MADISON, S.D. – Dickinson State (N.D.) tallied five first-place votes and 30 points, vying for their sixth straight North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) football conference title. The 2020 NSAA Football Coaches’ Preseason Poll was announced Tuesday, voted by the league’s head coaches (coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team).
The Blue Hawks captured their fifth straight North Star Athletic Association football conference title last season. Dickinson State went 8-3 overall record and 6-1 record in the conference. The Blue Hawks qualified for the NAIA Football Championships Series (FCS), before losing to No. 1-ranked Morningside (Iowa) in the opening round.
Dickinson State finished with a No. 17 ranking in the final NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 national poll.
Valley City State (N.D.) earned its final first-place vote in the poll, collecting 25 points. Waldorf (Iowa) was third with 23 points, followed by Dakota State (S.D.) fourth with 17 points. Presentation (S.D.) edged Mayville State (N.D.) by one point (13-12) to finish fifth.
Both VCSU and WU finished 5-2 record in the NSAA conference games last season, tying for second place in the conference standings. The Warriors also finished No. 23 in the final NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 poll in 2019.
