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- FCS FOOTBALL -

FCS coaches pick NC Central 19th, Gardner-Webb 24th in preseason poll

Elon, NC A&T, Davidson, Campbell also receive votes

North Carolina FCS Football Logos

North Carolina should be a hotbed for NCAA FCS football this season.

The Old North State boasts two teams in the newly released AFCA FCS Coaches Poll – North Carolina Central at 19th and Gardner-Webb at 24th. Elon received enough votes to finish 30th. North Carolina A&T, Davidson and Campbell also received votes.

South Dakota State, the reigning FCS champion, headlines the AFCA coaches preseason top 25, followed by North Dakota State, Montana State, William & Mary and Holy Cross. Campbell’s season opener will be Thursday, Aug. 31 at home against William & Mary.

North Carolina has seven FCS teams. Only Western Carolina was not included in the coaches poll, but the Catamounts could be a team to be reckoned with in the solid Southern Conference, which includes No. 6 Furman, No. 9 Samford and No. 22 Mercer.

Western Carolina’s home opener will be Sept. 9 against Samford.

AFCS FCS Coaches Preseason Top 25

RankSchool (1st votes)2022 Rec.Pts.2022 RankSeason OpenerHead Coach
1South Dakota St. (24)14-1…624 1Aug. 31 vs. Western OregonJimmy Rogers
2North Dakota St. (1)12-35962Sept. 2 vs. Eastern WashingtonMatt Entz
3Montana St.12-25675Sept. 2 vs. Utah TechBrent Vigen
4William & Mary11-25108Aug. 31 at CampbellMike London
5Holy Cross12-14596Sept. 2 vs. MerrimackBob Chesney
6Furman10-343810Aug. 31 vs. Tennessee TechClay Hendrix
7UIW12-24243Sept. 2 at UTEPClint Killough
8Sacramento St.12-14214Aug. 31 at Nicholls St.Andy Thompson
9Samford11-24147Aug. 31 vs. ShorterChris Hatcher
10Weber St.10-33259Aug. 31 vs. Central WashingtonMickey Mental
11Southeast Missouri St.9-332213Sept. 2 at Kansas St.Tom Matukewicz
12New Hampshire9-430415Sept. 2 at StonehillRick Santos
13Idaho7-528822Aug. 31 at LamarJason Eck
14Montana8-528514Sept. 2 vs. ButlerBobby Hauck
15Southeastern Louisiana9-425919Sept. 2 at Mississippi St.Frank Scelfo
16Richmond9-423512Sept. 2 vs. Morgan St.Russ Huesman
17UC Davis6-5226NRAug. 31 at Texas A&M-CommerceDan Hawkins
18North Dakota7-5188NRSept. 2 vs. DrakeBubba Schweigert
19North Carolina Central10-213917Sept. 2 vs. Winston-Salem St.Trei Oliver
20Northern Iowa6-5137NRSept. 2 at Iowa St.Mark Farley
21Delaware8-512424tAug. 31 at Stony BrookRyan Carty
22Mercer7-412321Aug. 26 vs. North AlabamaDrew Cronic
23Rhode Island7-473NRAug. 31 at Georgia St.Jim Fleming
24Gardner-Webb7-672NRSept. 2 at Appalachian St.Tre Lamb
25Florida A&M9-27023Sept. 3 vs. Jackson St.Willie Simmons

Others Receiving Votes: Yale, 64; Eastern Kentucky, 59; Fordham, 58; Jackson St., 37; Elon, 30; St. Thomas (Minn.), 30; Youngstown St., 28; Princeton, 26; Southern Illinois, 26; UT Martin, 23; Central Arkansas, 22; Chattanooga, 13; North Carolina A&T, 13; Illinois St., 12; Northern Arizona, 12; Southern, 9; Davidson, 7; St. Francis (Pa.), 7; Tennessee Tech, 6; Howard, 5; Pennsylvania, 5; Abilene Christian, 4; Austin Peay, 3; Campbell, 2; Villanova, 1.

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Recommended Reading From NC Football News

—> Five Who Could Surprise In 2023

—> The Ultimate Old North State Road Trip

—> NC A&T Will Tackle 3 ACC Teams, Georgia In Future Schedules

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More ‘Best In State’ Reading From NC Football News

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