The Chattanooga Mocs seem to be holding steady in the No. 8 spot in various preseason national rankings. That’s where Athlon Sports picked the Mocs in its Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Top 25 released earlier this week.
UTC was ranked No. 8 at the end of last season that included its first ever appearance in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. The Mocs are coming off a 10-4 record and return 42 letter winners and 16 starters. Chattanooga also grabbed a No.
8 ranking from Sporting News earlier in the month.
Athlon reinforced the significance of the Sept. 5 home opener by giving Jacksonville State a No. 4 listing. The Mocs and Gamecocks kick off at 6 p.m. (EDT) in Finley Stadium in the only regular season FCS game between outright conference champions. UTC lost last year’s matchup with JSU, 26-23 in overtime.
Southern Conference member Western Carolina grabbed the No. 23 spot in Athlon’s rankings. It is the first preseason ranking of any kind for the Catamounts since 1994. UTC hosts WCU on Oct. 31 as a part of a five-game home schedule.
Season tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
Athlon Sports Preseason FCS Top-25
1. North Dakota State
2. Illinois State
3. Sam Houston State
4. Jacksonville State
5. Villanova
6. Eastern Washington
7. Coastal Carolina
8. Chattanooga
9. New Hampshire
10. Youngstown State
11. Norther Iowa
12. Liberty13. Montana State
14. James Madison
15. Eastern Illinois
16. McNeese State
17. Montana
18. Idaho State
19. South Dakota State
20. Richmond
21. Eastern Kentucky
22. Harvard
23. Western Carolina
24. Cal Poly
25. Indiana State