Things Are Not Looking Too Promising For My Beloved Bulldogs

The release of the 2008 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coaches Poll, to kick off the football season, is hours away. With that being said, I am going to offer a glimpse of my poll and see how it stacks up. Now, I could go and take the poll from last season and factor Tiffin into it (and factor out Gannon and Mercyhurst), but I am going to try and avoid that approach as best I can.

So, that being said, here is my prediction:

1. Grand Valley State: A national championship contender ... highly unlikely they will lose a game and very likely they will scarcely be tested

2. Ashland: Arguably the second-best team in the conference ... coming off a playoff berth ... this year will be one of the hunted.

3. Saginaw Valley State: A new coaching staff, but still has some talent from last year's team that had a strong year (don't be fooled by the forfeits).

4. Hillsdale: Keith Otterbein just continues to build ... even at Hillsdale ... Look for the Chargers to be in contention for a playoff spot if things go their way.

5. Indianapolis: Will be right there in the mix with Saginaw Valley and Hillsdale in a bunch for those 3,4,5 spots.

6. Northwood: Another new coaching staff, but a program that always has talent on both sides of the ball.

7. Ferris State: A lot of changes in the Bulldogs' offense and numerous changes on the coaching staff ... A wild card that could finish in the top three or in the bottom half of the league.

8. Michigan Tech: Still has some offensive firepower and will be right there in the mix with Northwood and Ferris, but could sneak a little higher with a few breaks.

9. Northern Michigan: Another wild card that could bite some people ... Bernie Anderson will build it there, but it takes time ... NMU could be a sleeper.

10. Findlay: Has struggled in the GLIAC, but generally plays tough against most teams ... could sneak up on a few middle-of-the-pack squads.

11. Wayne State: Has probably the premier back in the league when he is healthy ... the question is can the Warriors provide Bell with some help.

12. Tiffin: A major wild card ... Tiffin has played some GLIAC teams tough, but largely has been untested against most of the league's teams. The top-half teams in the GLIAC can give some people a rude awakening.