Who finishes 1st?

[DUBulldog]

Please read carefully.....this poll is to see who you're picking for first....not who you're picking for 2nd.

10th—Illinois State
9th—Indiana State
8th— Valparaiso
7th— Evansville
6th-- Bradley
5th-- Southern Illinois
4th-- Missouri State
3rd-- Northern Iowa

[unipanther99]

I would like to change my vote on 10th place and make a strong case for the Panthers.

I think the Bulldogs win the Valley this year.

[goramblers2011]

Gonna be a hell of a race between Drake and Loyola, I think. Both teams have experienced and talented rosters. I think Loyola is deeper, which could be key down the stretch. Drake has the experienced head coach. Will be interesting to see if some of the fire between the two teams spills into this season--don't forget that one of the games in Des Moines last year nearly turned into a brawl. I flip back and forth on who I think takes the Valley this year. Going to be really close.

[Loyola_Fan]

To put a finer point on it, for the head to head matchup, can Jacob Hutson match Darnell Brodie down low? If so I think the advantage swings Loyola. If not, the bulldogs.

[Drakey]

The results of this poll really surprise me, particularly given Loyola's strong start. Bulldogs first D1 game is today. Hopefully will come out with a win against South Dakota.

[pafan]

I voted for The Drake because I think LUC has a decent chance of having a post-Porter hangover.

[BCPanther]

I went Drake because though I think Valentine is a great coach, he's still a 30 year old first time head coach. There are going to be some growing pains there and they tend to pop up in big situations.

A year or two from now that's a totally different story.

[Adunk33]

Looking at the league from top to bottom....this could be a year where Drake and Loyola do what ILST and Wichita did in 2017. 17-1 in conference with losses only to each other and met up again on Sunday at the Arch. Mo State has a ton of talent and could take one, and despite woes to start the season, I never count out Coach Jake and UNI. Maybe SIU takes one from Loyola. That Mullins-Loyola relationship is still something to keep an eye on. Otherwise...IDK....Drake and Loyola seem to be in a class of their own in the league right now.

[Kyle_Saluki_17]

Looking at the league from top to bottom....this could be a year where Drake and Loyola do what ILST and Wichita did in 2017. 17-1 in conference with losses only to each other and met up again on Sunday at the Arch. Mo State has a ton of talent and could take one, and despite woes to start the season, I never count out Coach Jake and UNI. Maybe SIU takes one from Loyola. That Mullins-Loyola relationship is still something to keep an eye on. Otherwise...IDK....Drake and Loyola seem to be in a class of their own in the league right now.

It would be nice to get lucky. Both teams have years like that and a 3rd team comes in with an upset and wins at the Arch. Obviously unlikely, we but we can dream right?