ST. LOUIS — For the third year in a row, South Dakota State has been picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference race, according to a preseason poll released Monday morning by league officials. The Jackrabbits finished second behind league and Football Championship Subdivision champion North Dakota State, which garnered 32 of 40 first-place votes from a panel that included head coaches, sports information and media members who regularly cover the 10-team league. The Bison tallied 392 points, followed by SDSU with 348 points and four first-place votes. Illinois State (3) and Indiana State (1) also received first-place votes to finish third and fourth in the preseason poll with respective point totals of 289 and 279 points. Rounding out the top five was Northern Iowa with 266 points. The University of South Dakota is picked 6th in the pre-season poll. NDSU has now been tabbed as the preseason favorite eight consecutive seasons and has won eight straight league titles – sharing the title four times, including with the Jackrabbits in 2016. SDSU has met or exceeded expectations from the preseason poll nine of its first 11 seasons as a member of the MVFC, including recording runner-up finishes each of the last two years. The Jackrabbits finished the 2018 campaign with a 10-3 overall record, including a 6-2 mark in league play.
