The Concordia University, Nebraska football team was picked to finish sixth in the Great Plains Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll at the GPAC football media day on Monday, Aug. 4. Media day was hosted at the Cornhusker Marriot in Lincoln and featured comments from all twelve of the league's football coaches in preparation for the 2008 season.
The 2008 GPAC Preseason Football Coaches' Poll:
Place | School | Points | First Place Votes |
1. | Sioux Falls | 117 | 7 |
2. | Morningside | 115 | 5 |
3. | Northwestern | 99 | |
4. | Nebraska Wesleyan | 91 | |
5. | Hastings | 80 | |
6. | Concordia | 64 | |
7. | Doane | 61 | |
8. | Dakota Wesleyan | 52 | |
9. | Dana | 44 | |
10. | Midland Lutheran | 37 | |
11. | Briar Cliff | 18 | |
12. | Dordt | 14 | |
Sioux Falls, coached by Kalen De Boer, has won six GPAC titles since the league began in 2000. Last fall the Cougars went 13-1 and posted a 10-0 conference record. The Cougars ended as the NAIA national runner-up after losing to Carroll College, 17-9, in the national title game.
Concordia's season starts on Sept. 6 in an evening game against Midland College. For football the GPAC conference is split into halves. Each team plays all of the teams in its half of the conference and all but one from the other half, amounting to a 10-game season. This year Concordia leaves Dakota Wesleyan off of its schedule. The conference standings will be based on all games played. Concordia will play Dordt College this season for the first time ever. Dordt is fielding a varsity football team this season for the first time.
A complete GPAC Preseason Football Prospectus is available on the GPAC website at http://www.gpacsports.com/
A complete 2008 Concordia University Football Prospectus is available now at http://www.cune.edu/athletics/fb/13163/