The Northwest Missouri State Bearcat football team sits at the number three spot on the preseason American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Poll. Since the AFCA polls institution in 2004 the Bearcats have never been left off the list.
The previous three titles have slipped through the hands of the Bearcats in the last game of the season.
Valdosta State, in Georgia, claims the number one spot in the poll followed by Grand Valley, who edged out Northwest by 12 voting points for the number two spot.
Bearcat football kicks off this season with a tough home opener against number eight Abilene Christian.
Four other Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association schools earned mention in the poll including the Mules of Central Missouri and the Griffins of Missouri Western.