With just little time until the first MVFC football games kick off, the Missouri Valley Football Conference has released its preseason poll and teams.

SIU piled up 293 poll points and was picked to finish a distant fourth, behind only South Dakota State (482), North Dakota State (437) and South Dakota (371). 

SIU was closely followed by North Dakota and Illinois State, who were both within 30 points of fourth place. 

South Dakota State earned all but two possible first place votes, while North Dakota State received one. Missouri State, who was picked to finish ninth, also captured a first place vote. 

Southern Illinois will open the MVFC portion of their schedule with a three-game stretch of South Dakota, Illinois State, and North Dakota State.

A brief reprieve will see the Salukis face off against tenth place Indiana State, ninth place Missouri State, and seventh place Youngstown State before a showdown with defending FCS national champion South Dakota State. 

A faceoff with last-place picked Murray State in Carbondale will finish off the Salukis schedule.

Based on strength of schedule, calculated by adding up the number of poll points earned by opponents, SIU will play the sixth-toughest MVFC conference slate this season. The MVFC is considered the premiere conference for FCS football, as it has produced 11 of the last 13 national champions and had six schools make the FCS playoffs last season.

Last season, SIU went 4-4 and tied for seventh in the MVFC, but they were able to advance to the second round of FCS playoffs before falling to Idaho. 

This year’s ranking of fourth is tied for the highest of the Nick Hill era, matching the 2021 and 2022 seasons. It is also the fifth consecutive season that SIU has been ranked in the top half of the conference.

The Dawgs also had six players named to preseason all conference teams. Offensive lineman Chase Evans, linebacker Colin Bohanek, safety Ubayd Steed and Vinson Davis III all made the second team, and Davis III was named as both a wide receiver and all purpose player.

Additionally, tight end Aidan Quinn and offensive lineman Jake Green were listed as honorable mentions. None of SIU’s four all conference selections from the 2023 season remain on the roster.

The 2024 season will mark a year full of unknowns for the Salukis. Many key contributors from 2023, including longtime starting quarterback Nic Baker, standout safety P.J. Jules, linebacker Branson Combs, defensive back DJ Johnson and defensive tackles Dante Cleveland and Kam Bowdry all graduated. 

Other notable departures include receiver Izaiah Hartrup, 2023 All-MVC Honorable Mention defensive back Mark Davis and team captain and linebacker Dune Smith, who will face off against SIU on September 14 when he suits up for Incarnate Word. All three players transferred.

In addition to many depth pieces, four starters remain on the defensive side of the ball and six return on offense. Four of those are along the offensive line, all of whom have started at least 19 career games. 

SIU will open its season with a non conference game against Brigham Young University (BYU) on August 31 at 7 P.M.

Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook and on X @dailyegyptian.

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