Kansas Wesleyan is the co-favorite with Ottawa to win Kansas Conference’s Gene Bissell Division this fall in a preseason poll of the league’s football coaches. Members of the media casting a vote in the media poll picked the Coyotes as the favorite in the division.
Coach Matt Myers‘ focus is not on any poll, though.
“You can just see how many teams have a lot of returning guys that played a lot of football for them,” Myers said Friday during the KCAC’s virtual media day. “I think the league is going to be just as competitive as it’s been over the last few years. We’re excited to be picked tied for first but that’s not necessarily what we’re looking at.”
KWU and Ottawa shared the Bissell Division title with 4-1 records in 2023 but the Braves advanced to the NAIA playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker. Nine months later they’re tied again, this time in the poll with each receiving 23 points and three first-place votes. Avila, Tabor and Saint Mary tied for third with 13 points apiece; Sterling was sixth with five points.
Evangel and Friends shared top spot in the Ted Kessinger Division poll. Southwestern was third, Bethel and McPherson tied for fourth and Bethany was sixth.
In the media poll, KWU was the Bissell Division favorite, earning 93 points and 13 of 16 first-place votes. Ottawa was second with 81 points, Avila was third with 54 points, Tabor was fourth with 49, Saint Mary was fifth with 40 and Sterling was sixth with 19.
In the Kessinger division, Evangel and Friends were separated by just one point with the nod to Evangel with 87 points and Friends 86. Both had eight first-place votes. Southwestern was picked third, followed by Bethel, McPherson and Bethany.
The Coyotes were 8-3 overall last season and return eight starters on each side of the ball that includes 10 who received All-Kansas Conference honors. Sophomore quarterback Byron McNair, who started the last six games, returns to lead the offense after throwing for 1,101 yards and six touchdowns in his first collegiate season.
“We’re very excited about him,” Myers said.
Myers expects to have a squad of 154 – 15 of them transfers – when the Coyotes return to campus next Friday. Their first practice is scheduled for the following day in advance of the season opener against Evangel at 7 p.m. August 31 at JRI Stadium and the Graves Family Sports Complex.
The team will initially conduct two-a-day practices in the early morning and late evening to avoid the heat. Classes begin August 19.
“Really, we only graduated six or seven guys so we’ve got a lot of guys coming back that played a lot of football for us,” Myers said. “The goal will be to execute at the highest level and stay healthy as possible as we go through the season.”
Myers, who enters his third season as head coach after serving as defensive coordinator, said the KCAC appears to tough and balanced once again.
“It’s few and far between where you have a single KCAC team run the table,” he said. “It happened in ’18 and 19 (KWU both times) and it happened last year (Evangel) but everything in between you’re having teams come out of it with a loss.
“The divisions help get us to the playoffs so now we need to make sure that we’re getting teams in the playoffs that can go win some games and give the KCAC the best showing on the national stage.”
Myers said he is a fan of the division format that enters its second season. It features a conference-wide bye week that comes on October 12.
“The good thing about the new system is we get to build up to the games that really matter for us (against division opponents) in the back half of the season,” he said. “We need to make sure that camp is very efficient when we’re evaluating and putting guys into places that we believe will be for the rest of the season.
“That’s our job and we’re excited to get back to it and start that process.”
KCAC Football Coaches Poll – Bissell Division
T1. Kansas Wesleyan – 23 (3)
T1. Ottawa – 23 (3)
T3. Avila – 13
T3. Tabor – 13
T3. Saint Mary – 13
6. Sterling – 5
KCAC Football Coaches Poll – Kessinger Division
T1. Evangel – 23 (3)
T1. Friends – 23 (3)
3. Southwestern – 17
T4. Bethel – 11
T4. McPherson – 11
6. Bethany – 5
KCAC Football Media Poll – Bissell Division
1. Kansas Wesleyan – 93 (13)
2. Ottawa – 81 (3)
3. Avila – 54
4. Tabor – 49
5. Saint Mary – 40
6. Sterling – 19
KCAC Football Media Poll – Kessinger Division
1. Evangel – 87 (8)
2. Friends – 86 (8)
3. Southwestern – 59
4. Bethel – 46
5. McPherson – 42
6. Bethany – 16
