SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State is picked sixth in the HERO Sports FCS Preseason Top 25 football poll released Thursday. The HERO Sports poll is the first prognostication to be released in advance of the highly-anticipated 2022 season.
This year’s preseason ranking marks the highest national preseason poll position in Missouri State program history, topping the club’s previous high-water mark of No. 7 in 1990.
The HERO Sports Top 25 features six Missouri Valley Football Conference programs, including the Bears at No. 6, North Dakota State (1), South Dakota State (2), Southern Illinois (12), South Dakota (21) and Northern Iowa (24). Non-conference foe UT Martin (14) also cracks the preseason rankings. The Bears open up the 2022 home slate against UT Martin on Thursday, Sept. 8 at Plaster Stadium.
The rest of the HERO Sports preseason top 10 includes defending national runner-up Montana State (3), Montana (4), East Tennessee State (5), Sam Houston (7), Kennesaw State (8), Villanova (9) and Sacramento State (10).
Coach Bobby Petrino returns 42 lettermen and 14 starters from an 8-4 club that finished as MVFC runners-up (6-2) in his second season at the helm, while advancing to the NCAA FCS playoffs for the second straight season.
The Bears return the 2021 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and MVFC Newcomer of the Year in quarterback Jason Shelley who shattered club records for passing yards (3,347), total offense (3,789) and completions (235). He is joined by fellow All-MVFC returnees Tyrone Scott (WR), Kevin Ellis (DL), Montrae Braswell (DB and RS), Grant Burkett (P), Landon Bebee (OL), Jose Pizano (K) and Kyriq McDonald (DB). Braswell, Burkett, Pizano, Scott and long snapper Caden Bolz also earned All-America honors from various agencies in 2021.
Click here to see the entire poll.
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