Reigning National Champion Ferris State Picked #1 Nationally In College Football America Preseason Poll

Big Rapids, Mich. - Reigning NCAA Division II National Champion Ferris State University has been selected yet again as the nation's preseason #1 squad as the 2022 College Football America Yearbook Division II Preseason Top 30 was announced.

The Bulldogs, who were previously picked as the country's #1 preseason team by Lindy's Sports in its annual college football national preview magazine, garnered the top spot from College Football America, which went on sale this past week.

In this year's preseason poll, Ferris State was listed first ahead of runner-up Shepherd (W.Va.), which fell to FSU in the national semifinals last year. This year marks the sixth time in the past seven years the Bulldogs have been tabbed as one of the country's top three teams in at least one preseason national ranking.

Along with Ferris State and Shepherd, the top five consisted of reigning national runner-up Valdosta State (#3) along with Colorado Mines (#4) and Angelo State (#5). Overall, a total of four Bulldog opponents this fall were listed in the top 30, including Grand Valley State (#8), Lenoir-Rhyne (#19), Findlay (#29) and Central Washington (#30).

The 2022 College Football America Yearbook features more than 930 college football teams from the United States and Canada in more than 250 striking, full-color pages. It includes every team from the NCAA (FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III), NAIA, NJCAA, CCCAA and U Sports (Canada). It also includes dozens of action shots and stadium photos taken by the CFA staff.

The print edition is available online via Amazon.com and other major retailers such as Barnes & Noble.

In addition to the preseason poll, the publication also announced its 2022 College Football America Division II Starting Lineup Preseason All-America team, which included a pair of Bulldog returnees in junior defensive end Caleb Murphy (Dowagiac) and senior punt returner Marcus Taylor (Orlando, Fla./Oak Ridge) as first-team preseason All-Americans.

The Bulldogs, who are expected to return a strong nucleus from last season, enter the 2022 campaign as the defending NCAA Division II National Champion. FSU will begin the season at home on Thursday, Sept. 1, against Central Washington at Top Taggart Field with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. (ET) under the lights in Big Rapids.

Last season, along with capturing the D2 National Championship with a perfect 14-0 record, the Bulldogs also claimed a third-straight GLIAC Championship and stretched their regular-season winning streak to 38 consecutive games and counting. Ferris State has won 31 consecutive GLIAC matchups.

FSU ranks as the country's winningest program over the past seven full seasons in D2 Football and has made seven consecutive postseason playoff appearances. The Bulldogs have won each of the last three GLIAC Championships in unbeaten fashion and reached the national quarterfinals five consecutive years, which is the longest streak in the country. Over the past three seasons of on-field action, the Bulldogs have compiled a 41-2 mark.