This story can be read on the Southern's website at http://www.thesouthern.com/sports/article_a26b9648-9ebb-11df-998f-001cc4c002e0.html
Before the season, about every football coach in America thinks his team may be better than the previous season.
Illinois State, which has won one Missouri Valley Football Conference title in 24 years of membership, may make an incredible jump from its 6-5 mark of a year ago. Monday, second-year coach Brock Spack and the Redbirds were picked third in the league's preseason poll by media, sports information directors and the league's coaches.
Two-time defending champion Southern Illinois University and last year's runners-up, South Dakota State, finished ahead of the Redbirds in the poll. SIU got 30 first-place votes and 313 overall points. The Jackrabbits, who return preseason All-America tailback Kyle Minett, got two first-place votes and 252 points.
Illinois State got three first-place votes and 249 points. It was the Redbirds' highest preseason poll finish since 2007, when they were picked second. They finished tied for fifth that year.
With several Football Bowl Subdivision transfers, including two at running back and one at the defensive line, and the preseason all-conference quarterback, Illinois State may do more than live up to the hype.
"We've upgraded the talent level, and our players, the attitude is completely different here now," Spack said. "It is a completely different outlook on this season. The players have a different air about it. The culture is turning here fairly quickly, and we're get-ting excited to get started."
Redshirt sophomore Matt Brown, a Marion High School graduate who was The Southern Illinoisan's Prep Football Player of the Year his senior year, was one of four Redbirds on the preseason team. Brown led the league in passing last year after taking over for the injured Drew Kiel, and has all five starters on the offensive line back with him. However, Spack made it clear Monday there would be a true quarterback race in fall practice with Brown, Kiel and sophomore Matt Lancaster.
The league's bottom five hope to make similar jumps this year.
Missouri State, entering its fifth year under former UNI coach Terry Allen, has 13 senior starters from last year's 3-8 squad. North Dakota State was eighth of nine teams in scoring defense last year, allowing 28.6 points per game, and finished 3-8. The Bison, who have one of the strongest home-field advantages in the league, have two different stretches where they host three straight games.
Youngstown State turns a new corner this week with the first official practice of native son Eric Wolford, who took over for Jon Heacock as the Penguins' new coach following a 6-5 season. Western Illinois also has a new coach, officially, as the interim tag was dusted off associate head coach Mark Hendrickson's title after the Leathernecks' brutal 1-10 campaign.
Even Indiana State, which returns 41 lettermen from last year's last-place squad, could make an impact on this year's Valley race.
"We'll be much improved on defense," said Indiana State coach Trent Miles. "Hopefully, we'll be much improved on offense. We have to do a better job of that. We have to be able to throw the football, and I think we took care of that with a couple of transfers that we brought in."
