ST. LOUIS - Last year's Missouri Valley Football Conference co-champions appear to be on a collision course again in 2017. A single vote separates top pick North Dakota State from second-place South Dakota State in the MVFC preseason poll. It's the tightest vote for a preseason favorite in league history.



North Dakota State has earned the league title for six straight years, four times sharing it with another league school. This year, NDSU earned 21 of a possible 40 first-place votes and 380 total points in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors to edge SDSU, which had the remaining 19 first-place tallies and 379 total points.



Youngstown State, which reached last year's FCS Championship game in Frisco, Texas, is the third choice in the poll. The Penguins, which tied NDSU last year with a league-best 12 victories, earned 290 points.



The league is coming off a season in which four teams represented the conference in the playoffs. The MVFC has had four or more playoff teams in three-straight seasons (earning five each in 2014 and 2015). Illinois State was one of the four playoff teams from the MVFC last year, and the Redbirds are tabbed fifth in this year's poll with 246 points, narrowly behind the fourth choice in the poll -- UNI (255 points).



A preseason favorite has claimed the league crown 19 times (in 31 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season, and the Bison shared last year's title with SDSU.

