Golden Eagles receiving votes in preseason Sports Network FCS poll

Posted: Aug 15, 2011

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Golden Eagle football team is on the national radar. Tennessee Tech is included among "others receiving votes" in the Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Preseason Top 25 poll announced Monday. Tech received 12 points in the voting, one of six Ohio Valley Conference teams who got nods from the nationwide panel of voters.

Jacksonville State, picked to win the OVC, is ranked ninth in the poll. The Gamecocks were the lone OVC team in the Top 25, but five others including Tech received votes, led by defending league champ Southeast Missouri. Others from the OVC are Murray State, Eastern Kentucky, Tech and UT Martin.

Defending national champion Eastern Washington was installed as a prohibitive No. 1 by voters. The EWU Eagles gained 90 of the 140 first-place votes and 3,377 points in the poll.

Appalachian State, which is coming off its sixth straight season of at least 10 wins and a share of the Southern Conference title, collected 14 first-place votes and was picked second.

William & Mary had six more first-place votes for 20 while finishing one spot behind at No. 3. Georgia Southern, which had 11 first-place votes, was fourth, and Delaware, which fell to Eastern Washington in the national championship game, was fifth, gaining a pair of first-place votes.

The Golden Eagles begin the season playing outside of the Football Championship Subdivision, opening at Iowa of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Big Ten Conference, on Saturday, Sept. 3. The home opener is Thursday, Sept. 8, in Tucker Stadium againt Maryville College.

Season tickets for the 2011 Golden Eagle home slate are on sale by visiting or calling (931) 372-3940 the Athletic Ticket Office in Eblen Center. Tickets may also be ordered online at TTUsports.com.

The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Preseason Top-25 College Football Poll

Place/Team (First place votes)	2010 Record	Points	Final 2010 Poll Position
1. Eastern Washington Eagles (90)	13-2	3,377	1
2. Appalachian State Mountaineers (14)	10-3	3,142	4
3. William & Mary Tribe (20)	8-4	3,110	10
4. Georgia Southern Eagles (11)	10-5	3,095	5
5. Delaware Blue Hens (2)	12-3	2,806	20
6. Montana State Bobcats	9-3	2,623	11
7. Northern Iowa Panthers	7-5	2,452	19
8. Wofford Terriers	10-3	2,357	6
9. Jacksonville State Gamecocks	9-3	2,028	12
10. New Hampshire Wildcats (1)	8-5	2,025	7
11. North Dakota State Bison	9-5	1,720	9
12. Montana Grizzlies	7-4	1,668	20
13. Lehigh Mountain Hawks	10-3	1,351	14
14. Villanova Wildcats (2)	9-5	1,262	3
15. James Madison Dukes	6-5	1,247	NR
16. Richmond Spiders	6-5	987	NR
17. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks	9-3	969	8
18. Central Arkansas Bears	7-4	961	NR
19. Southern Illinois Salukis	5-6	934	NR
20. McNeese State Cowboys	6-5	701	NR
21. Chattanooga Mocs	6-5	672	NR
22. Liberty Flames	8-3	630	21
23. South Carolina State Bulldogs	9-3	628	16
24. Sacramento State Hornets	6-5	587	NR
25. Massachusetts Minutemen	6-5	519	NR

Others receiving votes: Penn 456, Bethune-Cookman 425, Southeast Missouri State 341, Murray State 315, Western Illinois 247, Southern Utah 240, Jacksonville 215, Cal Poly 168, Stony Brook 163, Grambling State 146, Eastern Kentucky 139, Jackson State 76, Florida A&M 76, Colgate 75, Sam Houston State 75, Harvard 54, Indiana State 51, UC Davis 48, South Dakota State 40, Youngstown State 28, Central Connecticut State 26, Coastal Carolina 25, Dayton 21, Northwestern State 20, Northern Arizona 18, Elon 16, Yale 15, Weber State 13, Illinois State 12, Tennessee Tech 12, Rhode Island 11, Maine 10, Albany 10, Texas Southern 10, Northern Colorado 10, Furman 10, Brown 8, South Dakota 7, Old Dominion 5, Columbia 5, Missouri State 2, Robert Morris 2, Hampton 1, Duquesne 1, UT Martin 1.