ACU Slotted Fifth in UAC Coaches Poll

Abilene Christian opens the season on Aug. 31 as the fifth-ranked team in the new United Athletic Conference.
 
With the first UAC games set to start on Saturday, United Athletic Conference (UAC) Football released its 2023 Preseason Coaches Poll for the league's inaugural season with FCS Playoff participant Eastern Kentucky garnering the top spot.

EKU finished their 2022 campaign with a 7-5 record including an appearance in the postseason thanks to a share of the ASUN Championship and the tiebreaker edge in the ASUN-WAC Power Rankings. The Colonels collected a pair of first-place votes in the UAC preseason poll and garnered a total of 71 points.

Fellow ASUN regular season champions Central Arkansas (69 points) and Austin Peay (57 points) rounded out the top three spots in the rankings. The Bears bested all other teams earning five first-place nods while the Govs also picked up one first-place selection.

2022 WAC co-champion Stephen F. Austin was picked to finish fourth with a total of 54 points followed closely by Abilene Christian, the other WAC co-champion, in fifth at 52 points. Tarleton State secured sixth-place in the listing after tallying 37 points while Utah Tech and Southern Utah were tied with 25 points in seventh place. The Trailblazers captured the final first-place vote from the coaching group. North Alabama rounded out the poll in ninth place.

2023 PRESEASON UAC COACHES POLL
1. Eastern Kentucky (2 first-place votes) -- 71 points
2. Central Arkansas (5 first-place votes) -- 69 points
3. Austin Peay (1 first-place vote) -- 57 points
4. Stephen F. Austin -- 54 points
5. Abilene Christian -- 52 points
6. Tarleton State -- 37 points
T7. Utah Tech (1 first-place vote) -- 25 points
T7. Southern Utah -- 25 points
9. North Alabama -- 15 points