August 13, 2012

Harvard Ranked Preseason Top 25 by The Sports Network

Treavor Scales is a former Ivy League Rookie of the Year with speed and power. (Harvard Athletics)
Treavor Scales is a former Ivy League Rookie of the Year with speed and power. (Harvard Athletics)

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Consistently ranked in the preseason Top 25 by various media members, Harvard has been ranked 25th by The Sports Network FCS Top College Football Poll in an announcement made Monday.

The Crimson, which averaged 37.4 points per game in 2011, finished the season at 9-1 overall, undefeated in the Ivy League  (7-0) and ranked 16th by TSN and 14th in the Coaches Poll, is a heavy favorite to repeat as Ivy League champions. Harvard returns 17 starters and 47 letterwinners with an offensive line featuring four preseason All-Ivy selections.

The Crimson has been ranked 19th in the preseason by Lindy's, 22nd by Athlon Sports and 23rd by both Phil Steel's College Football Preview and College Sports Madness.

Harvard opens its season at home Sept. 15 against San Diego.

A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries select the Top 25 each season. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote.

During the regular season, the Top 25 will be released every Monday afternoon, except for the final weekend of the regular season, when it will be released Sunday morning, Nov. 18, prior to the selection of the FCS playoff field.

The Sports Network will release a final Top 25 following the FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 5 in Frisco.

1.

Sam Houston State Bearkats (79)

14-1

3708

2

2.

North Dakota State Bison (59)

14-1

3625

1

3.

Georgia Southern Eagles (6)

11-3

3249

4

4.

Montana State Bobcats (3)

10-3

3217

7

5.

James Madison Dukes (3)

8-5

2812

15

6.

Appalachian State Mountaineers (1)

8-4

2800

12

7.

Towson Tigers

9-3

2674

9

8.

Old Dominion Monarchs

10-3

2484

10

9.

Northern Iowa Panthers

10-3

2168

6

10.

Wofford Terriers

8-4

2080

13

11.

Montana Grizzlies

11-3

2018

3

12.

Eastern Washington Eagles

6-5

1897

NR

13.

Youngstown State Penguins (1)

6-5

1860

NR

14.

New Hampshire Wildcats

8-4

1857

11

15.

Delaware Blue Hens

7-4

1810

17

16.

Lehigh Mountain Hawks

11-2

1514

5

17.

Stony Brook Seawolves

9-4

1339

18

18.

Eastern Kentucky Colonels

7-5

1055

24

19.

Illinois State Redbirds

7-4

1052

20

20.

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

6-5

863

NR

21.

Maine Black Bears

9-4

721

8

22.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks

7-4

625

NR

23.

Indiana State Sycamores

6-5

522

NR

24.

Central Arkansas Bears

9-4

508

14

25.

Harvard Crimson

9-1

477

16

Others receiving votes: Murray State 292, Northern Arizona 259, Norfolk State 222, Chattanooga 191, Liberty 150, South Carolina State 137, Bethune-Cookman 134, McNeese State 127, Grambling State 87, Tennessee Tech 77, Portland State 73, North Dakota 68, Alabama State 66, Jackson State 63, Southern Illinois 63, William & Mary 59, Southern Utah 54, Georgia State 49, Furman 43, Albany 39, Richmond 31, Villanova 30, Penn 16, Duquesne 14, South Dakota State 10, San Diego 9, Elon 9, Drake 8, Holy Cross 7, Prairie View A&M 6, South Dakota 6, Alabama A&M 4, Southeast Missouri 4, Georgetown 3, Idaho State 3, Sacramento State 3, Cornell 2, Bryant 1, Eastern Illinois 1, Jacksonville 1, Missouri State 1, Samford 1, UT Martin 1, The Citadel 1, Western Illinois 1.