ROCK HILL, SC – The Carson-Newman Eagles, the favorite to win the South Atlantic Conference football title in a vote by the league’s eight head football coaches, was also the top choice in a media poll at the league’s annual preseason football media day in Salisbury, N.C., on Friday.

Newberry coach Zak Willis is shown here getting ready for his television interview with Time Warner Cable for the SAC preseason football show.

After listening to the league’s eight head coaches give an overview of the upcoming season, media in attendance made the Eagles a unanimous choice to win the football crown.

In fact, the media poll is nearly a duplicate of the way the coaches see the 2005 league race.

Carson-Newman was a clear choice to win the league crown, earning all 13 first-place votes by the media, and earning 103 total points.

Catawba, picked to finish second by the coaches, was also picked to finish second in the media poll. The Indians received 89 total points.

Tusculum edged out Wingate for third place in the media poll. The Pioneers received 67 points, while the Bulldogs picked up 65 points.

The coaches poll had a tie for fifth place between Mars Hill and Presbyterian. The media picked the Blue Hose to finish fifth, with 50 points, while the Lions were picked sixth with 40 points.

Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne round out the poll, just as in the coaches poll. The Newberry Indians received 32 total points, while the Bears picked up 21 points.

Media Preseason Poll 
1. Carson-Newman........ 104 (13) 
2. Catawba................89 
3. Tusculum...............67 
4. Wingate................65 
5. Presbyterian...........50 
6. Mars Hill..............40 
7. Newberry...............32 
8. Lenoir-Rhyne...........21 
(First-place votes in parenthesis)