The Lakeland University football team was picked sixth of nine teams in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference's 2023 preseason poll which was released Monday.

The Muskies received 77 points in the poll of league coaches and sports information directors to round out the second third of the poll. Lakeland came in behind Concordia University Wisconsin in fourth with 102 points and Wisconsin Lutheran College in fifth with 84 points.

Defending champion Aurora University topped the poll with 159 points and also took 15 of the 18 first-place votes. St. Norbert College was second with 134 points and one first-place vote, and Benedictine University was third with 130 points and one first-place marker.

Eureka College was seventh with 53 points with Concordia University Chicago eighth with 36 points. Rockford University came in ninth with 35 points and received the other first-place vote.

Lakeland finished 3-7 overall a year ago and 3-5 in the NACC. The Muskies defeated Concordia Chicago, Eureka and Rockford and had near misses against Benedictine, Concordia Wisconsin and Wisconsin Lutheran, losing to all three by 10 points or less, including by four to Wisconsin Lutheran.

After growing pains with a young squad last year, ninth-year head coach Colin Bruton returns a more-experienced team this year, with 16 starters returning. NACC Freshman of the Year Robby Michael (So.-Sheboygan, Wis.) heads eight starters back on offense, while first team all-conference pick Jayson Wilder (Sr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) paces eight returning starters on defense.

Once again this season, a minimum of two NACC football programs will experience postseason play. The league's champion will receive the NACC's automatic berth in the 2023 NCAA Divison III Football Championship. A second NACC program will face off against a representative from the Midwest Conference in the second annual Cousins Subs Lakefront Bowl, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 18 at Wisconsin Lutheran's Raabe Stadium.

Lakeland opens its season a week from this Thursday when it hosts the University of Wisconsin-Platteville for a 6 p.m. kickoff Aug. 31.

2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Preseason Poll
1. Aurora (15 first-place votes), 159 points
2. St. Norbert (1), 134
3. Benedictine (1), 130
4. Concordia Wisconsin, 102
5. Wisconsin Lutheran, 84
6. Lakeland, 77
7. Eureka, 53
8. Concordia Chicago, 36
9. Rockford, 35 (1)