KANSAS CITY - Defending NCAA Division II National Champion Northwest Missouri received 48 first-place votes between two polls as they topped both the coaches and media poll for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Bearcats were perfect in MIAA play last season on their way to their fourth national championship in football.
Both the coaches and the media agreed on Pittsburg State as the No. 2 team in the poll, giving them one first place vote in each. The coaches picked Central Missouri third, but the media placed the Mules sixth. Emporia State finished third in the media poll and received one first place vote. Just six points behind UCM, ESU was picked fourth in the coaches poll, while Missouri Western came in fourth among the media voters. MWSU was fifth in the coaches poll.
Missouri Southern was picked seventh in both polls, and Lindenwood finished ninth in both.
Ten of the 12 MIAA football schools are scheduled to kick off the season on Thursday, Sept. 4, with Nebraska-Kearney traveling to Northwest Missouri in the MIAA Television Network game of the week.