Locally, John Carroll was picked to finish eighth by the coaches and sixth by the media. Baldwin-Wallace finished seventh in the coaches poll and eighth in the media poll.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Mount Union is again the favorite to win the Ohio Athletic Conference football crown.
The Purple Raiders, 14-1 last year and the national preseason No.1 pick by USA Today, topped both the coaches and media preseason polls. The results were announced Wednesday at the league's football media day in Columbus at Ohio State University.
Locally, John Carroll was picked to finish eighth by the coaches and sixth by the media. Baldwin-Wallace finished seventh in the coaches poll and eighth in the media poll.
John Carroll is coming off a 3-7 season, including a 3-6 record in the OAC for a seventh-place tie with Baldwin-Wallace. The Blue Streaks open the season Sept. 4 at Case.
"We've got a group of outstanding players that have a true passion for the game," 12th-year John Carroll coach Regis Scafe said in a release. "Our guys are out to prove that they're gonna be a real good team this season."
Baldwin-Wallace also went 3-7 overall in 2009. Its first game is Sept. 2 at home against Wooster.
"Preseason polls only count for so much," B-W ninth-year coach John Snell said in a release. "But hearing the projections certainly serves as an intense motivator for us. We can't expect B-W football to finish seventh or eighth."
Mount Union, the 10-time national champion, has won 18 consecutive OAC football titles and 21 overall. Larry Kehres is beginning his 25th season as the Purple Raiders' coach and has a 289-22-3 overall record.
2010 OAC football preseason coaches poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)
1. Mount Union (9), 81
2. Ohio Northern (0.5), 71.5
3. Otterbein (0.5), 63.5
4. Capital, 56
5. Heidelberg, 43
6. Muskingum, 41
7. Baldwin-Wallace, 34
8. John Carroll, 31
9. Marietta, 19
10. Wilmington, 10
2010 OAC football preseason media poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)
1. Mount Union (34), 340
2. Ohio Northern, 299
3. Otterbein, 274
4. Capital, 197
5. Heidelberg, 176
6. John Carroll, 158
7. Muskingum, 154
8. Baldwin-Wallace, 145
9. Marietta, 78
10. Wilmington, 49