By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
WACO, Texas – Coming off a second-consecutive MIAA Championship in 2018, Fort Hays State Football enters the 2019 season ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, released by the organization on Monday (Aug. 26). Fort Hays State finished 9-3 overall in 2018 and seeks a third-straight conference title, as well as a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs for a third-straight year.
The Tigers produced their two-highest win totals in program history each of the last two years. The 2017 team won a school record 11 games, finishing at 11-1 overall, while the 2018 team’s nine wins is second most. Over the two-year span, FHSU is 20-4 overall, including a 20-2 mark in MIAA play. Fort Hays State finished at No. 22 in the AFCA Poll last year.
Defending national champion Valdosta State (Ga.) starts the year at No. 1 in the nation. The Blazers went undefeated last year to win the national title, knocking off Ferris State (Mich.) in the national title game. Ferris State starts the year at No. 2.
Fort Hays State is one of two MIAA programs in the Top 25 of the poll, joining Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats are No. 6 in the nation to start the year. The Tigers are the highest ranked team of any in the poll that finished with less than 10 wins overall last year. FHSU claimed the last two meetings with Northwest Missouri over the past two years, both wins occurring in Maryville. FHSU and NWMSU will meet in Week 10 for the fourth straight year, but this time in Hays on November 9. The perennially strong MIAA looks to end a two-year drought of having a member reach the national championship game after Northwest Missouri won national titles in both 2015 and 2016.
The MIAA looks to be tough once again this year with six teams referenced in the AFCA Poll. FHSU and NWMSU are inside the Top 25, while four other teams are in the receiving votes section. That group includes Pittsburg State (65 pts), Central Missouri (15 pts), Emporia State (11 pts), and Central Oklahoma (9 pts). Five of the six finished with at least eight wins last year.
Fort Hays State will open the season with one of the six referenced in the poll, heading to Central Missouri in Week 1 on Thursday, September 5. The Mules were very close to upsetting the Tigers in the season opener last year in Hays. Down by 10 with five minutes to go in the game, the Tigers rallied for a pair of touchdowns and won 20-16. The Tigers’ home opener is set for September 12 against Missouri Western.
See the AFCA Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll below.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Record | Pts. | Rank* | Season Opener | Head Coach |
| 1. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) (29) | 14-0 | 792 | 1 | Sept. 7 at Albany St. (Ga.) | Gary Goff |
| 2. | Ferris St. (Mich.) (3) | 15-1 | 768 | 2 | Sept. 5 vs. Findlay (Ohio) | Tony Annese |
| 3. | Minnesota St. | 13-1 | 686 | 3 | Sept. 7 at Southwest Minnesota St. | Todd Hoffner |
| 4. | Notre Dame (Ohio) | 13-1 | 623 | 4 | Sept. 7 vs. Concord (W.Va.) | Mike Jacobs |
| 5. | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 12-1 | 585 | 6 | Sept. 5 vs. No. 18 Harding (Ark.) | Todd Knight |
| 6. | Northwest Missouri St. | 10-3 | 580 | 10 | Sept. 5 at Missouri Western St. | Rich Wright |
| 7. | Tarleton St. (Texas) | 12-1 | 549 | 5 | Sept. 7 at Stephen F. Austin (Texas) | Todd Whitten |
| 8. | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | 12-2 | 524 | 8 | Sept. 7 vs. St. Augustine’s (N.C.) | Drew Cronic |
| 9. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 11-2 | 463 | 7 | Sept. 7 at Dixie St. (Utah) | John Wristen |
| 10. | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 11-3 | 446 | 12 | Sept. 5 at Wayne St. (Mich.) | Shawn Lutz |
| 11. | Fort Hays St. (Kan.) | 9-3 | 419 | 22 | Sept. 5 at Central Missouri | Chris Brown |
| 12. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 10-2 | 418 | 14 | Sept. 7 vs. Edinboro (Pa.) | Matt Mitchell |
| 13. | Texas A&M-Commerce | 10-3 | 385 | 9 | Sept. 7 vs. Seleccion Nuevo Leon (Mexico) | David Bailiff |
| 14. | Minnesota-Duluth | 11-1 | 342 | 13 | Sept. 5 vs. Minot St. (N.D.) | Curt Wiese |
| 15. | West Georgia | 10-2 | 330 | 16 | Sept. 7 at Catawba (N.C.) | David Dean |
| 16. | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 10-2 | 319 | 11 | Sept. 5 at No. 23 Ashland (Ohio) | Chris Keevers |
| 17. | Colorado School of Mines | 10-2 | 288 | 18 | Sept. 7 at Adams St. (Colo.) | Gregg Brandon |
| 18. | Harding (Ark.) | 9-3 | 223 | 20 | Sept. 5 at No. 5 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | Paul Simmons |
| 19. | Hillsdale (Mich.) | 10-3 | 220 | 15 | Sept. 7 vs. Michigan Tech | Keith Otterbein |
| 20. | Midwestern St. (Texas) | 8-2 | 214 | 25 | Sept. 7 at Northwestern St. (La.) | Bill Maskill |
| 21. | Wingate (N.C.) | 9-4 | 175 | 24 | Sept. 5 at Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) | Joe Reich |
| 22. | West Chester (Pa.) | 10-1 | 134 | 17 | Sept. 7 vs. Bentley (Mass.) | Bill Zwaan |
| 23. | Ashland (Ohio) | 6-4 | 129 | NR | Sept. 5 vs. No. 16 Indianapolis (Ind.) | Lee Owens |
| 24. | West Alabama | 8-4 | 116 | NR | Sept. 7 vs. Limestone (S.C.) | Brett Gilliland |
| 25. | Fairmont St. (W.Va.) | 9-2 | 78 | NR | Sept. 5 at Charleston (W.Va.) | Jason Woodman |
*Indicates Ranking in 2018 Final AFCA Division II Poll.