Football tops 100 points in Southland’s preseason poll

ABILENE  -- There were no surprises Wednesday in the Southland Conference's annual release of its preseason poll, which is compiled by the league's 11 head coaches and sports information directors.

The 2020 Southland Football Preseason Poll is presented by Jostens.

The rankings closely followed last year's standings with Central Arkansas topping the list with 190 points and 12 first-place votes. The defending champion Bears, who visit Wildcat Stadium Sept. 12, tied Nicholls for the league's best record at 7-2, but the Colonels slipped to third with Sam Houston State tallying 170 points (4).

The Bearkats defeated the Colonels 17-0 last season in Huntsville as part of a 4-1 start, but a 2-2 finish, which included a three-point home loss to Northwestern State kept them from claiming a share of the regular-season crown and, likely, a spot in the 2019 FCS playoffs.

Nicholls scooped up the remaining six first-place votes in finishing a point (169) behind Sam Houston State. The Colonels will be the Wildcats' homecoming opponent this season on Oct. 17.

Southeastern Louisiana, which celebrated a playoff win last fall over Villanova, was pegged fourth with 157 points.

The Wildcats played in six one-possession conference games in compiling a 4-5 record vs. the Southland (232 points for, 233 points against) last fall, and they start the year ranked seventh with 101 points. They were topped by McNeese (113 points) and UIW (104).

ACU defeated McNeese 17-10 at home last September but couldn't carry that momentum on the road as they lost consecutive one-possession games to the Cardinals of UIW (31-24) and Lamar (27-24).

There's a sizable 41-point gap in the poll between the Wildcats and the rest of the conference. Stephen F. Austin ranked eighth with 60 points, one ahead of Houston Baptist, while Northwestern State and Lamar collected 49 and 38 points, respectively.

The Wildcats hammered HBU on their home-turf, 45-20, to begin a three-game winning streak that also included a double-overtime win over the Lumberjacks, 31-24.

ACU's 2020 football season kicks off Sept. 5 at Texas A&M.

1. Central Arkansas (12) - 190 
2. Sam Houston State (4) - 170 
3. Nicholls (6) - 169 
4. Southeastern Louisiana - 157
5. McNeese -113
6. UIW - 104 
7. Abilene Christian - 101
8. Stephen F. Austin - 60
9. Houston Baptist - 59
10. Northwestern State - 49
11. Lamar - 38