CIAA football: Union, State picked to finish in bottom half

ETTRICK, Virginia -- One century down. That's the motto as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association kicked off the 2012 football campaign with its press luncheon Thursday at Virginia State University. This season will mark the 100th year of CIAA football.

Three CIAA programs made it to the postseason in 2011, with Johnson C. Smith winning the 13th annual Pioneer Bowl over Miles College. Elizabeth City State and CIAA champion Winston-Salem State advanced to the Division II playoffs. The Rams fell to Wayne State in the Division II semifinals and the Vikings lost in the first round.

Virginia State, coming off a 5-5, 4-3 CIAA record and a second-place finish in the North, is slated to finish seventh.

"It's preseason rankings," Trojans coach Andrew Faison said. "The coaches do it, the SIDs (sports information directors) do it, so it's exactly what it is. It's not how you start, but how you finish."

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