WACO, Texas – With just under two weeks to play before the 2019 season opener, the Illinois State football program was selected as the preseason No. 13 team in the country as voted on by the coaches in the initial AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Monday.
North Dakota State will start the 2019 season at the top of the poll once again, as the Bison are the preseason favorites to win it all again. James Madison, who made it to the second round of the FCS playoffs in 2018, comes in at the No. 2 spot. The Dukes are followed by last season's national runner-up, Eastern Washington at No. 3, South Dakota State at No. 4 and UC Davis at No. 5.
Illinois State came in at No. 13 just ahead of Indiana State at No. 16, and Northern Iowa rounded out the Missouri Valley Football Conference representatives in the preseason poll at No. 20. South Dakota State also received votes but wound up just outside the Top 25.Â
The Redbirds return 39 letterwinners and 16 starters from last year's squad, including seven players named to All-MVFC teams last season in All-American James Robinson and Luther Kirk (1st Team), Drew Himmelman and Devin Taylor (2nd Team) and special teams standouts JT Bohlken, Christian Uphoff and Paul Monaco (Honorable Mention). ISU was picked No. 3 in the MVFC preseason poll last week.
As a team, the Redbirds also came in at No. 9 in the HERO Sports 2019 Preseason FCS Top 25 poll announced last month and at No. 15 in the STATS FCS Preseason Top 25 poll announced two weeks ago.
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