SPOKANE (Aug. 20) -- Despite returning just seven starters from last fall, the Central Washington University football team is once again favored to win the Great Northwest Atlantic Conference championship this fall, sweeping all five first-place votes in the 2010 pre-season coaches poll released Friday by the conference office.

Central, which has won five of the first seven GNAC titles including crowns in the last four seasons that the GNAC has sponsored football (2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009), was a unanimous pick to win the league again this fall. Following the Wildcats in this year's GNAC pre-season poll are Western Oregon, Dixie State (Utah), Humboldt State (Calif.), and conference newcomer Simon Fraser (B.C.).

In addition to their projection as the GNAC favorites, the Wildcats enter the 2010 campaign ranked fifth nationally in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll and were listed seventh by Sporting News in its 2010 pre-season ranking.

The Wildcats, whose seven returning starters and 29 returning lettermen are the fewest in the conference, have qualified for the NCAA Division II postseason each of the past three seasons, including trips to the national quarterfinals in 2007 and 2009.

Among the returning starters on defense the Wildcats are pre-season All-American defensive linemen Eugene Germany (Pomona, Calif.) and Tyrell Nielsen (Woodland). Germany was named first-team all-GNAC last season and recorded 37 total tackles including 10 1/2 tackles for loss and three sacks. Nielsen is a redshirt junior who missed all of the 2009 season due to injury. In his sophomore year in 2008, he was named second-team all-GNAC and led the team with 13 tackles for loss and 7 1/2 sacks.

Quarterback Ryan Robertson (Sammamish/Eastlake HS) was named GNAC Freshman of the Year in 2009 and entered this fall as the incumbent to the starting signal-caller position. However, he is being heavily challenged by senior Alex Cate (Salt Lake City, Utah/Cottonwood HS), who has transferred to CWU from Division I Oklahoma State.

Central returns three of its top pass-catchers from last year -- senior wide receiver Jamal Weems (Seattle/Cleveland HS), senior running back Bryson Kelly (Mukilteo/Kamiak HS), and junior Justin Helwege (Sammamish/Eastlake HS) -- all of whom had better than 10 receptions and 100 yards receiving last season. Kelly was also the team's second-leading rusher and was a second-team all-GNAC performer in 2009, and is expected to start in the Wildcat backfield. That trio, along with a talented host of newcomers, will have to help the CWU offense absorb the loss of Johnny Spevak, who finished his career in 2009 as the second-leading receiver in NCAA Division II history.

Up front, the Wildcats will sport almost an entirely new look among their starters in 2010, with sophomore center Joey Tivnan (Centralia) serving as the lone returning starter. Senior James Meeks (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd HS), who started 12 games at left tackle last season, was slated to return but suffered a season-ending injury in the first week of pre-season camp. Two reserves from last season are expected to occupy two of the starting offensive line spots, while redshirt freshman Michael Nelson (Carnation/Mount Si HS) will be called upon to replace four-year starter Tony Quirk at right tackle.

As it was in 2009, the Wildcats' strength in 2010 could be its defense, although there will be plenty of new faces on the defensive eleven. Central led the NCAA Division II in scoring defense last season (11.9 points per game allowed) and ranked third in rushing defense, but returns just three starters from that team -- defensive linemen Germany and Andrew Oney (Spanaway/Spanaway Lake HS) and senior linebacker Adam Bighill (Montesano). A fourth returning starter is Nielsen, who started 23 games over his first two seasons in the Crimson and Black.

Although loaded with new faces in 2010, the linebacking corps looks to be strong again for the Wildcats this fall. Bighill is the lone returning starter, with two Division I transfers -- Jared Silva-Purcell (Honolulu, Hawaii/St. Louis HS) from Nevada and Paul Wright (Martinez, Calif./De La Salle HS) from Illinois State -- are expected to join Bighill.

Central will also have nearly an entirely new secondary, as senior safety Loa Madon (Vista, Calif.) is the only returning letterman listed on the two-deep entering the season. Redshirt freshman Stan Langlow (University Place/Curtis HS) is the early favorite to start alongside Madon in the defensive backfield. On the corners, transfers Eric Hunter (Pasco), Tre Watson (Seattle/John F. Kennedy HS), and Brandon Jones (Seattle/O'Dea HS) are all in competition for the two starting positions.

In the kicking game, where the Wildcats had the dependable Garrett Rolsma for the past four seasons as both a kicker and punter, two newcomers and a returnee are competing to replace the multi-faceted All-American.

With eight games in the state of Washington, including six at home in Tomlinson Stadium, Central has a favorable schedule in pursuit of its fourth consecutive Division II playoff appearance. The fifth-ranked Wildcats open with a battle of two top-five teams next Saturday (Aug. 28) against fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth, with non-conference games also scheduled against Division I-Football Championship Subdivision rival Eastern Washington (Sept. 11 at Seattle) and NAIA member Southern Oregon (Oct. 9 at Ellensburg). CWU plays eight Great Northwest Athletic Conference games -- two each against its four conference opponents.

2010 GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL COACHES PRE-SEASON POLL
1. Central Washington (5) 25
2. Western Oregon 19
3. Dixie State 14
4. Humboldt State 12
5. Simon Fraser 5