Butler was picked to finish seventh in the Pioneer Football League preseason poll. The conference's 11 head coaches voted in the poll and were not allowed to vote for their own team. The University of San Diego was picked as the preseason favorite.
Butler returns both its leading rusher and leading receiver from last season's squad. Wide receiver
Pace Temple and running back
Duvante Lane, who were both Second-Team All-PFL selections last season, return to lead the Bulldogs offense after combining for 1,694 all-purpose yards last season. The Bulldogs will see linebacker
Ethan Brunhofer return as well as defensive back
Isaak Newhouse, who were each honorable mention All-PFL choices last season.
San Diego, which won the 2016 regular-season title then advanced to the second round of the FCS Championship, again received the coaches' nod to win the 2017 PFL title. The Toreros were chosen just ahead of Dayton.
A group of four teams – separated by just seven points – were closely bunched behind the leading duo. Marist was picked to finish third with 69 points, followed by Drake in fourth place with 67 points. Campbell and Jacksonville were picked to finished tied for fifth with 62 points each.
Behind the top six were Butler (49), Morehead State (42), Stetson (29), Valparaiso (24) and Davidson (10).
The PFL will announce its preseason All-PFL teams, Tuesday morning.
The upcoming 2017 season marks the 25th year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation's only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature 11 teams each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship.
Butler's 2017 season begins Saturday, Sept. 2, when the Bulldogs travel to Illinois State. The team's home opener is Sept. 16 against Taylor. The PFL regular-season race gets an early Week 2 start when Stetson travels to Marist, Sept. 9. The first full week of the PFL schedule follows two weeks later with a five-game slate, Sept. 23.
