July 23, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
For the second straight season, the Illinois State football team will open the season ranked in the top-10 nationally, as the Redbirds are ranked No. 9 in the College Sporting News' 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Top-25 Poll.
The Redbirds are coming off a 9-4 campaign, which included a trip to the FCS playoffs, the third in school history. The Gateway Football Conference placed three teams in the top-10, including Illinois State, and four in the top-25. Youngstown State is rated No. 4 by CSN, while Northern Iowa is No. 7 and Southern Illinois enters the season ranked No. 12.
ISU non-conference opponents include future Gateway member North Dakota State, which is ranked No. 3, and in-state rival Eastern Illinois, which is No. 20. South Dakota State, another Gateway addition in 2008, cracked the top-25 with a No. 22 ranking.
Defending national champion Appalachian State earned the No. 1 ranking, followed by Montana, North Dakota State, Youngstown State and New Hampshire.
