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Fightin’ Blue Hens ranked No. 1 in two new polls 4:17 p.m., Aug. 17, 2004--The defending NCAA Division I-AA national champion University of Delaware football team has earned preseason No. 1 rankings from both Sports Illustrated magazine and the Sports Network. Sports Illustrated predicts that a strong defense led by defensive back Sidney Haugabrook will carry the Fightin’ Blue Hens to the top. Rounding out the magazine’s top five are Southern Illinois, Maine, Colgate and Montana. UD also stands atop the poll announced Monday by the Sports Network, which notes that the Hens have many key players returning from the championship team. The top five includes Southern Illinois, Montana, Wofford and Colgate. UD is the first team from the Atlantic 10 Football Conference to begin the season ranked No. 1 by the Sports Network since it became recognized as an NCAA poll of record in 1993. Atlantic 10 members Villanova (9th), Maine (11th), Massachusetts (19th) and Northeastern (22nd) join the Hens in the top 25. Earlier, UD had been picked as the preseason No. 1 team by Street and Smith’s and Lindy’s college football magazines and by USA Today. The Hens, who return 16 starters under third-year Head Coach K.C. Keeler, will open the regular season at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2, when they take on New Hampshire at Delaware Stadium. To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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