Football Adds Another National Ranking To Preseason Resume
8/14/2023 12:55:00 PM | Football
WACO, Texas – The Mercer football team picked up its fourth national ranking of the 2023 preseason on Monday afternoon when the Bears checked in at No. 22 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Preseason Top 25 listing.
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It is the fourth national ranking of the preseason for Mercer who was tabbed No. 20 by the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 last week. Athlon Sports (No. 17) and Hero Sports (19) included the Bears among their preseason list of top 25 FCS teams earlier this summer.
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Mercer was joined in Monday's AFCA release by two other SoCon squads, including sixth-ranked Furman and ninth-ranked Samford. Top-ranked South Dakota State (24 votes) and No. 2 North Dakota State (11) combined to rake in all 35 first-place votes.
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Picked to finish third among the nine SoCon teams in a pair of preseason polls that were released last month, the Bears return 19 starters for the 2023 campaign as well as 27 other letter-winners from last year's squad. A dozen of those players were lauded with preseason all-conference honors in July as well, including wide receivers Devron Harper and Ty James who were among 35 student-athletes named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award.
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Reserved-seat season tickets for the 2023 season have already gone on sale and the 5-game package can be purchased for as little as $85 for reserved seats and $50 for general admission seats at MercerBears.com/Tickets. For questions regarding football season tickets, including inquiries about seat locations, contact the Mercer Athletic Ticket Office at (478) 301-5470.
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The Bears will kick off the 2023 campaign on August 26 when they make the short trip to Montgomery, Ala., to take on North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff Classic. Start time has been slated for 3:30 p.m. ET inside Montgomery's historic Cramton Bowl. Tickets for that game can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/FCSKickoff.
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It is the fourth national ranking of the preseason for Mercer who was tabbed No. 20 by the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 last week. Athlon Sports (No. 17) and Hero Sports (19) included the Bears among their preseason list of top 25 FCS teams earlier this summer.
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Mercer was joined in Monday's AFCA release by two other SoCon squads, including sixth-ranked Furman and ninth-ranked Samford. Top-ranked South Dakota State (24 votes) and No. 2 North Dakota State (11) combined to rake in all 35 first-place votes.
Â
Picked to finish third among the nine SoCon teams in a pair of preseason polls that were released last month, the Bears return 19 starters for the 2023 campaign as well as 27 other letter-winners from last year's squad. A dozen of those players were lauded with preseason all-conference honors in July as well, including wide receivers Devron Harper and Ty James who were among 35 student-athletes named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award.
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Reserved-seat season tickets for the 2023 season have already gone on sale and the 5-game package can be purchased for as little as $85 for reserved seats and $50 for general admission seats at MercerBears.com/Tickets. For questions regarding football season tickets, including inquiries about seat locations, contact the Mercer Athletic Ticket Office at (478) 301-5470.
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The Bears will kick off the 2023 campaign on August 26 when they make the short trip to Montgomery, Ala., to take on North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff Classic. Start time has been slated for 3:30 p.m. ET inside Montgomery's historic Cramton Bowl. Tickets for that game can be purchased by visiting MercerBears.com/FCSKickoff.
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