Defending NCAC Champs Picked to Finish Fourth This Year

Despite losing 13 starters and nine other letterwinners from last season’s North Coast Athletic Conference-championship squad, The College of Wooster is expected to be among the league’s top contenders again, as both the coaches and media voted the Fighting Scots to finish in fourth-place at the NCAC Football Media Day, held Tuesday at the Granville Golf Club in Granville, Ohio.

Wooster, which has not placed below fifth in the 10-team league since 1994, collected 71 points in the coaches’ poll and 183 from the media contingent, while the Scots’ top rival, Wittenberg University, was picked as a near-unanimous favorite. The Tigers totaled 96 of a possible 100 points from the coaches, including six first-place votes, as well as 21 of 26 first-place nods and 255 points from the media.

The NCAC pollsters concurred on the first seven slots. Following Wittenberg were Wabash College, Ohio Wesleyan University, the Scots, Allegheny College, Denison University, and Earlham College. Noteworthy, the nine remaining first-place votes were split up between Wabash (three from the coaches, two from the media) and Ohio Wesleyan (one from the coaches, three from the media).

Oberlin College and Kenyon College were selected 8-9, with Oberlin eighth in the coaches and Kenyon eighth in the media, while Hiram College finished 10th after both tallies

In other preseason polling news, Wooster will start the season ranked nationally for the second time in three years, as the Scots came in at No. 25 in the 2005 D3football.com preseason Top-25, also announced Tuesday. Wittenberg and Wabash were listed in the “others receiving votes” category. 

Wooster officially begins the 2005 campaign with a game under the lights on Saturday, Sept. 3, at Muskingum College. Kickoff at McConagha Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Scots’ home opener will take place the next week (Sept. 10) against MacMurray College at 1 p.m.