Robert Morris picked last in Big South-OVC Football Association preseason poll
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The Robert Morris football team is looking to bounce back from a winless 2022 season, and the Colonials will face several new opponents in their quest for improvement.
The new-look Big South-OVC Football Association released its inaugural preseason poll for the 2023 season Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn.
The league’s head coaches tabbed Southeast Missouri State as the favorite to win the new conference, which is made up of teams from the Big South and Ohio Valley conferences.
Robert Morris was picked to finish last in the 10-team league.
Gardner-Webb, last season’s Big South Champion, was tabbed to finish second, just ahead of UT Martin, co-champions of the OVC last year.
???? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????? ????@SEMOfootball has been voted the favorite in the inaugural #BigSouthOVCFB poll, followed by @GWUFootball and @UTM_FOOTBALL!
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— BigSouthOVCFB (@BigSouthOVCFB) July 25, 2023
In February, the Big South and Ohio Valley conferences announced their association as football member institutions, starting with the 2023 season. The initial term will last at least four years.
Presidents from each of the multisport conferences pointed to the similarities of the OVC and the Big South, with their complementary geographies and intercollegiate athletic philosophies, as key to making this association possible.
Other teams in the Big South-OVC include Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State, Bryant, Lindenwood, Eastern Illinois and Charleston Southern.
Western Illinois University will join beginning with the 2024 season.
The Colonials, Gardner-Webb, Bryant and Charleston Southern were Big South members last year.
Robert Morris had three players picked to the association’s preseason watch list — redshirt senior linebackers Joe Casale and Jamar Shegog (Seton LaSalle) and grad student punter George Souders III.
Casale was a second-team All-Big South honoree last year after leading the team with 70 tackles, and Shegog was a second-team selection in 2021. He made 25 tackles over five games last season and has 132 career tackles. Souders averaged 38.7 yards per punt and had 22 punts downed inside the 20-yard line last season.
RMU head coach Bernard Clark Jr. enters his sixth year with 16 returning starters, including eight on defense.
Robert Morris will open the season at Air Force on Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. The Colonials’ home opener is 6 p.m. Sept. 9 against St. Francis (Pa.) at Joe Walton Stadium.
Big South-OVC Football Association preseason poll
Rank, team, 2022 record, points
1. Southeast Missouri State (6), 9-3, 96
2. Gardner-Webb (2), 7-6, 86
3. UT Martin (1), 7-4, 85
4. Tennessee Tech (1), 4-7, 58
5. Tennessee State, 4-7, 57
6. Bryant, 4-7, 48
7. Lindenwood, 7-3, 45
8. Eastern Illinois, 2-9, 33
9. Charleston Southern, 2-8, 30
10. Robert Morris, 0-11, 12
*First-place votes in parentheses