LIBERTY, Mo. (Jan. 25) – After advancing to their third-straight NCAA Semifinals, the Vulcans finished season ranked No. 7 in the final D2Football.com Top 25 Poll which was released Monday evening. The California University of Pennsylvania football team, which moved up 13 spots in the final poll, opened the year ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll from D2Football.com.
Under head coach
John Luckhardt, the Vulcans posted only the third 10-plus win season in school history (all consecutive). Cal U finished with an 11-4 overall record and claimed its fifth-straight (third outright) Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West title. Over the last three seasons, the Vulcans have posted a 36-7 overall record and an incredible 20-0 mark in league play.
Cal U played six games against teams that finished the year ranked in the D2Football.com national poll with wins over Edinboro, Shippensburg and West Liberty. The Vulcans are the top ranked team from Super Region One after entering the post-season as the third seed in the four-conference region.
The Vulcans, who made the largest move up in the national poll, are also one of three PSAC teams to finish the season in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll.
D2FOOTBALL.COM FINAL TOP 25 POLL
| Rank |
Team |
Record |
| 1. |
Northwest Missouri St. |
14-1 |
| 2. |
Grand Valley St. (Mich.) |
13-2 |
| 3. |
Central Washington |
12-1 |
| 4. |
Carson-Newman (Tenn.) |
11-3 |
| 5. |
North Alabama |
11-2 |
| 6. |
Minnesota Duluth |
11-2 |
| 7. |
California (Pa.) |
11-4 |
| 8. |
Abilene Christian (Texas) |
9-4 |
| 9. |
West Liberty |
11-2 |
| 10. |
Hillsdale (Mich.) |
10-3 |
| 11. |
Tarleton St. (Texas) |
10-3 |
| 12. |
Nebraska-Kearney |
11-2 |
| 13. |
Minnesota St.-Mankato |
10-2 |
| 14. |
Arkansas Tech |
9-3 |
| 15. |
Shippensburg |
9-3 |
| 16. |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
9-3 |
| 17. |
Midwestern State (Texas) |
9-3 |
| 18. |
Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) |
9-3 |
| 19. |
West Alabama |
8-5 |
| 20. |
Edinboro |
9-4 |
| 21. |
Tuskegee (Ala.) |
10-2 |
| 22. |
Missouri Western |
9-3 |
| 23. |
Washburn (Kan.) |
8-3 |
| 24. |
UNC-Pembroke |
9-2 |
| 25. |
Central Missouri |
8-3 |
01/26/10