls.
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The Griz, an 8-5 squad a year ago, were the top Big Sky Conference program in the rankings that were released Monday morning. In the Big Sky coaches’ poll, they’re picked fourth.
Second-ranked Sam Houston State received two first-place votes and third-ranked Jacksonville State was listed first on four ballots. The perennial Missouri Valley Football Conference champion Bison drew 152 of the 158 total first-place votes for a total of 3,941 points. No other earned first-place picks.
A year ago didn’t exactly go as most Eagles football fans had hoped, as Eastern Washington’s first post-Vernon Adams season was a scuffle.
Richmond, Northern Iowa, Chattanooga, Charleston Southern, South Dakota State, William & Mary and Illinois State round out the top 10.
The Cowboys, 10-1 last season after posting a ideal 10-0 regular season mark, collected 2,151 votes to rank just outside the top 10.
UNI opens its season at 7 p.m. September 3 at Iowa State. The Eagles return 14 starters from 2015, led by senior Cooper Kupp, the team’s All-American wide receiver who many expected would enter the National Football League draft after his junior year.
The middle section of Monday’s poll rolled out like a who’s who of the Big Sky. Cookus threw just five interceptions previous year. Youngstown State was just outside the top 25 at No. 26, behind North Carolina A&T.
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A year after their schedule included five preseason ranked teams – seven if you counted the playoffs – the Griz get only three in 2016. Eastern Washington was #14, Portland State at #17, and Northern Arizona at #18.
