The coaches have predicted an end to the Wabash football team's run of consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference championships while the media members put the Little Giants even with the Wittenberg Tigers in the chase for the title. After winning at least a share of three straight titles, the 11th-ranked Little Giants were picked to finish second at the annual NCAC Football Media Day.
Wabash received three of the ten coaches votes for a total of 93 points. The Wittenberg Tigers picked up seven first-place votes and 97 total points to top the coaches' poll. Wooster (72) was third, followed by Allegheny (67), Ohio Wesleyan (66), Oberlin (46), Denison (45), Kenyon (31), Hiram (17), and Earlham (16).
The Little Giants tied with Wittenberg with 227 points in the media poll. Wabash received 13 first-place votes while the Tigers earned 11. Wooster was picked third by the media with 171 total points. Ohio Wesleyan (162), Allegheny (152), Oberlin (121), Denison (107), Kenyon (74), Earlham (43), and Hiram (36) rounded out the poll.
Wabash ranks 11th in the D3football.com poll, the highest preseason ranking ever for the Little Giants by the web site. The Little Giants ranked fourth in the USA Today College Football Preview, seventh in Lindy's Preseason College Football Annual, and eighth by Street & Smith's/Sporting News.
The Little Giant return 16 starters and 35 lettermen from last year's 11-2 squad that advanced to the NCAA Division III playoff quarterfinals. Wabash was 7-0 in NCAC play, winning its third consecutive league title. The Little Giants shared the conference crown with Wittenberg in 2006 after winning it outright in 2005.
Wabash opens the 2008 season on September 13 at Denison before opening the home portion of its season September 20 against the University of Chicago.