Cal U third in PSAC West preseason poll
For the Mon Valley Independent
The Cal U football team was selected to finish third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West poll released by the league office last week.
The Vulcans finished the 2019 campaign with a 7-4 record with three of the losses being on the road to nationally ranked teams. Cal U was second in the PSAC West standings with a 5-2 mark in divisional play.
The 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Slippery Rock was the preseason favorite in the PSAC West with four first-place votes following a 13-win campaign in 2019, highlighted by winning both the PSAC and NCAA Super Region One championships.
IUP earned three first-place votes after appearing in the NCAA playoffs four times from 2015-19.
Cal U received the remaining first-place vote and Mercyhurst was slotted fourth in the poll. Edinboro was fifth and Seton Hill sixth, while Gannon and Clarion rounded out the Western Division.
In the PSAC East, Shepherd is the preseason favorite with six first-place votes after advancing to the second round of the 2019 NCAA playoffs in its first year in the league.
West Chester and Kutztown each received one first-place vote and were tabbed second and third, respectively, while Bloomsburg rounds out the top half of the poll. Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Lock Haven completed the poll.
The PSAC championship game will be played Nov. 13 at the site of the top team in the PSAC East standings.
Cal U opens its schedule Sept. 2, traveling to play Fairmont State of the Mountain East Conference at 7 p.m.
