Dayton Flyers picked to finish fourth in Pioneer Football League

The Dayton Flyers football team returns to action Sept. 4 against Robert Morris at Welcome Stadium. With the 2020 season lost to the pandemic, it will be the program’s first game in more than 21 months.

An early sign that the season is near came Tuesday when the Pioneer Football League released its preseason poll. The 11 league coaches picked Dayton to finish fourth behind Davidson, the defending champion, San Diego and Drake.

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Davidson received eight first-place votes. San Diego received three.

The PFL’s 2020 fall season was postponed until this spring. Dayton opted not to play the six-game season because of the conditions during the pandemic. Davidson won the championship with a 4-1 mark.

In the last full season of PFL play, UD tied for second with a 6-2 league record, winning its last four games. It finished 8-3 overall in 2019.

Complete PFL poll

1. Davidson (8 first-place votes), 97 points

2. San Diego (3), 93

3. Drake, 67

4. Dayton, 62

5. Presbyterian, 59

6. Valparaiso, 55

7. Morehead State, 51

8. St. Thomas, 36

9. Marist and Stetson, 35 each

11. Butler, 15