BALTIMORE, Md. -- The University of Delaware football team, fresh off a 2007 season that saw the Blue Hens advance all the way to the NCAA national championship game, has been picked to finish No. 3 in the Colonial Athletic Association South Division standings.

The announcement was made as part of the annual CAA Football Media Day held Wednesday at the ESPN Zone at the Inner Harbor. In addition to the pre-season rankings, five Delaware players were selected to the pre-season All-CAA team - senior wide receiver Aaron Love, senior offensive lineman Kheon Hendricks, senior linebacker Erik Johnson (at right), junior defensive end Matt Marcorelle, and junior placekicker Jon Striefsky.

The Blue Hens, who return 14 starters from that team that went 11-4 and was named the ECAC Team of the Year and Lambert Cup Trophy winners, received one first place vote and finished No. 3 according to a vote of the 12 league head coaches and selected media members.

The CAA, the highest rated conference in the nation at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level, placed an NCAA record five teams in the NCAA Tournament last season. In addition to Delaware, Richmond, James Madison, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire also competed in the post-season.

Defending CAA co-champion Richmond, which advanced to the NCAA semifinals a year ago, was picked to capture the South Division title once again and earned 17 first place votes. James Madison, which fell to eventual national champion Appalachian State in its NCAA Tournament first round game, was picked second with seven first place votes. Delaware was third followed by Villanova, William & Mary, and Towson.

“This early in the season, its all just speculation,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, who has led the Blue Hens to the NCAA Tournament three times in his six seasons at the helm, including winning the 2003 national title. “I never put too much stock into pre-season predictions but I’m excited about our team this season. I do know that we are the only school in the South Division that does not return its starting quarterback, so teams like William & Mary, Towson, and Villanova could easily have been ranked ahead of us. Richmond and James Madison our outstanding teams with so much talent. We are looking forward to another great season in the CAA.”

In the North Division, defending league co-champion Massachusetts was the pre-season division and league favorite as the Minutemen earned 17 first place votes. New Hampshire was second with one first place vote and Hofstra was third with one first place vote. Maine was fourth followed by Northeastern and Rhode Island.

Delaware’s five pre-season first team All-CAA players was second only to Richmond, which placed six players on the team. Delaware and Massachusetts each had five first-team picks while Maine had four, and Towson and James Madison each had two picks.

Striefsky (North Penn/Lansdale, Pa.) earned first team All-CAA and first team All-American laurels a year ago when he converted 21 of 24 field goals and 64 of 67 extra points. He established school records for field goals, extra points, and kicking points in a season and tied for the NCAA lead in kick scoring with 127 points.

Love (Southfield/Detroit, Mich.) earned first team All-CAA and honorable mention All-American honors in 2007 when he led the team with 73 receptions for 1,009 yards and three touchdowns. He needs 38 receptions to become Delaware’s all-time career pass reception leader this season.

Marcorelle (John Carroll/Ft. Pierce, Fla.) was a third team All-CAA and honorable mention All-American selection in 2007 when he posted 64 tackles and led the team with eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and a school record five forced fumbles.

Hendricks (Brooklawn/Baltimore, Md.) was a first team All-CAA and honorable mention All-American in 2007 at center, his first year as starter at that position. He started all 15 games and anchored an offensive line that helped Delaware lead the CAA in scoring offense, total offenses, and passing offense.

Johnson (Fairport/Fairport, N.Y.) returns as the team’s top tackler after posting 122 stops a year ago, including 69 solo tackles. He also had two sacks, 11 tackles for loss, three interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He was outstanding in the post-season, collecting interceptions in wins over Delaware State and Southern Illinois and returning a fumble for a touchdown against Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.

The Blue Hens will open pre-season camp August 4 with the season opener set for Aug. 30 at the University of Maryland in College Park.