As the Presidents’ Athletic Conference prepares to usher in a pair of new programs for the 2014 football season, it could be status quo at the top of the conference this season.
Thomas More was tabbed the league favorites for the fifth time since joining the conference, at the annual PAC Media day this week.
However by the end of the year a couple local programs could have something to say about that as Washington & Jefferson and Waynesburg finished second and third respectively in the preseason poll.
Thomas More garnered 29 first-place votes and a total of 367 points to headline this year’s preseason poll. W&J was second with two first-place votes and 330 points, followed by Waynesburg with one first-place vote and 293 points.
W&J is the PAC’s defending champion and Waynesburg is coming off a successful 2013 season as well, accepting a bid to a third-straight Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) bowl.
The 2014 season also marks the return of former PAC members Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve. Both schools are football-only members of the league.
Here is how the entire 2014 PAC Preseason Poll ended up.
| 2014 PAC Football Preseason Poll | ||
| School (first-place votes) | Points | 2013 Record (PAC) |
| 1. Thomas More College (29) | 367 | 9-1 (7-1) |
| 2. Washington & Jefferson College (2) | 330 | 8-3 (7-1) |
| 3. Waynesburg University (1) | 293 | 7-4 (5-3) |
| 4. Case Western Reserve University (1) | 246 | 5-4 |
| 5. Bethany College (1) | 202 | 4-6 (4-4) |
| 6. Geneva College | 200 | 5-5 (4-4) |
| 7. Carnegie Mellon University | 157 | 3-7 |
| 8. Grove City College | 154 | 5-5 (3-5) |
| 9. Thiel College | 149 | 3-7 (3-5) |
| 10. Westminster College | 96 | 4-6 (3-5) |
| 11. Saint Vincent College | 46 | 0-10 (0-8) |
Photo Credit: Waynesburg University
