DETROIT – Ball State was picked to finish in fifth place in the Mid-American Conference West Division for the third consecutive year in the preseason poll released Tuesday morning by the conference at its annual Media Day.
Toledo was picked to win the West and the MAC Championship Game, narrowly edging Northern Illinois, the reigning West Division champion. Miami was picked to repeat as East Division champions, just ahead of Ohio.
Ball State has finished each of the last two years in fifth place in the West, ahead of only Eastern Michigan. The Eagles were picked to once again finish in last place.
Like most coaches, new Cardinals coach Pete Lembo said he doesn't pay much attention to preseason polls.
"I don't put a lot of thought into polls and I certainly won't lose any sleep over it," Lembo said. "The polls reflect previous years' results, and that's probably what they should do."
Wide receiver Briggs Orsbon said the results of the poll were about what the Cardinals anticipated.
"We didn't really expect to get too much respect from anyone and we're ok with that," he said. "We know what we're doing this summer and how hard we're working, so that's all that really matters."
A different team has won each of the last three West Division titles and the division race is once again expected to be wide open, with four teams garnering at least one first place vote. Seeing Toledo atop the poll was something of a surprise to some observers, but coach Tim Beckman noted his team hosts Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, which could have played into the minds of some pollsters.
Regardless of the reasoning, the Rockets will now have to deal with the label of favorites.
"I think our kids will feel proud that they have this honor," Beckman said. "Now they have to withstand it, make sure that they finish on Dec. 2 right out there on Ford Field [in the MAC Championship Game]."
West
1. Toledo (8) 83
2. Northern Illinois (5) 81
3. Western Michigan (2) 76
4. Central Michigan (1) 55
5. Ball State 27
6. Eastern Michigan 24
East
1. Miami (4) 97
2. Ohio (8) 96
3. Temple (4) 88
4. Kent State 57
5. Bowling Green 48
6. Buffalo 37
7. Akron 25
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