At the annual football media day conducted by the Lone Star Conference Incarnate Word, the league's newest member, was picked seventh in the pre-season poll conducted among LSC officials and coaches.

That was seventh among seven teams in the Lone Star South Division.  This is in a division which a year ago sent four teams to the NCAA Division II post-season while a fifth team won a post-season bowl game.  And, the remaining south team had a winning record.  So the voting revealed no surprises for the Cardinals.

“This is a dramatic challenge for a second-year team,” UIW Coach Mike Santiago said to the gathering at the media event held on the Incarnate Word campus.  “Last year we played three Lone Star Conference teams and they were very gracious to us.”  The Cardinals were 1-2 in those three games.

Incarnate Word became a member of the Lone Star on July 1, 2010.  The Cardinals played their first season of football in 2009 as an independent Division II team and finished with a highly respectable mark of 5-5.  Now UIW steps into arguably one of the nation's toughest football leagues with a tentative roster of nine seniors, 12 juniors, 34 sophomores, 11 red-shirt freshmen and 19 pure freshmen. 

“This is a good football team,” Santiago said about his Cardinals.  “They represent San Antonio and South Texas, and they are growing up.”  From the depth chart at the final game of 2009 UIW had but one senior listed.

West Texas A&M emerged as the pre-season favorite according to the poll, narrowly so over Abilene Christian.

Incarnate Word opens the 2010 season with its lone non-conference game.  Langston State comes to Benson Stadium on the UIW campus for an August 28 contest.

South Division                               1^st       TOTAL                                    2009

1      West Texas A&M                   9          105            7-5; Won Kanza Bowl

2      Abilene Christian                  3          103         9-4; D-II Second Round

3      Midwestern State                  3          91                 9-3; D-II First Round

4      Tarleton State                        2          87         10-3; D-II Second Round

5      Texas A&M-Kingsville          2          84                 9-3; D-II First Round

6      Angelo State                                      42                                               6-5

7      Incarnate Word                                  20                  5-5 as Independent

North Division                               1^st       TOTAL                                    2009

1      Texas A&M-Commerce       12       123                                             5-5

2      Southeastern Oklahoma     3          110                                             7-5

3      Central Oklahoma                2          95                                               4-7

4      Eastern New Mexico            2          76                                               3-8

5      Northeastern State                            63                                               2-9

6      Southwestern Oklahoma                 40                                             1-10

7      East Central                                       25                                             0-11