KUTZTOWN - First-year interim head football coach Paul Darragh will not say if Bloomsburg will have any tricks in store for defending Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division champion Shippensburg, but the Huskies hope the nationally televised Halloween night game on CBS Sports Network will be a treat for them and their fans.
Shippensburg, with Harlon Hill Trophy winner Zach Zulli returning at quarterback, is No. 1 in the PSAC East preseason coaches poll released Monday, receiving six first-place votes.
Bloomsburg, with senior running back Franklyn Quiteh poised to become the PSAC's all-time rushing leader, is ranked No. 2 and received one first-place vote.
"We always approach the season with the attitude that it's not where you're ranked going in, but we you stand at
Shippensburg, the only team to defeat Bloomsburg during the 2012 regular season, visits the Huskies in Week 9 of the regular season for the 8 p.m. Oct. 26 game that many expect to decide the PSAC East title. Last year, the Red Raiders made their third NCAA playoff appearance in nine years and fifth overall, losing to eventual Division II runner-up Winston-Salem in the second round of the playoffs.
Bloomsburg made its ninth NCAA appearance and third in five years last year under all-time winningest coach Danny Hale, who retired after the season.
If either Shippensburg or the Huskies stumble, the coaches project No. 3 West Chester, which received one first-place vote, as the team most likely to move up.
Kutztown, last year's preseason favorite, is projected to repeat last year's fourth-place finish, and East Stroudsburg is No. 5 in the poll. Lock Haven, which moves from the PSAC West, is ranked No. 6, the best ranking for the Bald Eagles since their sixth-place ranking in 2007.
Millersville, once a perennial playoff team, is expected to continue its recent struggles and is voted No. 7. Cheyney, which was winless in the East and lost at Lock Haven - the only victory by the Bald Eagles - is ranked No. 8.
Defending PSAC champion Indiana (Pa.) is No. 1 in the PSAC West poll for the second consecutive year and received seven first-place votes. Ranked No. 2 is Mercyhurst, which received one first-place vote.
Slippery Rock edged California by just one point for third place, and Gannon moves up one spot from last year to rank No. 5. Edinboro drops two places from last year to No. 6, Clarion is No. 7 and new PSAC member Seton Hill is No. 8.
Here is the 2013 PSAC coaches preseason poll with first-place votes in parentheses:
Eastern Division - 1. Shippensburg (6), 2. Bloomsburg (1), 3. West Chester (1), 4. Kutztown, 5. East Stroudsburg, 6. Lock Haven, 7. Millersville, 8. Cheyney
Western Division - 1. IUP (7), 2. Mercyhurst (1), 3. Slippery Rock, 4. California, 5. Gannon, 6. Edinboro, 7. Clarion, 8. Seton Hill