Lindy's Preseason Poll Snubs Statesmen, Picks SLU

Lindy's recently releasing it's 2015 CFB preseason poll is hardly news. Their accuracy of coverage is average at best, especially compared to other publications like D3football.com.

As a Hobart fan however what's noticeable about this year's edition of Lindy's preseason rankings is that four time LL champion and NCAA Elite 8 participant Hobart wasn't included. A team that's returning a good amount of defensive firepower was also overlooked as not a single Statesman, on offense or otherwise, made the preseason Lindy's All-American roster either. For the record I do think we'll see the Statesmen in the D3football.com preseason Top 25, probably in the 14-19 range given the graduations of players like Tyre Coleman, Ali Marpet, DeAndre' Smith and Dominique Ellis.

LL runners up Saint Lawrence (8-2, 6-1) apparently are their favorite to supplant Hobart at the top of the league this fall earning a #15 ranking in the Lindy's poll. The Saints were certainly pleased by this development based on this press release.

To their credit, I have no doubt that the Saints will once again challenge and possibly earn back the LL title for the first time since 2010. SLU brings back a loaded defense with arguably the best secondary and special teams players in the LL, if not the entire East Region. The big question for them, which the Lindy's pollsters apparently overlooked, is if 5th year QB Mike Lefflbine who led the LL in passing yards and TDs, can improve the Saints scoring offense which ranked 6th in the LL at only 21.2 PPG? The Saints have a strong arsenal of offensive players, but it's hard (for me anyway) to gauge them without knowing if Lefflbine can and will improve that offense in 2015.

Regardless, I hope the Hobart coaches and players make note of this "slight" as they work this summer. Preseason camp is only a month or so away and the best part of D3FB is we prove it on the field, not in the polls, for a chance a National Championship.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Independence Day weekend.

Thanks for reading and go 'Bart!