Redbirds rank No. 18 in FCS preseason coaches poll

Posted on August 9, 2017

By ISU Sports Information

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the second time this week, the Illinois State football team was recognized as one of the best 25 teams in the FCS headed into the season when the Redbirds were ranked No. 18 in the 2017 FCS preseason coaches poll. ISU was also ranked No. 20 in the STATS FCS Preseason Top 25 announced Monday.

Illinois State advanced to the FCS playoffs for the third-consecutive season in 2016, marking the first such streak in program history. The Redbirds return 14 starters in 2017, including eight on defense, as they look to extend the playoff streak to four seasons in a row. ISU is led by head coach Brock Spack, who begins his ninth season at the helm of the program (62-35) and has guided the ‘Birds to eight winning seasons and four total playoff appearances in his tenure.

Coming off a 2016 season in which it went 14-1 and was crowned national champion, James Madison was selected first overall in the 2017 FCS preseason coaches poll. North Dakota State (12-2) was slated to finish second, receiving a pair of first-place votes, while Sam Houston State (12-1) was voted third, totaling three first-place votes. Eastern Washington and Jacksonville State round out the top five, followed by the final team receiving a first-place vote, South Dakota State, at No. 6.

Last year’s FCS runner-up Youngstown State was also a top-10 selection at No. 8, while Illinois State (No. 18) and Northern Iowa (No. 20) both cracked the preseason top 25 after finishing 2016 unranked. The 2017 preseason poll features teams from nine conferences, with the Missouri Valley Football Conference leading the way with five schools. The Big Sky, CAA and the Southern Conference each boast four schools in the preseason poll.

Illinois State opens the 2017 season at Hancock Stadium Saturday, Sept. 2, against Butler at 6:30 p.m.

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…