A pair of Division II Colorado football programs earned top-25 rankings in the coaches’ preseason poll.
The Colorado School of Mines and Western Colorado were ranked Nos. 5 and 15, respectively, in the American Football Coaches Association’s poll released Monday.
Mines finished the 2023 season with a 14-1 record, falling 38-7 to Harding in the national championship game last December. It was the Orediggers’ second straight loss in the national title game. Another run will come without star quarterback John Matocha, who graduated this year after finishing his collegiate career with the most touchdowns in college football history at 190.
Western Colorado finished 10-2 last season, losing a 16-13 overtime heartbreaker to Central Washington in the first round of the D-II tournament.
Colorado State University-Pueblo was the only other Colorado school to receive votes, garnering 17 to land the Thunderwolves at No. 35 on the poll.
Defending champion Harding earned the No. 1 spot after getting 25 of the 27 first-place votes. No. 3 Ferris State and No. 4 Grand Valley State each received one first-place vote.
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