A pair of national media outlets that covers NCAA Division II football have Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate in their preseason top-25 rankings.
Lindy’s Sports College Football National Preview magazine lists Lenoir-Rhyne at 16th and Wingate at No. 25 in its assessment of D2 football. The College Football Network also has L-R ranked 16th, while Wingate slides in at No. 24 in its preseason poll.
The Web site D2Football.com has not released its preseason top-25 rankings yet, but Wingate finished at No. 12 in its final poll of 2022, posted in December.
Of Lenoir-Rhyne, Lindy’s says: “Expect the Bears to take a huge leap forward in a tough SAC with 19 returning starters.” Meanwhile, the magazine says about Wingate: “What the D did in a surprise playoff run last year deserves a ranking in the top 25.”
The two rivals both finished 7-2 in the Piedmont Division of the South Atlantic Conference a year ago — tied for first place in the division along with Newberry. Wingate went on to claim a pair of Division II playoff victories before concluding the season in the national quarterfinals with an 11-3 record.
Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate will meet head-to-head on the Bulldogs’ home turf on Oct. 28.
Ferris State looks to be the class of Division II, according to both Lindy’s and The College Football Network. The Bulldogs are looking to three-peat as D2 champions after winning titles in 2021 and 22. Ferris State beat Colorado School of Mines 41-14 in last year’s finale.
The two teams that Wingate beat in last years playoffs, Virginia Union and Benedict, are ranked ahead of the Bulldogs in both preseason prognostications (Virginia Union at 13/14 and Benedict at 17/18).
Wingate received a mention in “The 2023 way-too-early DII football Power 10,” published at NCAA.com back in January. The ‘Dogs didn’t crack the top 10 but are listed among seven schools with the potential to break into that coveted group.
“What a run the Bulldogs made, but quarterback Shaw Crocker is now gone,” NCAA.com’s Wayne Cavadi wrote. “He’s been the leader for that program forever, there are big shoes to fill.”
