NEWTOWN, Pa. — The Middle Atlantic Conference office today released preseason polls for the upcoming Football season. MAC coaches picked Eastern University Football to finish tied for third.
Eastern finished the 2024 season, the program's second varsity campaign, with four wins in the final five games. With an incredible 37-33 come-from-behind win on the final day of the year, the Eagles finished in an incredible five-way tie for third place. The King's College Monarchs went unbeaten in the league to secure the MAC title and the league's bid to the NCAA Tournament, and Delaware Valley took second with a 7-2 mark in league play. The Aggies had won six-straight MAC Championships. Coming into last season, Delaware Valley had not lost a league game since 2016. After all the tie-breakers sorted through, the Eagles found themselves on the outside of the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series games.
Coaches picked King's and Delaware Valley to finish atop the league. King's secured five first-place votes, and Delaware Valley grabbed six. The Monarchs will return quality on both sides of the ball, but with quarterback Russell Minor-Shaw finishing his four years, they will need to reshape an offense. Minor-Shaw ran for nearly 1000 yards and threw for over 2000 while accounting for 42 touchdowns. The Aggies held opponents to less than 11 points per game and relied on a running attack. In 2024, King's secured the league title with a late-season14-6 win in Wilkes-Barre. The two teams will meet on the first league weekend this fall in Doylestown.
The Eagles, who are picked to finish tied with Stevenson, secured the final first place vote in the poll. While other teams near the top of the league had massive Senior Day celebrations last year, the Eagles have yet to see their first full class move through. With another year of strength gains and experience and some promising newcomers, Coach Crocker and his staff are looking to take the next step with the program.
The Eagles will open the year with a home test against Anna Maria College and will start the league season with a home game against Alvernia before traveling to LVC and King's.
The MAC Champion will secure a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The top three teams not to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships will play in the Centennial-MAC Bowl series.
