FERRIS PICKED FIFTH IN 2005 GLIAC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL

Senior guard Jeff Williams and the Bulldogs will step on the field this fall with aspirations of improving upon Ferris State's fifth-place selection in the 2005 GLIAC Football Preseason Poll.

Ferris State has been selected to place fifth in the 2005 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Football Coaches Preseason Poll, which was released Wednesday (July 27) in conjunction with the conference's annual football media day luncheon at the Ryder Center on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Mich.

The Bulldogs received 95 points in the preseason balloting which was held by the head coaches at the various 13-member league institutions. Last year, Ferris was tabbed to finish fourth with a 101-points total and went on to register a 6-5 overall record with a fifth-place 5-5 conference mark. In 2003, the Bulldogs garnered a fifth-place 80 points in the preseason poll. Grand Valley State was selected as the preseason favorites to capture the conference title as the Lakers earned 143 points and picked up 11 of the 13 eligible first-place votes. Northwood, the 2004 co-GLIAC Champions, were second with 129 points and one first-place vote while Saginaw Valley State also received a one first-place vote to go along with 127 points. Michigan Tech, which shared last year's league crown with Northwood, accumulated a fourth-place 99 points to finish four points in front of Ferris State. The league's 13 head coaches participated in the balloting, but weren't allowed to vote for their teams. The first-place team on each ballot received 12 points while the second attained 10 points, etc.

Ferris State returns 38 letterwinners from last season's squad which includes with eight offensive starters, four on defense and one on specialty teams. The Bulldogs, under 11th-year head coach Jeff Pierce, kickoff their 2005 gridiron campaign Saturday, Aug. 27, at archrival Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. The GLIAC opener is scheduled for a 7 p.m. (EDT) starting time. Ferris' home opener is set for the following week (Sept. 3) as the Bulldogs host Ashland in a 7 p.m. (EDT) conference matchup at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich.

The following is the complete 2005 GLIAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll with first-place votes in parenthesis.

Rank Team (First-Place Votes) Points

1. Grand Valley State (11) 143

2. Northwood (1) 129

3. Saginaw Valley State (1) 127

4. Michigan Tech 99

5. Ferris State 95

6. Findlay 87

7. Ashland 80

8. Hillsdale 62

9. Indianapolis 52

10. Mercyhurst 48

11. Gannon 34

12. Northern Michigan 31

13. Wayne State 24