CLEVELAND, Miss. - The two-time defending Gulf South Conference champion Delta State University Statesmen will open the 2012 campaign ranked No. 14 in the annual American Football Coaches Association Preseason Top 25 Poll, as released by the AFCA on Monday, Aug. 13.  The Statesmen, who are under new head coach Jamey Chadwell, will face a daunting schedule this year, as three opponents on the slate are ranked in the nation's top 15.  

"We are excited to get the season under way and are ready to get on the field Sept. 1 versus Fort Valley State," Chadwell said.  "Preseason polls are nice, but we all have 10 or 11 games to play this year."

The Statesmen open the season Saturday, Sept. 1 versus Fort Valley State, a top contender for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, in a game to be televised on the GSC-TV Live Regional Game of the Week.  Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. from Parker Field-McCool Stadium.  

In all, the Statesmen will face three teams ranked among the nation's top 25, including No. 8 Valdosta State, the preseason favorite in the GSC, No. 10 Abilebne Christian and No. 15 West Alabama.  All three games will have a major national impact on the race for NCAA Super Region II superiority.  

Pittsburg State, fresh off of their second Division II national championship in 2011, opens up 2012 as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. This is the first time since the AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll started in 2000 that the Gorillas have begun the season ranked No. 1.

Minnesota-Duluth comes in at No. 2 with five first place votes, followed by Northwest Missouri State, Midwestern State (Texas) and last year's national runner-up, Wayne State (Mich.), rounding out the Top 5.

There will be three Top 25 matchups in the first week of the 2012 season, highlighted by No. 6 Colorado State-Pueblo playing host to No. 24 West Texas A&M. 

Rank	School (1st votes)	2011 Rec.	Pts.	2011 Rank*	Season Opener	Head Coach
1.	Pittsburg St. (Kan.) (21)	13-1	720	1	Aug. 30 at Northeastern St. (Okla.)	Tim Beck
2.	Minnesota-Duluth (5)	11-3	661	6	Aug. 30 at Southwest Minnesota St.	Bob Nielson
3.	Northwest Missouri St. (1)	11-3	613	5	Aug. 30 vs. East Central (Okla.)	Adam Dorrel
4.	Midwestern St. (Texas) (1)	10-1	582	7	Sept. 8 at Tarleton St. (Texas)	Bill Maskill
5.	Wayne St. (Mich.) (1)	12-4	502	2	Sept. 8 at Ashland (Ohio)	Paul Winters
6.	Colorado St.-Pueblo	11-1	481	9	Aug. 30 vs. No. 24 West Texas A&M	John Wristen
7.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	8-3	473	NR	Sept. 1 at Western Oregon	Matt Mitchell
8.	Valdosta St. (Ga.)	6-4	415	NR	Sept. 1 at Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.)	David Dean
9.	Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) (1)	13-1	386	3	Sept. 1 vs. North Carolina-Pembroke	Connell Maynor
10.	Abilene Christian (Texas)	8-3	367	16	Sept. 1 vs. McMurry (Texas)	Ken Collums
11.	California (Pa.)	10-3	347	15	Aug. 30 vs. No. 17 Hillsdale (Mich.)	Mike Kellar
12.	Kutztown (Pa.)	11-2	329	13	Aug. 30 vs. St. Anselm (N.H.)	Raymond Monica
13.	New Haven (Conn.)	11-2	322	8	Sept. 1 vs. Merrimack (Mass.)	Peter Rossomando
14.	Delta St. (Miss.)	11-3	290	4	Sept. 1 vs. Fort Valley St. (Ga.)	Jamey Chadwell
15.	West Alabama	8-4	274	23	Sept. 1 at Clark Atlanta (Ga.)	Will Hall
16.	St. Cloud State (Minn.)	9-3	266	17	Aug. 30 vs. Sioux Falls (S.D.)	Scott Underwood
17.	Hillsdale (Mich.)	8-3	228	NR	Aug. 30 at No. 11 California (Pa.)	Keith Otterbein
18.	Missouri Western St.	9-3	218	18	Aug. 30 vs. Central Missouri	Jerry Partridge
19.	Shepherd (W.Va.)	9-2	199	22	Sept. 1 at Shippensburg (Pa.)	Monte Cater
20.	Washburn (Kan.)	10-3	187	11	Aug. 30 vs. Nebraska-Kearney	Craig Schurig
21.	Humboldt St. (Calif.)	9-1	183	20	Aug. 30 vs. Colorado Mesa	Rob Smith
22.	Albany St. (Ga.)	8-4	149	NR	Sept. 1 vs. No. 23 North Greenville (S.C.)	Mike White
23.	North Greenville (S.C.)	11-3	139	12	Sept. 1 at No. 22 Albany St. (Ga.)	Carroll McCray
24.	West Texas A&M	8-3	132	25	Aug. 30 at No. 6 Colorado St.-Pueblo	Don Carthel
25.	Bloomsburg (Pa.)	9-2	129	21	Aug. 31 at Stonehill (Mass.)	Danny Hale

*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2011