CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Eastern Illinois football added another preseason ranking to its 2007 resume as the Panthers were picked 14th in the Street & Smith FCS preseason poll which hit newsstands earlier this week. In addition to the No. 14 ranking, EIU was also tabbed as the favorite to repeat as OVC Champions.
The ranking is the third so far by a preseason publication and is the highest EIU has had this year. The Panthers were picked 19th in the preseason selections by Lindy's magazine and the AnyGivenSaturday.com website. Senior linebacker Donald Thomas was also picked as a preseason All-American by Street & Smith as the St. Louis native (Riverview Gardens HS) was joined by Colgate's Mike Gallihugh and Albany's Colin Disch on the preseason All-America list. Thomas is the returning Ohio Valley Conference Defender of the Year after recording 127 tackles.
The Panthers as a team are looking to win their third straight OVC championship as they enter the season with 15 returning starters including eight on a defensive unit that led the nation with 36 turnovers gained last season. EIU is followed by Tennessee Martin, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee State as the top four contenders. UTM also landed in the preseason Top 25 poll at No. 18.
Defending national champion Appalachian State was the preseason favorite at the Mountaineers look for a third straight National Championship. Montana was second followed by New Hampshire, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa. Illinois State which will play at EIU on September 15 is ranked No. 8 in the poll.
Eastern Illinois opens the 2007 season on Thursday, August 30 when the Panthers will host Tennessee Tech at 6 p.m. at O'Brien Stadium. This will be the first time as an Ohio Valley Conference member that EIU has opened the season with a conference game. Season tickets for the 2007 season are now on sale at (217) 581-2106.
