OKLAHOMA CITY -- The coaches of the Sooner Athletic Conference have picked the Mid-America Christian University Men's Soccer Evangels to finish eighth in the SAC preseason coaches' poll, the league released today (Aug. 11). 

Defending conference regular season champion USAO is the prohibitive favorite to repeat this upcoming season, notching eight of 10 first-place votes. 

Wayland Baptist University received one first-place vote and came in second, followed by Texas Wesleyan University and Southwestern Christian University.  John Brown University got the other first-place tally and tied with Oklahoma City University to round out the top five.

St. Gregory's University was seventh, followed by MACU, Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwestern Assemblies of God University to conclude the 10-team poll. 

The Evangels are set to open the 2014 season at home on Sept. 2 against Jarvis Christian College, while their SAC opener will take place on Sept. 26 at SAGU in Waxahachie, Texas.