The Lakeland University football team was picked to finish third in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference's 2019 preseason poll which was released Wednesday.

The Muskies were right in the midst of what is expected to be a very close race at the top, receiving 99 points and four of 16 available first-place votes in the poll of league coaches and sports information directors.

Defending champion Eureka College as well as Aurora University tied for the top spot in the poll with 105 points each. Eureka received six first-place votes while Aurora finished with five first-place markers.

Four teams in all received first-place votes, with fourth-place Concordia University Wisconsin (88 points) receiving the other. The top four teams were separated by just 17 points.

Benedictine University came in fifth with 74 points. Wisconsin Lutheran College was sixth with 38 points, one more than Concordia University Chicago in seventh with 37 points, while Rockford University was eighth with 30 points.

Lakeland finished 4-6 overall last year and 4-3 in the NACC, finishing fourth behind Eureka and the second-place tie between Aurora and Concordia Wisconsin. Their string of four straight conference titles was snapped, but the Muskies were still the only team to knock off Eureka in conference play with a wild 56-55 win at home last Nov. 3.

The NACC will have eight teams competing for the football title again this year. The NACC champion will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship.

Lakeland opens its 2019 season Sept. 7 when it hosts Carroll University at 1 p.m. at Taylor Memorial Field.

2019 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Preseason Poll
1. Eureka (6 first-place votes), 105 points
(tie) Aurora (5), 105
3. Lakeland (4), 99
4. Concordia Wisconsin (1), 88
5. Benedictine, 74
6. Wisconsin Lutheran, 38
7. Concordia Chicago, 37
8. Rockford, 30