The University of Richmond was picked to win the South, with James Madison University second and the Fightin' Blue Hens third. Richmond had 11 first-place votes, James Madison had seven and UD had one.
Also in the South, Villanova University was picked fourth, the College of William and Mary fifth and Towson University sixth.
The University of Massachusetts was picked to win the North Division and also the overall conference title. Massachusetts had 17 first-place votes, while the University of New Hampshire and Hofstra University had one each.
Also in the North, the University of Maine was picked fourth, Northeastern University fifth and the University of Rhode Island sixth.
“This early in the season, its all just speculation,” said Delaware Head
Coach K.C. Keeler, who has led the Blue Hens to the NCAA championship tournament three times in his six seasons at the helm with a national title in 2003. “I never put too much stock into preseason predictions but I'm excited about our team this season. I do know that we are the only school in the South Division that does not return its starting quarterback, so teams like William and Mary, Towson and Villanova could easily have been ranked ahead of us. Richmond and James Madison are outstanding teams with so much talent. We are looking forward to another great season in the CAA.”
Also during the Media Day event, five Blue Hens were named first team preseason All-CAA. They are wide receiver Aaron Love, offensive lineman Kheon Hendricks, defensive lineman Matt Marcorelle, linebacker Erik Johnson and placekicker Jon Striefsky.
Love earned first team All-CAA and honorable mention All-America honors in 2007 when he led the team with 73 receptions for 1,009 yards and three touchdowns. He needs 38 receptions to become Delaware's all-time career pass reception leader this season.
Hendricks was a first team All-CAA and honorable mention All-America selection at center in 2007, his first year as a starter at that position. He started all 15 games and anchored an offensive line that helped Delaware lead the CAA in scoring offense, total offenses and passing offense.
Marcorelle was a third team All-CAA and honorable mention All-America selection in 2007 when he posted 64 tackles and led the team with eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and a school record five forced fumbles.
Johnson returns as the team's top tackler after posting 122 stops a year ago, including 69 solo tackles. He also had two sacks, 11 tackles for loss, three interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was outstanding in the post-season, collecting interceptions in wins over Delaware State and Southern Illinois and returning a fumble for a touchdown against Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.
Striefsky earned first team All-CAA and first team All-America laurels a year ago when he converted 21 of 24 field goals and 64 of 67 extra points. He established school records for field goals, extra points, and kicking points in a season and tied for the NCAA lead in kick scoring with 127 points.
Earlier, the Blue Hens were ranked No. 5 nationally in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision by the Sporting News preseason college football magazine and No. 9 by Lindy's.
Delaware will open the 2008 season with a game at 3:45 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30, at the University of Maryland. The first home game will be against West Chester University at 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 13, at Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium.
Preseason camp will open Monday, Aug. 4.
In 2007, the Blue Hens went 11-4 and advanced to the national championship game, falling 49-21 to Appalachian State University.
For more information on UD athletics, see [www.udel.edu/sportsinfo].
