By Staff
ALMA – Defending MIAA co-champion Hope College has been installed as the preseason favorite to win the 2008 league football championship.
Despite losing 15 starters to graduation, including nine on offense, a poll of coaches and media Thursday gave the Flying Dutchmen a slight nod over Adrian and Olivet, who shared last year's championship with Hope and made its first appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Hope and Olivet tied for last year's championship with 6-1 league records, with Olivet gaining the MIAA's automatic berth to the NCAA playoffs by virtue of a dramatic 28-25 come-from-behind win over the Flying Dutchmen late last season in Holland. The championship for the Comets was their first since 1974.
Coaches and media had differing views on the season.
Olivet was the favorite among coaches, picking up four of seven first-place votes, while Adrian, which picked up the other three first-place votes, was the second choice.
Among media, Hope was the favorite, even though it only picked up two of eight first-place votes.
Adrian, which was picked second, had four first-place votes and Olivet, which was chosen third, had two first-place votes.
Poll Results (first-place votes in parenthesis):
1. Hope (2) 27 pts, 2. Adrian (7) 33, 3. Olivet (6) 34, 4. Alma 56, 5. Trine 64, 6. Albion 67, 7. Kalamazoo 100.
The nation's oldest collegiate athletic conference, the MIAA begins its 111th season of competition Sept. 6, with league play to begin Oct. 4.