W&J picked to finish first in PAC football preseason poll
LATROBE – Washington & Jefferson football coach Mike Sirianni doesn’t look at this season as a chance to three-peat, even if that is what the Presidents would accomplish if they win another Presidents’ Athletic Conference title.
He looks at every season as a new journey, but his peers believe his group is still the team to beat.
Washington & Jefferson was ranked first in the PAC preseason football poll, which was released during media day at Saint Vincent College Tuesday.
The poll was voted on by media members, coaches and student information directors.
Sirianni made a couple references to pro sports teams and three-peats, including his younger brother Nick Sirianni’s Philadelphia Eagles thwarting the Kansas City Chiefs’ bid for three consecutive Super Bowls.
He doesn’t put his team in the same category in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.
“We don’t look at it that way. We’re not thinking about a three-peat,” Sirianni said. “We’re looking to win this year.”
Waynesburg, under the direction of first-year head coach Larry Wilson, was picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll.
Washington & Jefferson, which has won 28 PAC titles, received 37 of 46 first-place votes and finished with 497 points.
Sirianni has seen signs that his group can not only win the PAC again, but possibly make a run at a national title. He said the team put time in on their own over the summer organizing workouts without the coaches, which gives him belief that his group wants to have a special season.
“If you look at last year, we went toe-to-toe with Susquehanna, and they won two more playoff games and were a final four team the year before,” Sirianni said. “In Division III there’s about 20 teams that can win it and with the right breaks, schedule draw and if you stay injury-free, we believe we can be one of those teams.”
Grove City ranked second in the poll and received five first-place votes. Westminster was third and received three first-place votes. The only other team that got a first-place vote was Bethany, which finished last of the 11 eligible teams for the PAC title.
Saint Francis is entering its first season transitioning from NCAA Division I FCS to Division III, and though it will play a PAC schedule, it is not eligible to win the conference championship. The newly renamed Red Wolves (previously Red Flash) will not be eligible for a title next year either. After a two-year transition period, Saint Francis will be able to apply for full-time active membership in NCAA Division III in 2028.
Coming in at seventh in the preseason poll has Waynesburg with a projected finish near the middle of the pack.
Wilson helped Clarion enjoy its first winning season since 2015 last year as its offensive coordinator last year.
Now he’ll try to turn around Waynesburg, which hasn’t had a winning season since 2014. The Yellowjackets were 4-6 last season.
“There’s some anxiety after being in the PSAC for 25 years and knowing what to expect and coming here to the PAC…I’m excited for the unknown and how it will shake out,” Wilson said. “I know we made strides and growth in the spring. We’ve got to have a good camp and I’m excited to see where we’ll be at and if we’re on the right path. From there we’ll see how it goes.”
Wilson spoke about belief within the team being a key in last year’s success at Clarion and is aiming to foster a similar culture at Waynesburg.
“We’re trying to build the overall picture here at Waynesburg,” Wilson said. “At the end of the day it’s not only about players, but also about belief and our culture. That’s what we’re hunting right now. We’re looking for our guys to pull on the same rope. It’ll be up to our players and our coaches and how we develop them, because if we do so, we can be competitive fairly quickly.”
Washington & Jefferson begins the season September 5 at Utica and the first conference game is three weeks later at Case Western Reserve.
Waynesburg opens with a home game against Capital. The Yellowjackets’ first conference game is at Allegheny, September 19.
PAC Football Preseason Poll
1. W&J 497 (37)
2. Grove City 453 (5)
3. Westminster 395 (3)
4. Case Western Reserve 361
5. Geneva 339
6. Allegheny 250
7. Waynesburg 222
8. Saint Vincent 201
9. Hiram 152
10. Thiel 87
11. Bethany 79 (1)
Saint Francis*
* – Ineligible for PAC Championship as school transitions from Division I
First place votes in parenthesis.