Poll position: UNH starts in 10th
The University of New Hampshire football team is ranked 10th in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 preseason poll, which was released Monday.
The Wildcats, who finished last season ranked No. 7, are one of four Colonial Athletic Association teams in the top 10 and one of six CAA squads in the top 25, more than any other conference.
UNH posted a 10-3 record last season, highlighted by a 49-13 first-round victory over McNeese State in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. In 2009, the Wildcats were ranked eighth in The Sports Network preseason poll and managed to remain a top 10 team for 12 of the 13 weeks of the season, reaching as high as No. 4 (Oct. 12), and never dropping below No. 11 (Nov. 16).
Defending national champion Villanova is the preseason No. 1 team after gaining 104 of the 126 first-place votes. New Hampshire visits Villanova in a rematch of the '09 national quarterfinals on Nov. 13, one of four ranked FCS foes on the docket this season. UNH will play host to No. 6 Richmond on Oct. 9 and No. 4 William & Mary on Nov. 6, and UNH hits the road to tangle with No. 15 James Madison on Oct. 16. Additionally, the Wildcats put their five-game winning streak against FBS schools on the line Sept. 11 when they visit Pittsburgh, the Big East Conference preseason favorite and No. 15 team in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
UNH has been recognized in a number of other preseason FCS polls, including AnyGivenSaturday.com (No. 6), FCS Now (No. 6), Sporting News (No. 10), Athlon Sports (No. 14) and Lindy's (No. 22).
UNH opens the 2010 season against Central Connecticut State on Sept. 4, at Cowell Stadium with a noon kickoff.
