Lenoir-Rhyne, Carson-Newman and Wingate Ranked in Preseason AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll

August 16, 2021

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) - With the start of the 2021 football season, just around the corner, the American Football Coaches Association released the 2021 Preseason Coaches' Poll on Monday (Aug. 16). The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears are the top-ranked team from the SAC, pick up a No. 6 preseason ranking, followed by Carson-Newman and Wingate in a tie for No. 24.

Tusculum also received votes in the poll.

Be sure to check out the 2021 SAC Preseason poll which will be released with a special video presentation on Monday, Aug. 23 at 10 a.m. on the SAC Live Digital Network.

2021 American Football Coaches Association Preseason Division II Coaches' Poll – August 16, 2021

Rank	School (1st votes)	2019 Rec.	Pts.	2019 Rank	Season Opener	Head Coach
1	West Florida (26)	13-2	698	1	Sept. 2 at McNeese (La.)	Pete Shinnick
2	Minnesota St. (2)	14-1	673	2	Sept. 2 vs. Northern St. (S.D.)	Todd Hoffner
3	Ferris St. (Mich.)	12-1	630	3	Sept. 2 vs. Findlay (Ohio)	Tony Annese
4	Northwest Missouri St. (1)	12-2	575	7	Sept. 2 at No. 24 Fort Hays St. (Kan.)	Rich Wright
5	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	13-1	544	6	Sept. 2 at Wayne St. (Mich.)	Shawn Lutz
6t.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	13-1	540	4	Sept. 4 at Virginia St.	Mike Jacobs
6t.	Valdosta St. (Ga.)	10-1	540	5	Sept. 2 vs. Savannah St. (Ga.)	Gary Goff
8	Texas A&M-Commerce	10-3	520	11	Sept. 2 at No. 13 Colorado St.-Pueblo	David Bailiff
9	Notre Dame (Ohio)	12-2	501	10	Sept. 4 vs. Ashland (Ohio)	Mickey Mental
10	Colorado School of Mines	12-1	423	8	Sept. 2 vs. Western Oregon	Gregg Brandon
11	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	11-1	387	14	Sept. 2 vs. Oklahoma Baptist	Todd Knight
12	Colorado St.-Pueblo	11-2	327	12	Sept. 2 vs. No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce	John Wristen
13	Central Missouri	11-2	323	13	Sept. 2 vs. Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	Jim Svoboda
14	Indianapolis (Ind.)	9-2	261	17	Sept. 4 at Saint Xavier (Ill.)	Chris Keevers
15	Shepherd (W.Va.)	10-3	256	22	Sept. 2 at Ohio Dominican	Ernie McCook
16	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	8-3	231	NR	Sept. 2 vs. Edinboro (Pa.)	Matt Mitchell
17	Indiana (Pa.)	10-2	220	21	Sept. 11 vs. No. 20 Kutztown (Pa.)	Paul Tortorella
18	Bowie St. (Md.)	11-1	210	18	Sept. 4 at Delaware St.	Damon Wilson
19	Tiffin (Ohio)	9-2	188	23	Sept. 4 at Marian (Ind.)	Chris Reisert
20	Kutztown (Pa.)	11-2	144	16	Sept. 4 vs. Assumption (Mass.)	Jim Clements
21	Lindenwood (Mo.)	9-4	134	25	Sept. 2 vs. Angelo St. (Texas)	Jed Stugart
22	Harding (Ark.)	10-2	120	15	Sept. 4 vs. East Central (Okla.)	Paul Simmons
23	Minnesota-Duluth	8-3	100	NR	Sept. 2 at Upper Iowa	Curt Wiese
24t.	Carson-Newman (Tenn.)	9-3	95	20	Sept. 2 vs. West Georgia	Mike Clowney
24t.	Wingate (N.C.)	10-2	95	16	Sept. 2 vs. Shaw (N.C.)	Joe Reich

*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2019

Others Receiving Votes: Fort Hays St., 90; Tusculum (Tenn.), 52; Angelo St. (Texas), 49; Augustana (S.D.), 42; Ashland (Ohio), 38; West Chester (Pa.), 38; Delta St. (Miss.), 35; West Texas A&M, 26; Midwestern St. (Texas), 25; Bentley (Mass.), 24; Henderson St. (Ark.), 24; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 23; UT-Permian Basin (Texas), 23; Ohio Dominican, 20; Findlay (Ohio), 18; West Alabama, 18; California (Pa.), 17; Charleston (W.Va.), 16; Central Washington, 15; Miles (Ala.), 15; Truman St. (Mo.), 15; Oklahoma Baptist, 14; Assumption (Mass.), 9; Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 8; Wayne St. (Mich.), 8; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 6; Virginia Union, 6; Chadron St. (Neb.), 4; Nebraska-Kearney, 4; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 2; West Georgia, 2; Hillsdale (Mich.), 1; Missouri Western, 1; Virginia St., 1; Western Oregon, 1.

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