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East Rutherford, NJ - Duquesne has lived at, or near, the top of the Northeast Conference football standings during each of the past two seasons and the coaches’ poll results suggest the Dukes won’t be descending anytime soon.

Jerry Schmitt’s team pulled in four first-place votes, winning a split decision and finishing first in the NEC preseason predicted order-of-finish.

While Duquesne is preseason favorite for a second straight summer, Saint Francis has achieved its highest ever preseason ranking. The Red Flash, who earned the NEC’s automatic FCS playoffs bid in 2016, garnered one top nod while finishing as the runner-up in the 2017 preseason coaches’ poll.

Earning the two remaining first-place votes, Wagner took third place in the balloting followed by Nutmeg State rivals Central Connecticut (fourth) and Sacred Heart (fifth). Bryant and Robert Morris rounded out the preseason poll results in sixth and seventh, respectively.

Duquesne has not owned a preseason ranking lower than second since 2010 when the Dukes were slotted seventh.

The NEC unveiled the preseason poll results, along with a 27-member Preseason All-Conference Team, on July 20 at MetLife Stadium as part of the third annual #NECFB Social Media Day.

Although it has proven to have value over the years, the preseason poll hasn’t exactly been the best predictor of the NEC’s automatic FCS playoffs qualifier.

Only once (Sacred Heart in 2014) has the preseason favorite gone on to capture the league’s automatic bid to the national championship tournament.

Paul Dottino and Kevin Gilbride unveiled the preseason poll results during the #NECFB Social Media Day live video program...
 
EXTRA POINTS
•    Each of the past two seasons, the result of the Duquesne vs. Saint Francis game has decided the recipient of the NEC’s automatic FCS playoffs bid.

•    All seven league members placed at least two representatives on the 2017 Preseason All-NEC Team. Saint Francis and Duquesne, who shared the 2016 conference crown, tied with a league-high six selections apiece.

•    Matching the largest on-air package in league history, ESPN3 will be the exclusive carrier of eight selected NEC games.

•    With NFL training camps set to open, four NEC alumni have professional contracts - Wagner’s Julian Stanford (Jets), Saint Francis’ Lorenzo Jerome (49ers), Robert Morris’ Marcelis Branch (Falcons) and Wagner’s Najee Harris (Raiders).


PRESEASON TEAM-BY-TEAM SNAPSHOTS
1.    DUQUESNE DUKES (8-3, 5-1)
Pegged for a first-place finish for the second year in a row, the Dukes return six all-league players from a team that won eight games, including a 5-1 mark against conference foes, in 2016. Although Dillon Buechel, the NEC’s all-time leading passer, has graduated, AJ Hines is back to lead a running game that ranked second in the conference last fall.

2.    SAINT FRANCIS (7-5, 5-1)
Fresh off its first-ever NEC crown and subsequent FCS playoff appearance, the Red Flash earned the program’s highest-ever preseason ranking. All-American receiver Kamron Lewis may face his toughest competition in practice when he goes up against a battle-tested secondary that features Malik Duncan, Delondo Boyd and Jalen Wells.

3.    WAGNER (6-5, 4-2)
The Seahawks’ stock is on the rise following a strong finish in 2016. Senior quarterback Alex Thomson has a pair of big-play weapons in receiver John Williams (21.1 yards per catch) and running back Denzel Knight (6.5 yards per carry).

4.    CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (2-9, 1-5)
Entering his third season as the starter, quarterback Jacob Dolegala led the conference’s top-ranked pass offense last fall. Linebacker Randall Laguerre, the NEC’s leading tackler one year ago, and cornerback Jevon Elmore, a 2015 All-American, give the defense a solid foundation.

5.    SACRED HEART (6-5, 1-5)
For the first time since 2012, the Pioneers will have a new starting quarterback as they take aim at a fifth consecutive winning season. Edge rusher Dylan Ackerson and linebacker Kevin Barry anchor a defensive unit that ranked first amongst NEC leaders vs. the run.

6.    BRYANT (5-6, 4-2)
James Perry returns to the Ocean State for his first season as the Bulldogs’ head coach. The former Brown quarterback promises to bring a fast-paced playing style to Smithfield.

7.    ROBERT MORRIS (2-9, 1-5)
A coaching staff featuring three NFL alumni will attempt to spark a revolution in Moon Township. Although its offense was decimated by injury last fall, RMU saw flashes of brilliance from its defense with promising young linebacker Gee Stanley tallying 8.5 sacks.