Charleston, S.C. The Citadel Football program will start the season ranked among the top 25 for the first time in approximately 15 years as The Sports Network became the fourth preseason poll to include the Bulldogs among the rankings. TSN placed The Citadel at No. 23rd  in the FCS, released Tuesday morning.

Along with The Citadel, four other Southern Conference teams earned a spot in the poll. The Appalachian State Mountaineers received 97 of 101 first-place votes, giving them a near unanimous No. 1 selection for the second year in a row and their third consecutive No. 1 ranking. Wofford came in at No. 13, followed by Elon at No. 15, and Georgia Southern finished at No. 17 rounding out the Southern Conference.

The Southern Conference, the Colonial Athletic Association and the Missouri Valley Football Conference were the major conferences that dominated the poll.  Other conferences that were represented in the poll were the Big Sky, the Southland, the Great West, the Ohio Valley and the Ivy League. 

The Bulldogs finished the 2007 season tied for third place in the Southern Conference. With a 4-3 record in conference play and a 7-4 record overall, the Bulldogs marked their first winning season since 1992. With 15 lettermen returning and junior All-American wide receiver Andre Roberts, The Citadel is looking forward to a successful season, as they prepare for their season-opener against Webber International on August 30.

The Sports Network will release the regular season top 25 poll every Monday afternoon during the football season, except the final weekend when it will be released on Sunday morning to allow it to be used by the NCAA Division I Football Committee to select the 16-team playoff field.

The Sports Network will release a final top 25 poll following the national championship game, which will be held in Chattanooga, Tenn. on December 19.