CARMEL, Ind. -- The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference has released the results of the 2025 Football Preseason Poll, conducted by the league's head coaches. The Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers have been picked to finish third in the poll results. 

Mount St. Joseph University was selected as the favorite to win the HCAC Title this season with 36 points and six first-place votes. Hanover College has been picked as the runner-up, totaling 31 points and one first-place vote. Rose-Hulman rounds out the top three teams with 26 points in the preseason poll voting. 

The Fightin' Engineers finished last season in third place in the HCAC after earning an overall record of 5-5 and a conference record of 4-2. 

The team returns five HCAC All-Conference honorees from last season, including Jay Smith, Ben Klein, Marshall Koch, Wyatt Bell, and Antonio Barnes. The Fightin' Engineers are led by Head Coach Jeff Sokol, who enters his 15th season with Rose-Hulman. 

Rose-Hulman will open its season at home against DePauw on Saturday, September 6, at 7 PM. 

HCAC PRESEASON POLL RESULTS:
1) Mount St. Joseph - 36 (6)
2) Hanover - 31 (1)
3) Rose-Hulman - 26 
4) Franklin - 19
5) Anderson - 15
6) Bluffton - 14
7) Manchester - 6