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The Central College football team will begin the 2010 season ranked No. 7 in the D3football.com preseason poll. The Dutch had previously been ranked No. 10 in the USA Today preseason rankings for Division III and were No. 9 in Lindy’s preseason magazine, while Sporting News had Central all the way down at No. 18.

Defending champion Wisconsin-Whitewater is the poll’s preseason No. 1, with Mount Union – which has met Whitewater in the last five national title games – ranked No. 2. Fellow Iowa Conference rival Coe College is ranked No. 12 by D3football.com.

Central finished last season with a 10-1 overall record, capturing a record 30th Iowa Conference championship during the program’s 17th undefeated regular season. The team returns 15 starters – including 11 All-Conference selections – from last year’s squad, and will again be led by three-time league coach of the year Jeff McMartin.

McMartin is 53-13 as a head coach at Central. The Central football team opens the 2010 season with a first-ever meeting with Wisconsin-Oshkosh on September 4th in Pella.