INDIANAPOLIS – Ohio Dominican was determined as the narrow favorite in the 2017 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Football Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour on Wednesday.
The Panthers are part of a brand new setup in the expanded Great Midwest as eight teams were ranked by the league’s head coaches.
Going into a season with plenty of anticipation, Ohio Dominican is one of five new programs in the Great Midwest football along with Findlay, Hillsdale, Lake Erie and Walsh. ODU went 7-4 last year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
The Panthers, coached by Kelly Cummings and his staff, received four first-place votes in the balloting for a total of 52 points.
Senior quarterback Grant Russell operates a unit that put up nearly 400 yards of total offense and almost 30 points per contest in 2016. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and tossed 23 touchdowns.
In 11 games, junior linebacker Ross Thompson paced the Ohio Dominican defense with 94 tackles, including 10 for a loss. He also forced two fumbles and recovered another.
Only one point separated the coaches’ runner-up pick (Hillsdale) and third-place choice (Findlay).
The Chargers from Hillsdale earned 49 cumulative points that included one first-place vote by the coaches. Hillsdale was 5-5 a year ago in the GLIAC and was 4-2 on its home field. Findlay actually received two first-place votes while totaling 48 points. The Oilers were 6-5 in 2016 and will be a contender in year one with the new league.
2016 Great Midwest champion Alderson Broaddus was chosen fourth with one first-place vote. The Battlers went through a coaching change and have some big shoes to fill among the team’s key contributors.
League newcomers Walsh (1-10 in 2016) and Lake Erie were tabbed fifth and sixth, respectively. Kentucky Wesleyan and Malone rounded out the voting in seventh and eighth.
This is the sport’s second year of existence in the conference after Alderson Broaddus (7-2 in 2016) hoisted the inaugural championship trophy in 2016 with victories against Kentucky Wesleyan (3-8 in 2016) and Malone (2-8 in 2016). In 2016, KWC showcased the league’s offensive and special teams player of the year in Keelan Cole, who is now making his mark in training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL.
The Great Midwest is competing for postseason bids to the national championship in NCAA Super Region I along with the Mountain East Conference, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Northeast 10.
The Great Midwest will showcase two institutions this fall as part of the Division II Football Showcase on ESPN3. Findlay will visit Hillsdale in a national showdown at Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14, with a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
The official start of the season gets under on Thursday, Aug. 31, with three teams taking the field for the first time in 2017. GreatMidwestSports.com will publish a comprehensive season preview on Friday, Aug. 18, with thoughts from the Great Midwest head coaches.
2017 Great Midwest Football Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
| School |
Points |
| 1. Ohio Dominican (4 first-place votes) |
53 |
| 2. Hillsdale (1 first-place vote) |
49 |
| 3. Findlay (2 first-place votes) |
48 |
| 4. Alderson Broaddus (1 first-place vote) |
38 |
| 5. Walsh |
33 |
| 6. Lake Erie |
24 |
| 7. Kentucky Wesleyan |
23 |
| 8. Malone |
21 |