SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The University of Northern Iowa football team has landed at the No. 7 spot on the Preseason 2012 FCS Coaches Poll it was announced today. The No. 7 ranking is the highest the Panthers have achieved this preseason.

Along with UNI, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is represented by four other teams on the top-25 list. Defending National Champions North Dakota State came into the poll ranked No. 1 while Youngstown State finished at No. 18, Illinois State rounded out the top-20 at No. 20 and Indiana State finished up the top-25 at No. 25.  

Ten conferences are represented in the poll. The Colonial Athletic Association has the most ranked teams with six, followed by the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The Panthers compiled a 10-3 overall record and 7-1 league slate to earn a share of the MVFC title during the 2011 season. UNI has been ranked in the top-25 in 94 consecutive polls.

UNI won back-to-back MVFC titles in 2011 following a 7-1 run through league play. UNI sealed a part of the MVFC title with a 23-20 double-overtime win at Illinois State to close out the regular season. The Panthers also achieved Farley's sixth 10-plus win season since taking over in 2001.

The FCS Coaches Poll is based exclusively on a voting panel of head coaches in the FCS under the cooperation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association and the American Football Coaches Association and is administered by the Southern Conference.

The Panthers open their regular season on Sept. 1 when they take on Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc. The game is set to kick-off at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Preseason 2012 FCS Coaches Poll

Team (No. 1 Votes)
1. North Dakota State (19)
2. Sam Houston State (6)
3. Georgia Southern (1)
4. Montana State
5. Appalachian State
6. Old Dominion
7. Northern Iowa
8. James Madison
9. Towson
10. Montana
11. Lehigh
12. New Hampshire
13. Wofford
14. Delaware
15. Eastern Washington
16. Maine
17. Stony Brook
18. Youngstown State
19. Central Arkansas
20. Illinois State
21. Eastern Kentucky
22. Harvard
23. Norfolk State
24. Stephen F. Austin
25. Indiana State