(WACO, TX)---West Liberty opens the 2010 season as the No. 8 squad in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Top 25 poll. The Hilltoppers return 15 starters from last season's 11-2 WVIAC championship squad. They open the season with a home playoff rematch versus Edinboro on September 4. WL ran past Edinboro 84-63 in last season's post-season, but fell 42-30 to the Fighting Scots during the regular season.
Charleston (9-2 in '09) and Shepherd (6-4 in '09) rank among schools receiving votes. UC starts their campaign at Tusculum on August 28. Shepherd hits the road for a clash with defending PSAC champion Shippensburg on the same date.
2009 national champion Northwest Missouri State tops the poll as the Bearcats received 22 of 26 first place votes. Second place Grand Valley State tallied three first place votes. Third place North Alabama, which plays at Glenville State on September 11, garnered the final nod for the top position. No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 5 Central Washington round out the the top five.
The complete 2010 preseason AFCA Division II Top 25 follows:
| Pos. |
School (1st place votes) |
Pts. |
'09 W-L |
| 1. |
Northwest Missouri State (22) |
645 |
14-1 |
| 2. |
Grand Valley State (3) |
621 |
13-2 |
| 3. |
North Alabama (1) |
580 |
11-2 |
| 4. |
Minnesota-Duluth |
549 |
11-2 |
| 5. |
Central Washington |
499 |
12-1 |
| 6. |
California (PA) |
489 |
11-4 |
| 7. |
Abilene Christian (TX) |
435 |
9-4 |
8.
|
West Liberty (WV) |
420
|
11-2 |
| 9. |
Carson-Newman (TN) |
400 |
11-3 |
| 10. |
Washburn (KS) |
339 |
8-3 |
| 11. |
West Texas A&M |
337 |
7-5 |
| 12. |
West Alabama |
313 |
8-5 |
| 13. |
Nebraska-Kearney |
296 |
11-2 |
| 14. |
Saginaw Valley State (MI) |
235 |
9-3 |
| 15. |
Nebraska-Omaha |
232 |
7-5 |
| 16. |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
216 |
9-3 |
| 17. |
Tuskegee (AL) |
210 |
10-2 |
| 18. |
Hillsdale (MI) |
188 |
10-3 |
| 19. |
Midwestern State (TX) |
163 |
9-3 |
| 20. |
Missouri Western |
160 |
9-3 |
| 21. |
Minnesota State-Mankato |
127 |
10-2 |
| 22. |
West Chester (PA) |
122 |
7-4 |
| 23. |
North Carolina-Pembroke |
115 |
9-2 |
| 24. |
Delta State (MS) |
93 |
5-5 |
| 25. |
East Stroudsburg (PA) |
74 |
8-3 |
Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M-Commerce, 73; Valdosta St. (Ga.), 59; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 56; Wingate (N.C.), 49; Bloomsburg (Pa.), 34; Tarleton St. (Texas), 32; Albany St. (Ga.), 30; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 28; Colorado School of Mines, 27; St. Cloud State (Minn.), 17; Benedict (S.C.), 16; Morehouse (Ga.), 15; Indiana (Pa.), 14; Shaw (N.C.), 14; Augustana (S.D.), 13; Findlay (Ohio), 13; Winona St. (Minn.), 13; Central Missouri, 11; Charleston (W.Va.), 11; Shippensburg (Pa.), 11; Angelo St. (Texas), 9; Shepherd (W.Va.), 9; Bentley (Mass.), 8; Chadron St. (Neb.), 6; Southern Connecticut St., 6; Arkansas Tech, 4; Southeastern Oklahoma St., 4; Edinboro (Pa.), 3; C.W. Post (N.Y.), 2; Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 1; Henderson St. (Ark.), 1; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 1; Wayne St. (Neb.), 1; Western Oregon, 1.
