Building off its most successful season in program history, the South Dakota State University football team is ranked third in the STATS FCS Preseason Poll, which was released Monday.
The poll was conducted among a national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.
The Jackrabbits, who finished the 2017 season with an 11-3 overall record and their first-ever appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals, ranked third in the preseason poll behind last season’s two national championship game participants. Defending champion North Dakota State tallied 151 first-place votes and 3,919 points, followed by 2017 runner-up James Madison with the other six first-place votes and 3,764 points.
SDSU was third with 3,470 points, while Sam Houston State (3,228 points) and Kennesaw State (3,120) completed the top five.
SDSU’s third-place showing is its highest in a preseason poll and matches the third-place standing the Jackrabbits attained in the 2017 season-ending STATS poll. The Jackrabbits return 43 lettermen and 15 starters from last year’s squad, which set a single-season school record for wins.
Three other Missouri Valley Football Conference teams appeared in the preseason top 25: Northern Iowa, 13th; Illinois State, 21st, and Youngstown State, 25th.
