Mount Union is preseason pick to win Ohio Athletic Conference football title
Mount Union was the overwhelming favorite to win the Ohio Athletic Conference football championship for the 33rd time in balloting by the conference coaches.
The Purple Raiders, who have won five consecutive OAC titles and 29 of the last 30, received all nine first-place votes and 81 total points from the other coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own team, so Mount Union coach Geoff Dartt cast his ballot for Baldwin Wallace. Most of the other coaches followed suit as the Yellow Jackets were voted second with 71 points.
Heidelberg, John Carroll and Marietta rounded out the top five selections, with Ohio Northern, Muskingum, Wilmington, Otterbein and Capital making up the bottom half.
Dartt, who begins his third season as Mount Union's coach with a career record of 17-1. Last season the Purple Raiders finished the regular season with a 10-0 record and won three NCAA Division III playoff games before losing to North Central (Ill.) in the national semifinals.
More:Not again: North Central ends Mount Union's title dreams for second time in three years
Mount Union opens its 125th season of football at home on September 3 against Defiance at 1:30 p.m. in Kehres Stadium.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: The Purple Raiders received nine of the 10 votes from OAC coaches
