PFL Release (PDF)
ST. LOUIS – The Davidson Wildcats are the preseason favorites to win the Pioneer Football League for the upcoming 2022 season. Davidson received eight of the 11 first-place votes to earn 98 points in the poll. The Bulldogs came in at 10th with 30 points.
Davidson has won a share of the last two PFL titles, which led to them appearing on top of the coaches' poll heading into the new season. Each head coach voted on the poll with 10 points going towards a first-place vote and one point less going to each succeeding place.
San Diego received three first-place votes to place second in the poll with 91 points. St. Thomas rounded out the top three with 78 points.
Dayton landed in fourth place in the poll with 72 points. They finished ahead of Morehead State, a program that finished in a tie for third last season, yet were picked fifth in the 2022 preseason poll with 58 points. Marist was just behind Morehead State with 52 points and Drake followed in seventh with 42.
Valparaiso (34 points) was picked to finish eighth. The Beacons were narrowly favored ahead of Stetson (33) and Butler (30), which were picked ninth and 10th, respectively. Presbyterian rounded out the 11-team preseason poll.
The upcoming 2022 season marks the 30th 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.
The 2022 schedule gets underway Saturday, August 27 when Morehead State travels to Mercer. Butler will host St. Thomas (Fla.) in the season opener at the Sellick Bowl. Action on Sept. 3 begins with a 1 PM kick-off. The 2022 PFL race starts in Week 4 (Sept. 24) with a four-game slate which includes Butler traveling to Davidson for a 1 PM kick.
The PFL will present its 2022 Preseason All-PFL Teams on Tuesday, August 2.
Pioneer Football League 2022 Preseason Coaches' Poll
1) Davidson (8) – 98
2) San Diego (3) – 91
3) St. Thomas – 78
4) Dayton – 72
5) Morehead State – 58
6) Marist – 52
7) Drake – 42
8) Valparaiso – 34
9) Stetson – 33
10) Butler – 30
11) Presbyterian – 17
- First place votes in parentheses
- 10 Pts awarded for first-place vote, with one point less for each succeeding place
- Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team
