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OAC Media Preview Release
Matt DeMore/Tyler Dugan video interview
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – The Capital University football team was predicted to finish in the middle part of the 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference standings by the league's coaches and media, the conference announced at its annual Football Media Preview on Wednesday, Aug. 8.
The Crusaders earned 42 points in the coaches' poll to place fifth, one point ahead of sixth-place John Carroll. Capital picked up 148 points from the media for the No. 6 spot, trading spots with the Blue Streaks in that poll.
Last season, the Crusaders finished in a three-way tie for fourth place with a 5-4 record in OAC play. It marked the 11th straight season Capital finished with at least five wins and the 10th in the last 11 years the team was above .500 in the league.
Third-year head coach Henry Stanford addressed the media, coaches, student-athletes and other staff in attendance at the Doubletree by Hilton, while senior linebacker Tyler Dugan (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport Madison) took questions from OAC commissioner Tim Gleason.
Stanford and senior offensive lineman Matt DeMore (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) took turns talking with SportsTime Ohio for the television network's recording of the OAC Football Preview Show. The preview show, which breaks down all 10 teams in the conference, is currently scheduled to air on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 10 p.m. and again on Friday, Aug. 24 at 3:30 p.m. It is produced by S&S Video Productions and is 60 minutes long.
Legendary Cleveland play-by-play announcer Joe Tait was presented the Bill Nichols Media Service Award as part of the day's festivities.
Mount Union, which is ranked No. 2 in the D3football.com Preseason Top 25 and was the NCAA runner-up in 2011, is a consensus selection to win its 21st consecutive conference title, receiving nine of the 10 first-place votes in the coaches' poll. The Purple Raiders earned 30 of 31 top-slot votes in the media poll.
Baldwin Wallace earned the No. 2 ranking in the media poll, and tied with Heidelberg for the same spot in the coaches'.
See below for the complete polls.
2012 OAC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Mount Union – 81 points (9 first-place votes)
2. Baldwin Wallace – 66 (1)
Heidelberg – 66
4. Ohio Northern – 54
5. Capital – 42
6. John Carroll – 41
7. Otterbein – 38
8. Muskingum – 28
9. Marietta – 24
10. Wilmington – 10
2012 OAC Football Preseason Media Poll
1. Mount Union – 309 (30)
2. Baldwin-Wallace – 250 (1)
3. Heidelberg – 236
4. Ohio Northern – 234
5. John Carroll – 172
6. Capital – 148
7. Otterbein – 143
8. Muskingum – 98
9. Marietta – 84
10. Wilmington – 31
