CANTON -- A year after winning the Liberty League regular season title and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the St. Lawrence University football team has been picked to finish second in the conference's preseason poll released Thursday.

Hobart, who finished third in the final 2015 standings, was the top team in the preseason poll as voted on by the Liberty League head coaches. The Statesmen received 47 points and five first place votes. St. Lawrence was second with 43 points and two first place votes while Rensselaer was third with 33 points and one first place vote. Springfield and Worcester Polytechnic Institute were tied for fourth in the poll with 30 points each followed by Rochester (20 points), Merchant Marine (12) and Union (9).

The Saints kick off the 2016 season Friday, September 2 with a 7 p.m. game against SUNY Morrisville in the first night game at Leckonby Stadium in Canton. The first Liberty League contest for St. Lawrence is September 24 at Rensselaer and the first league home contest is October 1 vs. Springfield.