Minnesota-Duluth #1, Augie #2 in Preseason NSIC FB Poll

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released their 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll on Tuesday, and defending Champion Augustana came in at #2.

The Vikings, who last season compiled a conference mark of 9-1 en route to an NSIC title, were picked second behind Minnesota-Duluth.

The Bulldogs 8 of a possible 13 first place votes, and accumulated a total of 134 points in the poll ahead of Augie's 124.

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Here's the entirety of the poll released on Tuesday:

Full NSIC Coaches' Poll
1. Minnesota Duluth (8), 134
2. Augustana (3), 124
3. Minnesota State (1), 120
4. Wayne State, 116
5. Bemidji State (1), 112
6. MSU Moorhead, 88
7. Winona State, 75
8. Sioux Falls, 62
9. Northern State, 57
10. Concordia-St. Paul, 40
11. Southwest Minnesota State, 34
12. Minot State, 31
13. UMary, 21
Augustana will open the season on Thursday, September 5th at UMary, and will take on SDSU in Brookings the following Saturday. The home opener for the Vikings will be Saturday, September 21st against Northern State. To buy single game or season tickets, or to just get more info on the Vikings this season, visit GoAugie.com.

The University of Sioux Falls Cougars come in at #8 in the preseason poll with 62 total points. Head Coach Jim Glogowski enters year number two guiding the program, as they welcome back a wealth of talent and experience.

The Coo open up the season at St. Thomas on Thursday, August 29th before they head to Aberdeen to take on Northern State on Saturday, September 7th. The home opener for the Coo is set for Saturday, September 14th against UMary. For more on the Cougars, visit the official site here.

Sources: GoAugie and USFCougars

Know Your South Dakota College and University Mascots

The college football experience is an ultimate high for football fans and it takes several other teams to make that happen week after week during the season.

Just think about what goes into gameday? First and foremost, the players and coaching staff who put in hours and hours of practice and training to play in front of their fans. Then there's field prep, game officials, live broadcasts, concessions, and on-the-field entertainment. Yep, entertainment.

Second to the game, who do you watch? The cheerleaders? The band at halftime? What about the mascot? That's a job not many people can do.

I asked Sioux Falls native and former Cagey mascot for the Sioux Falls Canaries and Little Red & Herbie for the Nebraska Huskers Nate Welch about being a mascot:

What does it take to be a mascot?
"Losing a bet or filling an opportunity!" Welch says, "An internal energized desire to love life. After meeting great performers who are introverts out of costume, they become the center of attention when they take the stage. And also feeding off the performance of others."
Why does the mascot never talk?
"Know your role and shut your mouth. You are there to entertain. Tell the story with your actions and not your voice."
Advice to someone putting on that costume for the first time?
"Remember you are now in a costume. Have fun. Otherwise, you're just a dork in tights. If the fur ain't flying you ain't trying."

Nate Welch has moved on from his days as a mascot to Executive Director of the Vermillion Area Chamber of Commerce and Development Company in Vermillion, South Dakota.

So, can you name the mascots at our South Dakota Colleges and Universities? Check out the gallery below:

Gallery Credit: Dave Roberts