With the days counting down to start of the 2006 college football season, several more national polls have released top-25 predictions. USA Today Sports Weekly's 2006 College Football Preview edition has the Wabash football team ranked 22nd. The Little Giants are 24th in Don Hansen's Football Gazette preseason poll. D3football.com, a national web site devoted to Division III football, has named junior linebacker Adrian Pynenberg to its Preseason All-America First Team.
Pynenberg was a 2005 d3football.com All-American Honorable Mention and All-North Region Second Team selection. He has started every game at linebacker for the Little Giants since arriving as a freshmen, leading the team in tackles the last two seasons. He recorded 96 tackles (51 solo, 45 assisted) to pace the Wabash defense last season while earning First Team All-NCAC honors. He also led the team in tackles for losses with 22 for a total of 75 yards, the third-best total TFLs in a single season by a Wabash player. Pynenberg was 22nd in the nation in TFLs per game (1.8) and already ranks fourth in career tackles for losses for the Little Giants with 33. His numbers helped the Little Giants to a third-place ranking nationally in rushing defense and scoring defense, and 13th in total defense in 2005. He was named to the Lindy's Sports Annual's 2006 College Football Preview All-America First Team when that publication was release in June. Wabash was also ranked 25th in the magazine's preseason poll.
Wabash was 11-1 in 2005 with a perfect 7-0 North Coast Athletic Conference record to take the league title and a berth in the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The Little Giants were the top seed in the North Region, defeating Albion College 38-20 in the first round of the playoffs before losing 14-11 to Capital in the second round. Wabash finished the season ranked 15th by d3football.com and 12th in the American Football Coaches Association poll.
The final preseason poll will be released by d3football.com in August.