Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State football team gathered 36 points and earned six of the seven first-place votes en route to being named the preseason favorite in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division Coaches Poll.
The Mavericks were followed in the South Division by Augustana – which had one first-place vote – Winona State, Wayne State, Southwest Minnesota State, Concordia and Upper Iowa.
In the overall NSIC poll, the Mavericks were picked second by the coaches, garnering 157 points and one first-place vote. Two-time defending league champ Minnesota Duluth picked up 13 first-place votes and 169 total points.
The preseason polls are voted on by all 14 coaches in the NSIC and coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
Minnesota State finished the 2009 season with a 10-2 record and were the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division champions. The Mavericks also qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the fifth time in program history and hosted the first playoff game in school history.
The Mavericks lift the lid on the 2010 season Sept. 2, against Northern Michigan.
Preseason NSIC Football Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Minnesota Duluth (13)
|
169 |
| 2 |
Minnesota State (1)
|
157 |
| 3 |
Augustana |
125 |
| |
St. Cloud State
|
125 |
| 5 |
Bemidji State
|
122 |
| 6 |
Wayne State
|
116 |
| 7 |
Winona State
|
114 |
| 8 |
University of Mary
|
74 |
| 9 |
Southwest Minnesota State
|
73 |
| 10 |
Concordia |
72 |
| 11 |
Northern State
|
45 |
| 12 |
Upper Iowa
|
41 |
| 13 |
MSU Moorhead
|
26 |
| 14 |
Minnesota, Crookston
|
15 |
Preseason NSIC South Division Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Minnesota State (6) |
36 |
| 2 |
Augustana (1) |
27 |
| 3 |
Winona State |
26 |
| 4 |
Wayne State |
24 |
| 5 |
Southwest Minnesota State |
15 |
| 6 |
Concordia |
13 |
| 7 |
Upper Iowa |
6 |
