Mid-South Conference football coaches are looking at the 2010 season the same way Campbellsville University's staff is - Tigers "Over the Top."

Campbellsville received three first-place votes and is projected to share the MSC East Division title in 2010 along with rival Georgetown College. Former Eastern Division foe and defending three-time East champion University of the Cumberlands is picked as the team to beat in the West.

Both Campbellsville and Georgetown each had 32 points, with Campbellsville having one more first-place vote than Georgetown. The University of Virginia at Wise also had two first-place votes and is third preseason in the East with 29 points.

"Being ranked pre-season No. 1 by the conference coaches is a great sign of the respect our program has gained over the past few seasons," CU head coach Perry Thomas said."The East will be a tough division as always. Georgetown and Wise are traditional national powers that have ruled this conference for a number of years. I'm surprised that one of them wasn't ranked ahead of us because of their reputations."

Campbellsville will enter the 2010 season coming off its best year since 2003, as the Tigers finished in a tie for second-place in the East with a 7-4 overall record and 4-2 MSC East record. The Tigers lost by a point to UVa.-Wise on homecoming, 32-31, but beat Georgetown, 21-14, two weeks later. CU's only other East Division loss came at Cumberlands to decide the 2009 East Division title.

Campbellsville, tabbed the No. 6 most improved program in the NAIA, is looking for its first MSC championship since 1997, the last time it beat Georgetown prior to last fall. Georgetown is seeking its 16^th MSC football crown and first since 2006. The two will meet in a Thursday night game, Oct. 7 at Campbellsville.

Rounding out the East, Pikeville College is projected fourth, followed by West Virginia University Tech, Kentucky Christian University (moving over from the West) and first-year program Lindsey Wilson College.

In the newly shaped West, Shorter University is projected second behind University of the Cumberlands, who has a 25-3 overall record against MSC opponents the past three years. Cumberland University (Tenn.) is third, followed by Belhaven University, Union College and Faulkner University.

The Tigers' 2010 season begins Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. in a MSC East bought against Kentucky Christian.

EAST DIVISION
Pos.	Team	Points (1st Place Votes)	2009 Division Record	2009 Overall Record
T-1.	Campbellsville Univ.	32 (3)	4-2	7-4
T-1.	Georgetown College	32 (2)	4-2	7-4
3.	UVa.-Wise	29 (2)	4-2	5-6
4.	Pikeville College	20	1-5	3-8
5.	West Virginia Tech Univ.	15	0-6	3-8
6.	Kentucky Christian Univ.	10	1-5 *	1-9
7.	Lindsey Wilson College	9	No record **	No record
* Competed in the West Division in 2009.
** 2010 is Lindsey Wilson's first season.

 

WEST DIVISION
Pos.	Team	Points (1st Place Votes)	2009 Division Record	2009 Overall Record
1.	Univ. of theCumberlands	36 (6)	5-1 *	9-2
2.	Shorter University	27	3-3	6-5
3.	Bethel University	23	4-2	5-6
4.	Cumberland University	19	3-3	6-5
T-5.	Belhaven University	18 (1)	4-2	6-5
T-5.	Union College	18	3-3 *	4-6
7.	Faulkner University	6	0-6	2-9
* Competed in the East Division in 2009.