SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three Southern Conference football teams appear in the HERO Sports Preseason Top 25, which was announced Thursday.
 
Defending SoCon champion VMI is tied for 13^th, Chattanooga is No. 20 and ETSU is tied for No. 23.
 
The Keydets went 6-2 overall and 6-1 in league play in 2020-21, winning the SoCon title for the first time since 1977 and making their first-ever FCS playoffs appearance. VMI, which opened its campaign with a win over then-No. 10 Furman, finished the season ranked No. 12 in both the AFCA Top 25 and the Stats Perform Top 25, peaking at No. 10 in both polls during the regular season. Coach Scott Wachenheim won the Eddie Robinson Award and was named the AFCA FCS National Coach of the Year.
 
Chattanooga went 3-2 overall and 3-1 in SoCon play in 2020-21. Before opting out of the remainder of the season, the Mocs were ranked as high as No. 10 nationally in the coaches’ poll and peaked at No. 9 in the Stats Perform poll. UTC downed two ranked squads in Wofford and Furman.
 
ETSU went 4-2 in the spring, all in SoCon play, and handed VMI its lone league loss. The Bucs appeared in the final four national polls, topping out at No. 20 in the AFCA poll and finishing No. 24 in that poll and No. 21 in the Stats Perform poll.

For the HERO Sports release, click here.
 
HERO Sports Preseason Top 25
1. Sam Houston
2. James Madison
3. South Dakota State
4. North Dakota State
5. Southern Illinois
6. Delaware
T7. Montana State
T7. Weber State
9. Montana
10. North Dakota
11. Central Arkansas
12. Monmouth
T13. Southeastern Louisiana
T13. VMI
15. Jacksonville State
16. Eastern Washington
17. Villanova
18. Austin Peay
19. North Carolina A&T
20. Chattanooga
21. Alcorn State
22. Murray State
T23. ETSU
T23. Sacramento State
25. Missouri State
 
Others: Alabama A&M; Florida A&M; Kennesaw State; Nicholls; Rhode Island