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Bowie State football earns highest ranking in school history

Bowie State enters the D-2 football season ranked 8th in the nation

WASHINGTON — The Bowie State University football team enters the 2022 season ranked No. 8 in the American Football College Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Bulldogs' No. 8 ranking is the highest preseason ranking in program history.

Bowie State finished last year with a 12-2 overall record and claimed their third consecutive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Football Championship last season. The Bulldogs become just the fifth school in history to three-peat and just the second school remaining to do so within the CIAA.  They also won a Northern Division title. Bowie State would go on to make playoff history that season, advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in school history.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Bowie State football team has been picked as the preseason favorite to win the CIAA by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. BSU enters the 2022 season carrying the longest active winning streak in the conference at 18 straight. The Bulldogs return eight starters from last season's team, four on offense and four on defense, while adding some pivotal transfers and freshman to the mix. 

Bowie State will officially open the 2022 season at home on Saturday, Sept. 3 with a 1 p.m. kickoff against No. 16 New Haven for the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Bowie State football team.

RELATED: Bowie State football team makes history in playoffs

The Bulldogs will be lead by interim head coach Kyle Jackson. Former Bowie State head coach, Damon Wilson, accepted the head coaching job at Division I and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. Coach Wilson concluded his tenure with an 89-45 overall, 62-21 in the CIAA, three CIAA conference championships, seven Northern Division titles, five NCAA tournament appearances, Super Region II Coach of the Year, AFCA National DII Coach of the Year and co-head coach of the inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl as the head coach at Bowie State in 13 seasons.

RELATED: Prince George's County youth football team heads to Nationals with special send-off

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