Complete AFCA Preseason Poll
 
BLOOMSBURG – The Bloomsburg University football team will begin the 2012 season rated 25th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason poll released Monday afternoon.
 
BU spent the entire 2011 season in the AFCA Top 25 poll and closed the season at 21st.  The national ranking is no surprise to BU fans, who learned earlier this month that Bloomsburg was picked second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division while receiving three first place votes.
 
The Huskies will hope to use the preseason ranking as a motivation to start the season in similar fashion as 2011.  BU rattled off eight consecutive victories before running into some trouble and eventually dropping two of its final three games.
 
Bloomsburg returns 14 total starters from last season, nine of which were named to the All-PSAC East team.  It also welcomes back a pair of All-Americans and six all-region performers.  
 
Fellow PSAC programs California (PA) and Kutztown were also named to the preseason poll.  The Vulcans are ranked 11th to open the season, and were the co-favorites to win the Western Division.  The Golden Bears of Kutztown were picked behind Cal at 12th and are the favorites in the East.  Both schools moved onto the NCAA Division II playoffs last season.
 
Pittsburg State, fresh off of their second Division II national championship in 2011, opens up 2012 as the preseason favorite to win the national championship.
 
Bloomsburg kicks off its season in Easton, Massachusetts on Friday, August 31 for its first-ever meeting with the Stonehill Skyhawks.  Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.  BU opens the newly-dedicated, Danny  Hale Field at Robert B. Redman Stadium on Sept. 8 against Edinboro at 1 p.m.  The opening two games all lead up to one of the most highly-anticipated showdowns of the season, as Kutztown makes the trip to Bloomsburg in a conference-opening matchup beginning at 2:30 p.m.