Another national media outlet has put Wingate and Lenoir-Rhyne football in its preseason Division II top 25 rankings.
Wingate is listed 18th in the D2Football.com rankings, while Lenoir-Rhyne is 23rd. The Bulldogs and Bears also appear in the American Football Coaches Association preseason top 25, released last week – Wingate at 21 and Lenoir-Rhyne at 25.
Both the ‘Dogs and Bears compete in the South Atlantic Conference and are expected to contend for the Piedmont Division crown. Wingate finished 11-3 a year ago, advancing to the D2 playoff quarterfinals and finishing 12th in the final D2Football poll. Lenoir-Rhyne was 8-3 a year ago but unranked at season’s end.
Newberry, which plays in the SAC also, is missing from the D2Football poll. The Wolves are 24th in the AFCA preseason rankings.
Opening day is less than two weeks away for both teams. Wingate will host Albany State on Thursday, Aug. 31, while Lenoir-Rhyne will start Saturday, Sept. 2 at home against St. Augustine’s.
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D2Football.com Preseason Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Last |
| 1 | Ferris State | 14-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Grand Valley | 12-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Pittsburg State | 12-1 | 5 |
| 4 | Colorado Mines | 13-3 | 3 |
| 5 | Northwest Missouri | 10-3 | 7 |
| 6 | Angelo State | 12-1 | 6 |
| 7 | Minnesota State | 10-3 | 11 |
| 8 | West Florida | 12-2 | 4 |
| 9 | Delta State | 11-2 | 9 |
| 10 | Bemidji State | 10-3 | 16 |
| 11 | Ouachita Baptist | 11-1 | 13 |
| 12 | IUP | 10-2 | 10 |
| 13 | Shepherd | 13-2 | 8 |
| 14 | Ashland | 10-2 | 14 |
| 15 | Harding | 9-2 | 18 |
| 16 | Slippery Rock | 10-3 | 15 |
| 17 | Emporia State | 9-3 | 22 |
| 18 | Wingate | 11-3 | 12 |
| 19 | West Georgia | 8-2 | 21 |
| 20 | Benedict | 11-1 | 17 |
| 21 | Indianapolis | 9-2 | 20 |
| 22 | Virginia Union | 9-2 | 19 |
| 23 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 8-3 | NR |
| 24 | Davenport | 8-3 | 25 |
| 25 | CSU-Pueblo | 8-4 | 24 |
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More SAC Headlines from NC Football News
- D2 Football: Wingate football moves into national rankings
Bulldogs also have clinched spot in SAC title game - SAC Recaps: Wingate declaws Bears; Mars Hill swats Emory & Henry
Barton explodes for 49 points against Catawba to snap four-game losing streak - Preview: Wingate visits Lenoir-Rhyne in Key SAC Piedmont Division Battle
Playoff contenders clash in Hickory with berth in league title game on the line - Fabulous 15: Top four teams hold their ground for another week
Johnson C. Smith, NCCU, Lenoir-Rhyne, Louisburg appear in national rankings - Four NC teams earn spots in initial D2 Super Region rankings
Johnson C. Smith, Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate, Winston-Salem State listed in Super Region II
