WACO, Texas – The University of Indianapolis football team will open the 2023 season as the 20th-ranked team in the nation, according to the newly-released American Football Coaches Association DII Preseason Poll. As the defending GLVC champions and current league favorites, the Greyhounds will be gunning for a return trip to the NCAA DII playoffs in November.

UIndy is one of eight Super Region 3 squads in the preseason top 20, while fellow-GLVC-school Truman State University received significant votes. Five SR3 teams will start the season ranked in the top eight, including reigning national-champ and top-ranked Ferris State. Two of UIndy's non-conference opponents – Wayne State and Saginaw Valley – also received votes.


2023 AFCA DII PRESEASON POLL

RK	SCHOOL (1st-place votes)	REC	PTS	PREV
1.	Ferris St. (Mich.) (29)	14-1	725	1
2.	Colorado School of Mines	13-3	642	2
3.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	12-1	641	3
4.	Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	12-1	633	5
5.	Angelo St. (Tex.)	12-1	590	7
6.	Northwest Missouri St.	10-3	560	8
7.	West Florida	12-2	482	4
8.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	11-1	455	10
9.	Minnesota St.	10-3	450	14
10.	Delta St. (Miss.)	11-2	438	9
11.	Bemidji St. (Minn.)	10-3	420	24
12.	Ashland (Ohio)	10-2	387	13
13.	Shepherd (W.Va.)	13-2	359	6
14.	Harding (Ark.)	9-2	305	22
15.	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	10-3	304	16
16.	Indiana (Pa.)	10-2	300	11
17.	Benedict (S.C.) (1)	11-1	232	12
18.	Virginia Union	9-2	200	18
19.	Emporia St. (Kan.)	9-3	187	NR
20.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	9-2	149	17
21.	Wingate (N.C.)	11-3	147	15
22.	West Georgia	8-2	146	19
23.	Assumption (Mass.)	8-3	132	NR
24.	Newberry (S.C.)	9-2	131	21
25.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	8-3	129	NR

Others Receiving Votes: Notre Dame (Ohio), 99; Davenport (Mich.), 69; Colorado St.-Pueblo, 56; Bowie St. (Md.), 53; Truman St. (Mo.), 31; Central Washington, 30; Limestone (S.C.), 30; Winona St. (Minn.), 23; Wayne St. (Neb.), 18; Henderson St. (Ark.), 17; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 16; Tuskegee (Ala.), 16; Morehouse (Ga.), 13; Findlay (Ohio), 12; Fort Valley St. (Ga.), 11; Ohio Dominican, 10; Tiffin (Ohio), 10; California (Pa.), 9; Washburn (Kan.), 9; Charleston (W.Va.), 8; Millersville (Pa.), 8; Mars Hill (N.C.), 6; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 6; Texas A&M-Kingsville, 6; Western Colorado, 6; Kutztown (Pa.), 5; Wayne St. (Mich.), 5; Winston-Salem St. (N.C.), 5; Gannon (Pa.), 4; Central Oklahoma, 3; Central St. (Ohio), 2; New Haven (Conn.), 2; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 2; Southern Arkansas, 2; Bluefield St. (W.Va.), 1; Minnesota-Duluth, 1; Nebraska-Kearney, 1; West Alabama, 1.