Southeastern voted to top spot in Southland Football Preseason Poll

Lions, UIW each grab seven first-place votes

FRISCO, Texas – For the second year in a row, Southeastern is the preseason favorite for the Southland Conference football season, the league announced Wednesday. The Lions received seven first-place votes and 90 total points to garner the top spot in the poll, presented by BuyB1.com.

Defending conference champion UIW follows closely in second – also with seven first-place votes – and 86 points. Earning a pair of top-slot nods, Nicholls was voted to the third spot with 79 points, ahead of McNeese (61) and Northwestern State (44).

In the first year of its transition to Division I and debut season in the Southland Conference, Texas A&M-Commerce is picked to finish fifth with 39 points. Lamar (25) and HBU (24) round out the preseason poll.

The Lions garnered 12 total selections on the preseason all-conference teams, including a conference-best seven first-team selections. SLU is coming off its second postseason appearance in the last three seasons with a full, 24-team bracket.

The Cardinals led the way with 16 total selections on the preseason all-league squads, including reigning FCS All-America honorees Taylor Grimes and Kelechi Anyalebechi at wide receiver and linebacker, respectively. Under first-year head coach G.J. Kinne, UIW is aiming to become the first to win back-to-back outright titles since McNeese in 2006-07.

The Colonels earned 10 total preseason all-conference nods and paced the Southland with five on the first-team offense. The winningest active coach in the league, Tim Rebowe needs just six wins to become the 11th coach in league history to reach 50 wins.

Also under new leadership in first-year head coach Gary Goff, the Cowboys look to right the ship and return to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2015. He inherits a roster with eight preseason all-conference honorees, led by a front-seven trio of defensive linemen Mason Kinsey and Accord Green, along with linebacker Kordell Williams.

The Southland Conference preseason poll is voted on by each head coach and football sports information director. Each voter ranks their predicted order of regular season finish, not including their own team. First-place votes are worth seven points, second-place votes are worth six and so on to one point for seventh place.

2022 Southland Conference Football Preseason Poll
Team (First-place votes) Total
1. Southeastern (7) 90
2. UIW (7) 86
3. Nicholls (2) 79
4. McNeese 61
5. Northwestern State 44
6. Texas A&M-Commerce 39
7. Lamar 25
8. HBU 24