Lights picked to finish fifth in football in 2013

A year ago, almost to the day, the Montana State University-Northern football team was picked to finish second in the Frontier Conference by the league’s head coaches. Things didn’t work out for the Lights, who went 3-7 in league play, and failed to win a game on the road.

But despite Northern finishing in the bottom half of the Frontier a season ago, the league’s coaches showed they respect the program and feel the Lights can still achieve plenty in 2013.

Tuesday afternoon, the 2013 Frontier Preseason Coaches Poll was released during the league’s media day in Great Falls. Northern was picked to finish fifth, receiving 22 points in the voting. And while fifth might seem like a ways down the list, the league being loaded with talented teams this season, the votes the Lights tallied Tuesday show MSU-N has the respect of the league.

Defending Frontier co-champion Montana Tech received 43 points and tied with Carroll College in the voting. Both teams are expected to contend for the league title this year, but the Orediggers and Fighting Saints are coming off very different 2012 campaigns. While Tech was the surprise team of 2012, advancing to the NAIA playoffs, the Saints were a surprise for a different reason. Carroll didn’t win the Frontier title for the first time in 11 seasons, and failed to make the NAIA playoffs for the first time in as many years. The Saints suffered four losses, and a staggering three in Frontier play, something which had never happened in the Mike Van Diest era. Still, if Monday’s voting is any indication, Carroll certainly still has the attention of the rest of the league.

The other co-champion from a year ago, Southern Oregon, was picked to finish third this fall. The Red Raiders titled for the league title, going 8-2 in their inaugural season in the Frontier. The Red Raiders suffered heavy losses to graduation from their record-setting offensive unit, including two wide receivers who are in NFL training camps right now. They also lost a 1,000-yard rusher, key offensive linemen and top-notch defenders, but the league’s coaches know they still have All-American quarterback Austin Dodge, as well as a deep recruiting base, and that was enough for SOU to garner 40 points in Tuesday’s poll.

Rocky Mountain College, another team picked to finish high in last year’s poll, was picked fourth Tuesday. The Battlin’ Bears went 6-5 a year ago, and are looking to build upon the steady climb they’ve been on since Brian Armstrong took over the program. Rocky isn’t known for its throw-it-50-plus-times-per-game offense anymore, instead, the Bears are built on a stout defense and ball control, and it’s seemed to have worked in recent years, as RMC has shown steady improvement.

After the Lights came in with 22 points, Eastern Oregon earned 18 points in sixth place, while UM-Western was seventh with 17. The Mountaineers stumbled to a 4-6 record a year ago, one year removed from being an NAIA playoff team, and being unsettled at the quarterback position, as well as key losses to a great defense, seem to have EOU headed toward the bottom of the pack this year. Western went 4-6 in 2012 season, but switched head coaches this winter, the second time in four years the Bulldogs have made a coaching change. New head coach B.J. Robertson takes over UM-W program, and like EOU, the Dawgs have a quarterback gap to fill, and though they’ve had two really good recruiting classes in a row, they’ll be a young team again this season.

Dickinson State received just seven votes in the poll. The Blue Hawks played their first season of Frontier football last year, and went 1-9 in league play. DSU is now already in its last season of Frontier play as the Blue Hawks will join the newly-formed North Star Athletic Conference next fall.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. First place was worth seven points, second place worth six points, third place worth five points, fourth place worth four points, fifth place worth three points, sixth place worth two points and seventh place worth one point.

The Lights and Blue Hawks play the first game of the 2013 Frontier Conference season Aug. 29 in Dickinson, N.D.

Frontier Conference Prseason Coaches Poll

Montana Tech (4) 43 points

Carroll College (3) 43 points

Southern Oregon (1) 40 points

Rocky Mountain 34 points

MSU-Northern 22 points

Eastern Oregon 1 8 points

Montana Western 17 points

Dickinson State 7 points