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Southern Arkansas Ninth in GSC Football Pre-Season Poll

By: Houston Taylor

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Defending Gulf South Conference champion North Alabama has been selected by the league’s coaches to repeat that feat in 2010 with the release Monday of the annual conference pre-season football poll. Southern Arkansas was picked to finish ninth.

The Lions received the top spot in the coaches’ poll for the first time since 2006, garnering 97 total points and eight first-place votes. Only the head coaches vote in the poll, but aren’t allowed to do so for their own team. Teams received 10 points for a first-place vote, descending in order to one point for 10th place.

West Alabama, which advanced to the 2009 NCAA Division II playoffs, is expected to ride that momentum this season and was picked second (84), earning two first-place nods. Valdosta State received the other lone first-place vote in tallying 81 points for third. Delta State (72) is picked fourth, while the six Arkansas institutions in the league were voted fifth through 10th, respectively, in Arkansas Tech (62), Ouachita Baptist (51), Henderson State (47), Arkansas-Monticello (46), Southern Arkansas (26) and Harding (24). West Georgia (15) rounds out the poll.

The Muleriders received two votes to finish sixth, two for eighth, four for ninth and two for 10th.

In national publications, the Lions are ranked fourth in Lindy’s and 10th in SportingNews, while Arkansas Tech is 21st and 23rd and West Alabama 23rd and 24th, respectively, in the two magazines.

The GSC pre-season all-conference team will be released August 3.

SCHOOL 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Total
North Alabama 8 1 1 — — — — — — — 97
West Alabama 2 4 1 2 1 — — — — — 84
Valdosta State 1 4 1 3 1 — — — — — 81
Delta State — — 4 4 2 — — — — — 72
Arkansas Tech — 1 1 1 4 2 1 — — — 62
Ouachita Baptist — — 1 — 2 4 2 1 — — 51
Henderson State — — 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 — 47
Arkansas-Monticello — 1 1 — — 2 4 — 1 1 46
Southern Arkansas — — — — — 2 — 2 4 2 26
Harding — — — — — — — 5 4 1 24
West Georgia — — — — — — — 2 1 7 15