Holy Cross Football Ranked #25 In The Nation
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross football team has been ranked 25th in the nation by the Sports Network / Fathead.com in the 2010 preseason poll for the football championship subdivision. This marks the second straight year the Crusaders have been ranked in the Sports Network preseason poll, as they also checked in at No. 25 in 2009.
Holy Cross received 560 total points in the poll, to finish in 25th place. The only Crusader opponent in the rankings was Colgate, which received 608 points to rank 22nd. Other Holy Cross opponents to receive votes were Lafayette (98), Harvard (85), Massachusetts (45), Lehigh (27) and Brown (2).
The Crusaders return 12 of 24 starters from their 2009 squad which posted an overall record of 9-3, won the Patriot League title with a 5-1 mark in conference games, and advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1983. Holy Cross is scheduled to open the 2010 season when it plays host to Howard in a 1:00 p.m. game on Saturday, Sept. 4.
The complete Sports Network / Fathead.com 2010 football championship subdivision preseason poll follows.
The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top-25 College Football Poll
| Team (First-place votes) | Record | Points | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Villanova Wildcats (104) | 14-1 | 3,112 | 1 |
| 2. Montana Grizzlies (9) | 14-1 | 2,899 | 2 |
| 3. Appalachian State Mountaineers (8) | 11-3 | 2,857 | 3 |
| 4. William & Mary Tribe (3) | 11-3 | 2,631 | 4 |
| 5. Southern Illinois Salukis (1) | 11-2 | 2,569 | 6 |
| 6. Richmond Spiders (1) | 11-2 | 2,317 | 5 |
| 7. Elon Phoenix | 9-3 | 2,243 | 9 |
| 8. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks | 10-3 | 2,041 | 10 |
| 9. South Dakota State Jackrabbits | 8-4 | 1,863 | 11 |
| 10. New Hampshire Wildcats | 10-3 | 1,837 | 7 |
| 11. South Carolina State Bulldogs | 10-2 | 1,607 | 8 |
| 12. McNeese State Cowboys | 9-3 | 1,475 | 12 |
| 13. Eastern Washington Eagles | 8-4 | 1,422 | 3 |
| 14. Northern Iowa Panthers | 7-4 | 1,269 | 18 |
| 15. James Madison Dukes | 6-5 | 1,237 | NR |
| 16. Delaware Blue Hens | 6-5 | 879 | NR |
| 17. Jacksonville State Gamecocks | 8-3 | 833 | 16 |
| 18. Eastern Illinois Panthers | 8-4 | 762 | 19 |
| 19. Weber State Wildcats | 7-5 | 716 | 17 |
| 20. Prairie View A&M Panthers | 9-1 | 709 | 15 |
| 21. Liberty Flames | 8-3 | 633 | 22 |
| 22. Colgate Raiders | 9-2 | 608 | 21 |
| 23. Penn Quakers | 8-2 | 593 | 20 |
| 24. Montana State Bobcats | 7-4 | 584 | NR |
| 25. Holy Cross Crusaders | 9-3 | 560 | 14 |
Others receiving votes: Illinois State 488, Wofford 311, Northern Arizona 286, Cal Poly 239, Furman 229, Texas State 206, Florida A&M 153, Lafayette 98, Maine 88, Harvard 85, Eastern Kentucky 81, UC Davis 61, Samford 61, Massachusetts 45, Southeastern Louisiana 45, Alabama A&M 45, Missuori State 40, Central Arkansas 39, Norfolk State 28, Lehigh 27, Old Dominion 25, Grambling State 24, Davidson 23, Georgia Southern 22, Princeton 21, Dayton 20, Portland State 18, Chattanooga 17, Youngstown State 15, Idaho State 15, Southern utah 14, Northwestern State 12, Indiana State 12, Stony Brook 12, Hampton 12, Gardner-Webb 11, Tennessee Tech 9, Robert Morris 9, North Dakota 8, Southern 8, Central Connecticut State 7, Morgan State 7, Jackson State 7, North Carolina A&T 6, VMI 5, North Dakota State 5, Austin Peay 4, Butler 4, Alcorn State 3, Jacksonville 2, Texas Southern 2, Brown 2, Howard 2, Cornell 1, Coastal Carolina 1.
