Findlay Ranked No. 21 in Street & Smith's Preseason Poll

Findlay, Ohio - The University of Findlay football team, which is coming off of a historic 2017 campaign, is ranked in the first preseason poll of the year. The poll, released in Streets and Smith's College Football Preview, has the Oilers ranked no. 21 in the country heading into the summer of 2018. Findlay is the only team in the G-MAC to appear in the poll.

Last season Findlay finished with a 10-3 record and was one of the final 16 teams remaining in the country as they made it to the second round of the NCAA DII Playoffs after a round one win over no. 2 Shepherd. The Oilers' ten wins were the most in the NCAA era of the program.

Despite losing three Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Players of the Year and three players who earned all-American honors, the Oilers return a plethora of talent including 14 first or second team all-GMAC performers from last season. Highlighting those returning are senior quarterback Rhys Gervais, who owns nearly every season or career passing record at Findlay, senior receiver Jason Moore, who has more receiving yards and touchdowns than any player in Oilers' history, and junior linebacker Isaac Miles, who has played in every game since he arrived on campus two years ago.

Led by Head Coach Rob Keys, the Oilers scored 578 points last year, a new Findlay record, and averaged 44.5 points per game (fifth in the country) while putting up 515.5 yards of offense per contest (third in the country). Findlay led the G-MAC in multiple categories including scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, total defense, rushing offense, and passing defense. The Oilers led the country with 359 first downs last season and was the only team in college football, any division, that picked up 3,300 yards on the ground and through the air.

Street and Smith's Magazine Preseason DII Top 25 Poll
1. West Florida (11-4)
2. Indiana, Pa. (13-1)
3. Minnesota State (13-1)
4. Fort Hays State (11-1)
5. Grand Valley State (8-3)
6. Texas A&M Commerce (14-1)
7. Indianapolis (11-1)
8. Harding (11-4)
9. Northwest Missouri State (9-3)
10. Midwestern State (10-1)
11. Central Washington (11-1)
12. Shepherd, (10-1)
13. Ashland, (11-2)
14. Colorado State-Pueblo (9-3)
15. Sioux Falls (9-3)
16. West Georgia (9-4)
17. Assumption (11-2)
18. Central Missouri (9-3)
19. Ferris State (11-2)
20. West Alabama (10-3)
21. Findlay (10-3)
22. Carson-Newman (8-3)
23. Virginia State (10-1)
24. Edinboro (7-4)
25. Colorado School of Mines (7-4)