The four-time national champion Blinn Buccaneers will open the season ranked No. 5 in the nation after the NJCAA announced its preseason football rankings Wednesday.
The Bucs’ first game of the season will give them the opportunity to climb even higher, as Blinn will take on second-ranked Butler (Kan.) Community College at 7 p.m. Sept. 1 in El Dorado, Kan. Butler has finished second in the NJCAA’s national poll each of the last two seasons.
Fresh off a 9-2 record in their first season under head coach Ronny Feldman, the Buccaneers are looking to build upon two decades of unparalleled success. Since 1994, the Buccaneers have posted a 145-47 record, winning four national championships, 14 conference championships and making 12 bowl appearances, including last year’s showing in the Mississippi Bowl hosted by Biloxi, Miss.
Last week, the Southwest Junior College Football Conference coaches’ poll picked Blinn and Trinity Valley as the favorites to take home the league title.
“We’ve got a heck of a tradition here and the players know they’re a part of something special,” Feldman said. “There’s a lot of history here. We’ve got to finish what we’ve started and play well to the last snap.”
The Buccaneers return four all-conference selections from last season. Sophomore place kicker Kurt Walker (Hebron) was a first-team all-conference selection after he finished second in the nation with 67 kicks made in 68 attempts in 2011. He was 8-of-9 in field goals, including an NJCAA-best 56-yarder in Week 4.
Sophomore quarterback Eric Mathews (Brookshire Royal) completed 139 of 206 passes last season for 2,388 yards and 20 touchdowns. He posted a 194.9 pass efficiency while throwing just two interceptions all year. Sophomore defensive back Tevin Broussard (Beaumont Central) earned second-team honors after posting 46 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery, and sophomore linebacker Brandon Thornton (Conroe) was also named to the second team after recording 76 tackles – including nine for a loss – and two sacks.
Blinn’s athletic department is one of the premier programs in the nation, capturing 26 national championships in five different sports. For more information on Blinn athletics, please visit www.buccaneersports.com.

Top 20 National Poll | August 01, 2012
Rank College Region Record Points 1st Votes Last Week
1 East Mississippi Community College 23 12-0 0 0 0
2 Butler Community College - KS 6 11-1 0 0 0
3 Arizona Western College 1 11-1 0 0 0
4 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College 23 10-2 0 0 0
5 Blinn College 14 9-2 0 0 0
6 Hinds Community College 23 7-3 0 0 0
7 Trinity Valley Community College 14 8-3 0 0 0
8 Iowa Western Community College 11 9-2 0 0 0
9 Snow College 18 9-3 0 0 0
10 Hutchinson Community College 6 9-3 0 0 0
11 Northwest Mississippi Community College 23 6-3 0 0 0
12 Navarro College 14 10-2 0 0 0
13 Eastern Arizona College 1 8-3 0 0 0
14 Dean College 21 8-1 0 0 0
15 New Mexico Military Institute 5 9-3 0 0 0
16 Tyler Junior College 14 7-4 0 0 0
17 Coffeyville Community College 6 6-4 0 0 0
18 Iowa Central Community College 11 6-4 0 0 0
19 Rochester Community & Technical College 13 11-1 0 0 0
20 Nassau Community College 15 8-2 0 0 0