Kennesaw State Voted 2019 Preseason Football Favorite
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Two-time defending Big South champion Kennesaw State University has been tabbed the favorite in the conference’s annual preseason football poll for the 2019 campaign as voted by the league’s head coaches and media panel and announced today at the Big South Conference Football Media Day Kickoff Luncheon at the Renaissance Suites Hotel in Charlotte.
The Owls collected 14 of the 20 first-place votes and finished with 134 points to claim the top spot for the third-straight year. Kennesaw State, which reached the FCS Quarterfinals last season and was ranked No. 4/5 in the final polls, returns 46 letterwinners, 13 starters and seven All-Conference players. KSU went 11-2 last season (5-0 in the Big South) and ranked second in the nation in total defense with a Big South single-season record of 263.7 yards allowed.
Monmouth, which finished second in the 2018 Big South standings for the second consecutive year, was second in the 2019 preseason balloting with 122 points and received five first-place votes. The Hawks welcome back 15 starters in 2019 -– including seven on defense. Charleston Southern claimed third-place in the poll with 79 points and received the remaining first-place nod. Campbell was predicted fourth in the preseason ranking with 73 points, while Gardner-Webb landed in the fifth spot with 67 points.
Hampton, which begins its first season of Big South football this fall, collected 64 points for sixth-place in the poll. Presbyterian College rounded out the preseason voting with the seventh and final spot, as the Blue Hose received 21 points. New football associate member North Alabama is not eligible for the preseason ranking as part of its transition to Division I. The Lions are not eligible for the Big South regular-season championship and its games will not count in the conference standings this coming season.
Gardner-Webb and North Alabama open the 2019 season on Thursday night, Aug. 29, while the remaining members begin on Saturday, Aug. 31. The first conference game is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5, and the regular-season concludes Saturday, Nov. 23, with the Big South champion receiving the league’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
2019 PRESEASON FOOTBALL POLL
| Rank - School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 - Kennesaw State (14) |
134 |
| 2 - Monmouth (5) |
122 |
| 3 - Charleston Southern (1) |
79 |
| 4 - Campbell |
73 |
| 5 - Gardner-Webb |
67 |
| 6 - Hampton |
64 |
| 7 - Presbyterian College |
21 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 7 points, followed by 6 points for second-place, and so on.