LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (Aug. 6) – After making back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Playoffs, the California (PA) football team was picked third in preseason Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West poll released by the league office on Thursday afternoon.

The Vulcans were slotted third in the preseason poll for the fifth time in six years after finishing last fall with a 9-4 overall record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. Cal posted a pair of four-game winning streaks last year while facing five nationally-ranked opponents and finished the year ranked No. 22 in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 poll.

IUP was the preseason favorite for the first time since 2023 with five first-place votes. The Crimson Hawks finished last year with a 7-4 overall record after falling in the PSAC Championship and the first round of the NCAA Playoffs. Slippery Rock (6-4) was picked second in the preseason poll and earned the remaining three first-place votes despite missing the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2017. Edinboro ranked fourth, while Clarion, Seton Hill, Lock Haven and Gannon completed the poll.

In the PSAC East, Kutztown was the overwhelming favorite after advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Playoffs and winning its third-consecutive PSAC Championship. The Golden Bears received six first-place votes after posting a school-record 14 wins last season and repeating as NCAA Super Region One Champions. East Stroudsburg was positioned second, while Shepherd (7-4) earned the remaining first-place vote. West Chester, Bloomsburg, Shippensburg and Millersville rounded out the poll this year.

The PSAC West will return to an eight-team division beginning this fall with Lock Haven returning to the West for the first time since 2012. The PSAC East will play one fewer conference game this fall as Lackawanna transitions to NCAA Division II. The PSAC Championship will be played on Nov. 14 at the site of the top team in the PSAC West standings.

Led by 11th-year head coach Gary Dunn, Cal opens the season by hosting Charleston (WV) of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) for the second-straight season on Sept. 3.