PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Southern Conference placed four teams in the Sports Network/Fathead.com Preseason Top 25 Poll, released Monday (August 15). Appalachian State, which was picked to win the 2011 conference crown by the league's head coaches, was selected second behind defending NCAA FCS National Champion, Eastern Washington. Georgia Southern, the preseason favorite among the league's media, was tabbed fourth.
The Wofford Terriers, who won a share of the league crown in 2010, were tabbed eighth. Chattanooga was slotted 21st in preseason balloting, while Elon and Furman were among those receiving votes in the poll.
Eastern Washington gained 90 of the 140 first-place votes and 3,377 points in the poll, while the Mountaineers collected 14 first-place votes.
William & Mary had six more first-place votes for 20 while finishing one spot behind at No. 3. Georgia Southern, which had 11 first-place votes, was fourth, and Delaware, which fell to Eastern Washington in the national championship game, was fifth, gaining a pair of first-place votes.
Other Preseason Top 10 teams were No. 6 Montana State, No. 7 Northern Iowa, Wofford, No. 9 Jacksonville State and No. 10 New Hampshire (one first-place vote).
North Dakota State led the next 10 at No. 11, followed by No. 12 Montana, No. 13 Lehigh, No. 14 Villanova (two first-place votes), No. 15 James Madison, No. 16 Richmond, No. 17 Stephen F. Austin, No. 18 Central Arkansas, No. 19 Southern Illinois and No. 20 McNeese State.
Following Chattanooga were No. 22 Liberty, No. 23 South Carolina State, No. 24 Sacramento State and No. 25 Massachusetts, which is playing its final season in the FCS before joining the Mid-American Conference of the FBS next year.
CAA Football had the most teams in the Preseason Top 25 with seven, followed by the Big Sky and Southern conferences with four each, and the Missouri Valley and Southland conferences with three each. The Big South, Mid-Eastern Athletic and Ohio Valley conferences and the Patriot League each had one Top 25 team.