Favorites again: Mount Union football team picked to win 34th OAC championship

To no one's surprise, the Mount Union football team is the team to beat again in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

The Purple Raiders are ranked No. 1 in the OAC's 2023 preseason football coaches poll. They received nine of 10 first-place votes. Baldwin-Wallace, which was picked to finish third, received the other first-place vote. Coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.

Quarterback Braxton Plunk, receiver Wayne Ruby Jr. and linebacker Rossy Moore were listed on the OAC Players to Watch List for Mount Union.

The Purple Raiders won their 33rd OAC title and appeared in their 22nd NCAA Division III national championship game last year. They will open the 2023 season on Sept. 2 at Defiance.

2023 OAC football preseason coaches poll

First-place votes in parentheses followed by total points

1, Mount Union (9) 81

2, John Carroll 70

3, Baldwin Wallace (1) 66

4, Heidelberg 59

5, Marietta 47

6, Ohio Northern 37

7, Muskingum 33

8, Wilmington 24

9, Otterbein 20

10, Capital 13

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Mount Union ranked No. 1 in OAC football coaches preseason poll