University of Albany FCS Football Third in NEC Poll; Trevor Anderson & Andy Sparano on Preseason Team - UAlbany Sports 2010

Somerset, N.J. - According to a preseason poll of Northeast Conference head football coaches, the University at Albany has chosen to finish third in the 2010 standings. Central Connecticut State was selected to capture the NEC championship with four first-place votes. Robert Morris had three first-place votes and was picked second. The results were announced during today's NEC media teleconference.

"We graduated 17 seniors and many of the best we have had in the program," said UAlbany' s Bob Ford, who leads all active Division I FCS coaches with 241 career victories. "The cupboard is not bare. We have untested talent and only time will tell. The offensive and defensive lines are competent, and that's a good place to start."

The Great Danes, who have won or shared four NEC championships, reached the seven-win mark for the fourth consecutive season in 2009. UAlbany finished with a 7-4 record and placed second in the final standings, plus recorded their first win over a national top-20 program in three years.

The Northeast Conference champion will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time this season. The FCS playoffs have expanded from 16 to 20 teams and the national championship with be played in Frisco, Texas on Jan. 7, 2011.

In addition, UAlbany's Trevor Anderson and Andy Sparano were chosen to the NEC preseason all-conference squad. Anderson, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive tackle from Warnersville, N.Y., earned first-team All-NEC honors as a junior, when he totaled 36 tackles and 3.0 sacks. An FCS All-America candidate, Anderson has accounted for 101 career tackles, including 17.5 hits for a loss and 8.5 sacks. He was a key figure on a defense that ranked first in rushing yards allowed (118.3 ypg) and second in scoring defense (18.3 ppg) among the league leaders. Sparano, a 5-foot-11, 270-pound offensive lineman from Colleyville, Texas, will move from guard to center this season. Sparano is one of four returning starters on the offensive front. He has made 29 career appearances and shared the team's top offensive lineman award last year.

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2010 Northeast Conference Football Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Central Connecticut State (4), 2. Robert Morris (3), 3. Albany (1), 4. Wagner (1), 5. Monmouth, 6. Bryant, 7. Duquesne, 8. Sacred Heart, 9. Saint Francis, Pa. ( ) - first-place votes


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information