Buies Creek – Campbell has been voted fifth in the 2017 Pioneer Football League Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced Monday by the conference.
The Camels, who were also picked fifth in the 2016 poll, tied with Jacksonville in a narrow vote. Campbell and JU (62 points), along with Marist (3rd, 69 points) and Drake (4th, 67 points) were separated by just seven points in the polling.
San Diego was predicted to win the league for the seventh consecutive year, picking up nine of the 11 available first place votes. The Toreros won the 2016 regular season title and advanced to the second round of the FCS Championship.
Dayton notched the two remaining first place votes. Butler (49), Morehead State (42), Stetson (29), Valparaiso (24) and Davidson (10) rounded out the poll.
Campbell heads into its 10th season of football in 2017 (modern era). The Camels brought football back to the Creek in 2008 after a 58 year hiatus. 2017 will also mark the program’s final season as a member of the PFL. Campbell heads to the Big South in 2018.
The Camels return 44 letterwinners, including 11 starters (six offense, five defense), from their 2016 squad that went 5-5 overall and 3-4 in PFL play, notching the program’s second season at .500 or better in the modern era.
Campbell kicks off its 2017 schedule on August 31, hosting Methodist at Barker-Lane Stadium.
The PFL will announce its preseason All-PFL teams Tuesday.
The upcoming 2017 season marks the 25th year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature 11 teams each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the 2017 FCS Championship.
