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Top 25 ranking fine by WIU's Patterson

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By Steve Batterson | Thursday, July 3, 2008 12:29 AM CDT | () comments

Don Patterson isn’t going to argue with at least one preseason football prognosticator.

Patterson’s Western Illinois football team is ranked 15th by The Sporting News in its preseason top 25 for the Football Championship Subdivision, a rating that the Leathernecks coach sees as a fair gauge of his team.

“Somebody did their homework, because I believe we can have that type of a team,” Patterson said earlier this week at the Western Illinois Alumni Association’s annual Quad-Cities Golf Outing at East Moline.

“Of course, we know it won’t be easy. It never is in our conference. We’ll have to earn it on the field, but I do like the talent we have coming back.”

The Leathernecks return 20 starters, a group that includes six first-team picks among 10 returning all-conference selections from a team that finished 6-5 a year ago.

Patterson said all the players on the program’s two-deep roster are among those spending the summer on campus.

“This season is important to our guys and our program,” Patterson said.

Western Illinois will be competing in the renamed and expanded Missouri Valley Football Conference, which adds North Dakota State and South Dakota State to the returning collection of teams from what was known as the Gateway Conference.

Patterson doesn’t have to look any further than the same poll that rates his team to understand that the conference won’t get any easier.

Northern Iowa is rated third in the poll, while North Dakota State and Youngstown State fill the eighth and ninth spots. Southern Illinois ranks 21st.

The publication lists Leathernecks linebacker Jason Williams as the league’s top defender and on its preseason all-American team, where he joins UNI defensive lineman Mark Huygens.

“We have a lot of reason for optimism, but in our conference the margin for error is slim,” Patterson said. “We open at Arkansas and with four other rated teams in the conference. We have a challenge ahead of us.

“Whenever you play a major program as part of your nonconference schedule, you almost have to win eight of your next 10 to assure yourself of a playoff berth and not leave things to chance.”

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.