For the past few years, Eastern Washington has lived in the shadow of three-time defending Football Championship Subdivision champ North Dakota State.
With a recent habit of making deep runs in the FCS playoffs the past two years, the Eagles may have begun to emerge from the Bison’s shadow.
The Eagles, led by a trio of national awards candidates, have been selected No. 1 by The Sports Network in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision preseason poll of sportswriters, broadcasters and sports information directors announced Aug. 8.
This couples with EWU’s No. 2 preseason selection in the FCS Coaches Poll announced Aug. 4. North Dakota State topped that vote.
North Dakota State was ranked No. 2, while in the TSN poll that includes four 2014 Eastern opponents who are also ranked in the top 25. Sam Houston State, Eastern’s season-opening opponent on Aug. 23, is ranked 17th.
A trio of Big Sky Conference foes are also ranked — Montana is No. 5, Montana State is 18th and Northern Arizona is 23rd.
EWU’s three playoff opponents from a year ago are all ranked in the top 13 — Jacksonville State (No. 6), South Dakota State (No. 10), Towson (No. 13). Northern Iowa, a team Eastern will face in 2015 and 2016, is ranked ninth.
The Eagles are led on offense by junior quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and sophomore wide receiver Cooper Kupp, both preseason first team All-America selections. Both are candidates for the Walter Payton Award given to the top player in FCS.
Senior linebacker Ronnie Hamlin is a second team preseason All-American and is on the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player.
The Eagles finished the 2013 season 12-3 and a perfect 8-0 in the Big Sky Conference for the first time in school history. They are also favored to repeat as BSC champions.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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