ODESSA, Texas – The Angelo State football team was picked to finish No. 3 in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Football Poll announced at the LSC Media Days on Thursday.

The Rams received 211 points in the poll at No. 3. Texas A&M-Commerce was picked as the preseason favorite with 19 first place votes and 269 total votes. Midwestern State was No. 2 one spot ahead of Angelo State. West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico were ranked No. 4 and No. 5 followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville and Tarleton State at No. 6 and No. 7 . OPSU and Western New Mexico tied for eighth. UT Permian Basin is the No. 10 ranked team and will be playing football for the first time in school history.

"If you look at last season, it is respectable to how we finished," Angelo State head football coach Will Wagner said. "You have two great teams at the top in Texas A&M-Commerce and Midwestern State that made the playoffs last season and deserve that recognition. I think it is great motivation for our kids to see that because we know that is not where we want to finish."

ASU went 7-4 last season and finished third in the LSC Playoff Championship. ASU returns 10 starters (five offense/five defense) and 31 letterwinners returning. Wagner is 31-25 going into his sixth season at Angelo State.  

Angelo State will start the season with three straight road games with the first being on Thursday, Sept. 1 in Lebanon, Illinois against McKendree. The road trip continues as the Rams face Northern Michigan. Tarleton State will open up the LSC schedule and the first home game at LeGrand Stadium at 1^st Community Credit Union Field will be on Saturday, Sept. 24 against Eastern New Mexico. ASU will also host Oklahoma Panhandle State (Oct. 8), Texas A&M-Commerce (Oct. 22) and UT Permian Basin (Nov. 12).

The league's preseason poll reflects the opinions of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.