The pundits have spoken about the upcoming Lone Star Conference football campaign and the predictions are not all that different from the final standings after the 2011 season.

In the annual pre-season polling Incarnate Word's Cardinals were slotted in at number seven in the nine-team competition.  That is where UIW finished last fall--seventh.  And that was progress for the Cardinals as a year ago, the summer of 2011, UIW was predicted to finish last.

In the balloting among league coaches, administrators and media persons it was round up the usual suspects.

Midwestern State is expected to defend its title following in order by Abilene Christian and West Texas A&M, exactly where those two finished last year.

The only deviation in this year's voting came when the prognosticators said Texas A&M-Kingsville and Tarleton State would switch places at four and five.

The poll was announced at the LSC's annual media day this time held in San Antonio.

When the head coaches were afforded the opportunity to discuss their teams UIW's Larry Kennan acknowledged his seventh place positioning, reflecting on his being new to the Cardinals.  Back in December of 2011 Kennan was named coach ahead of Incarnate Word's fourth year, ever, to play football.

“We were picked seventh,” Kennan reminded the packed room, “and I have no idea about that.  But I can say this is a league of really talented players and the coaching in this league is second to none.  We are going to respect everybody.”

Kennan went on to mention some of the keys to his upcoming team.  “We have a solid offensive line and tight ends,” he said, “but we don't know who our quarterback will be or who will be our wide receivers.”

Perhaps the strongest point made by Kennan again referred to his approaching his first year at the Cardinals lead man.

“It would have been easy to come in here and made massive changes,” he said.  “But I told the seniors we would not do that.  We owe it to them to be the best we can be…” because, he emphasized, these are the guys who came to UIW when the school didn't even have a field, or equipment or anything back in 2008.

The Cardinals open their 11-game season on September 1 when they host Texas College at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.  Then come consecutive weekends of career-like highlights for UIW.

September 8 will find Incarnate Word at Sam Houston State, the team which reached the final game of last year's Division I Football Championship Subseries.  Then on September 14 UIW will be in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington to play LSC foe Eastern New Mexico on day two of the annual Lone Star Conference Football Festival.