Missouri State football picked fifth in the Missouri Valley; Coach Allen is not pleased

With Missouri State football opening training camp on Wednesday and the season at home on September 2 against Eastern Kentucky, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released its preseason poll Monday and the Bears are predictably in better shape than normal.

It’s just not the shape MSU coach Terry Allen agrees with.

MSU was picked to finish fifth in the nine-team league, the same spot the Bears finished in a year ago, despite returning 17 starters and 41 lettermen.

“You have to earn it,” Allen said through a press release. Allen enters his fifth season at MSU. “I picked us a lot higher, and I think we will be. This is certainly the most talent we’ve had in my time here.”

Fifth is exactly where the Bears finished last season, with a 6-5 overall record and 4-4 in the MVFC. Big thing are expected of Missouri State, which has been picked sixth or seventh in each of the last four MVFC preseason polls and finished higher than projected the last three seasons. The Bears were also picked to finish fifth in 2002 and 2005 and haven’t been higher than fifth since 2000′s fourth-place prediction.

Of course, the Bears return 17 starters and 41 lettermen, including preseason all-conference players David Arkin (Sr., OT, Wichita, Kan.), Antoine Wilkinson (Sr., LB, Magnolia, Miss.), and Waylon Richardet (Sr., DE, Perryville, Mo.) who were All-MVFC first-teamers in 2009. Also recognized were honorable mention selections Cody Kirby (Sr., QB, Rogers, Ark.) and Skylar Smith (Sr., SS, Kickapoo).

The Bears were picked sixth or seventh in each of the last four MVFC preseason polls and have finished higher than projected three straight seasons. The team’s fifth-place predictions in 2002, 2005 and 2010 mark the program’s highest since being picked fourth in the 2000 preseason conference poll.

Southern Illinois is the MVFC favorite after receiving 30 of the 36 possible first-place votes and 313 total points in the 2010 preseason poll. The status makes the Salukis league favorites for the first time since 2005. Fellow 2009 playoff qualifier South Dakota State claimed two first-place votes and 252 points to edge out Illinois State (249) for second place, despite three first-place votes by the Redbirds.

UNI received the remaining first-place vote and 244 total points to round out the top four, followed by Missouri State (164), North Dakota State (151), Youngstown State (130), Western Illinois (70) and Indiana State (47).

Allen and his squad begin fall camp on Wednesday and kick off the 2009 season on Thursday, Sept. 2 at Plaster Field against Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. Season ticket packages are available now by calling (417) 836-7678.