August 12th 2024.
Two Division II football teams from Colorado have been recognized in the top-25 rankings of the coaches' preseason poll. The American Football Coaches Association released the poll on Monday, with the Colorado School of Mines ranking at No. 5 and Western Colorado at No. 15.
During the 2023 season, the Colorado School of Mines had an impressive 14-1 record, but unfortunately fell short in the national championship game with a 38-7 loss to Harding. This was the second consecutive loss for the Orediggers in the national title game. However, they will now have to face the challenge of moving forward without their star quarterback, John Matocha, who graduated this year. Matocha finished his collegiate career with an incredible 190 touchdowns, making him the record holder for most touchdowns in college football history.
Meanwhile, Western Colorado had a successful season as well, finishing with a 10-2 record. However, their season ended in a heartbreaking 16-13 overtime loss to Central Washington in the first round of the D-II tournament.
Out of all the Colorado schools, Colorado State University-Pueblo was the only other team to receive votes in the poll, earning 17 votes and landing at No. 35.
The defending champions, Harding, claimed the top spot in the poll with 25 out of 27 first-place votes. Ferris State and Grand Valley State also received recognition with one first-place vote each, ranking at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
In other college football news, the CU Buffs' Micah Welch is entering his freshman season with confidence, as reported by the Denver Post. The team also received a vote in the AP preseason poll, while head coach Deion Sanders made headlines with a fiery news conference. The CU Buffs will also be holding a public practice at All-City Stadium in Denver next Friday, giving fans a chance to see the team in action. And running back Dallan Hayden is eager to prove himself once again after a difficult past season.
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