On the same day the rest of the Southland Conference came together to promote the upcoming season, the Cowboys began their camp.

With a full roster of 110 for the first time in head coach Gary Goff’s three years and 57 newcomers, McNeese State officially got back to work.

Monday and Tuesday will be filled with meetings and conditioning, as the Cowboys won’t take to the field until Wednesday wearing shorts and helmets. Friday they will be in shells with the workouts set for mornings. 

“We are excited to get back to work,” said Goff. “We have had a great summer and I want to see where we are at.”

Monday, however, was media day in San Antonio for the SLC but not McNeese State. The Cowboys had to video their portion a day earlier. 

They are the only Southland team opening the season Week Zero, which means they begin camp a week earlier than the rest. McNeese will play at Tarleton State on Aug. 24.

“It’s good for the program to get that start and be on national T.V.,” said Goff. “We agreed to move it to get a lot of attention and publicity for our program.” 

The Cowboys will play Tarleton at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN 2. 

Monday, however, McNeese was voted sixth in the preseason Southland poll voted on by coaches and Sports Information Directors. The Cowboys received just 64 points despite picking up 20 FBS transfers, most nationally on the FCS level.

“I think we are going to surprise some people,” said Goff. “We are in a good spot. It is a new roster. There is a sense of urgency.

“It is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle putting all these new pieces together.”

McNeese is coming off a 1-10 season with the only win by forfeit. Now the Cowboys talk of a quick turnaround with a chip on their shoulders.

“We want to right the ship,” said All-American junior linebacker Micah Davey. “Main thing I’m excited about is redemption, proving everybody wrong, and restoring McNeese to its former glory.”

With nine returning starters on defense, defending champ Nicholls was voted as the preseason favorite. The Colonels finished with 119 points, earning nine of the 18 first-place votes.

“We have to go out and earn it,” said Nicholls head coach Tim Rebowe. “It’s a reward for last year. It does raise the level of attention we get.”

Incarnate Word was picked second with 113 points and eight first-place votes. Southeastern was third with 94 points.

Lamar came in fourth and earned the final first-place vote. The Cardinals finished with 88 points.

Stephen F. Austin marked its return to the Southland after a three-year absence by placing fifth with 72 points, just ahead of McNeese.

The final three spots fell to Houston Christian (41), Texas A&M-Commerce (37) and Northwestern State (25).

A lot of the talk yesterday was on how the league needs to step up on the national level. Last year the Southland received just one playoff bid with Nicholls losing its first-round game at Southern Illinois. 

If the conference wants to get where it wants to go, it must win some of its nonconference games against other FCS programs. 

McNeese will play four out-of-conference games against FCS schools. The Cowboys will host Southern and Alcorn State while traveling to Tarleton and Weber State. They will also play Texas A&M in their only game against an FBS program.

“We want to be heard throughout the country,” said Rebowe. “We have to prove it on the field.”

McNeese placed three players on the preseason All-Conference teams, two on defense. After leading the nation in tackles, Davey was named to the first team after his record-setting season last fall. Senior offensive lineman Cole LeClair joined him on the first group. 

Defensive back Levi Wyatt was selected for the second team.