Philadelphia -- (Sports Network) - Since 2005, teams in the Southern Conference have been doing the same thing as the rest of FCS - chasing after Appalachian State.

The Mountaineers have won 18 of their past 21 Southern Conference games and have shared in three consecutive league titles. At least that is better than the other teams in FCS, who have lost 19 consecutive games to ASU, dating back to 2004.

The last team to beat Appalachian State out of conference was Northwestern State, which held on for a wild 40-35 win on Sept. 25, 2004.

The gap between the three-time national champion Mountaineers and the rest of the SoCon closed a bit in 2007, with Appalachian losing to Wofford and Georgia Southern and settling for a first-place tie with Wofford in the craziest title race in Southern Conference history.

Down the stretch, it looked like the league could end up with a four-way tie for first place, but Elon, Georgia Southern and The Citadel all fell from contention at the end.

The competition among SoCon teams might be just as tough in 2008, but the big question will be whether any of them can chase down the Mountaineers, or if everyone else will be playing for second place.

Appalachian State has a more favorable SoCon schedule this season, with all of its bigger league rivals at home, except for an Oct. 18 trip to Georgia Southern.

The Mountaineers have to replace their entire starting secondary (including three-time All-American safety Corey Lynch), their all-time leading rusher Kevin Richardson, NFL second-round draft choice Dexter Jackson and three members of the offensive line, among them two-time All-American Kerry Brown.

But ASU has a solid front seven on defense, including All-American Pierre Banks, and the offense will remain explosive thanks to the presence of Armanti Edwards at quarterback.

Teams from The Citadel, Elon, Wofford, Furman and Georgia Southern could be in the chase for playoff berths. ASU, Wofford, Elon, Georgia Southern and The Citadel were all ranked in The Sports Network preseason top-25.

1. Appalachian State (13-2 overall, 5-2 in conference, first tie)

Most teams could not overcome the talent loss the Mountaineers experienced after winning their latest national title, but no FCS squad has recruited like ASU in the past three years.

The biggest question marks are in the secondary, and depth at quarterback following the graduation of backup supreme Trey Elder. CoCo Hillary, a QB in high school, took most of the snaps in spring ball and could be used in an emergency. But freshman DeAndre Pressley is expected to play behind Edwards.

Cortez Gilbert and Leonard Love received valuable experience at CB and SS last season. Youngsters Mark Legree and Jared Reine will fill safety and cornerback slots, while Billy Riddle returns from a mission to Darfur, Somalia for his senior year and brings needed experience.

The defensive line lost Gary Tharrington to academics and former LSU transfer Tim Washington to personal issues, but will be fortified by Vanderbilt transfer Quavian Lewis at DE and JC transfer Malcolm Bennett at DT. Holdovers Tony Robertson and Anthony Williams are back.

Appalachian State possesses arguably the top linebackers in FCS, with Banks, Jacque Roman and D. J. Smith all back.

The Mountaineers are three-deep at every receiver position, with Hillary, T.J. Courman, James Hill and freshman Brian Quick expected to pick up the graduation slack for Jackson and Hans Batichon.

Devon Moore (459 yards, 4.8 average, seven TDs) heads up a deep running back group that also includes Virginia Tech transfer speedster Devin Radford. The Mountaineers get Mario Acitelli back from a broken left to strengthen the line.

Sam Martin is the first freshman kicker to ever receive a scholarship from Jerry Moore, and will battle Jason Vitaris for to replace All-American Julian Rauch. Neil Young is back at punter.

2. The Citadel (7-4, 4-3, third tie)

Coach Kevin Higgins led The Citadel to its best season since the Bulldogs finished the 1992 regular season ranked No. 1, and the Bulldogs have the potential to be even better this year thanks to their deepest team in years.

Andre Roberts (78 receptions, 13.8 average) is one of the premier receivers in FCS, and sophomore Bart Blanchard came on to impress at QB after Duran Lawson went out with a knee injury. Cody Wilson must replace Tory Cooper as a dependable running back, but will have an experienced line to run behind that includes John Muirhead.

The Bulldogs featured the SoCon's best defense last season, but lost three major performers from that unit in LB Andrew Rowell, safety Josh Lawson and DE Trevor Broughton. Kevin McCaskell should be a force on the defensive line, while linebackers Mel Capers and Reggie Rice and safety Dwight House will be counted on.

3. Elon (7-4, 4-3, third tie)

Former Lehigh coach Pete Lembo needed just two years to turn the once- beleaguered Phoenix into title contenders. He did it by finding offensive playmakers like receiver Terrell Hudgins (117 catches, 12.8 average, 18 TDs) and quarterback Scott Riddle. Riddle passed for 3,817 yards and 31 TDs as a true freshman.

The offense lost receiver/returnman Michael Mayer, but has Hudgins, Riddle and Bo Williamson (40 catches, 15.4 average, six TDs) back, along with three offensive line starters.

But Elon needs to develop a poor running game in order to take pressure off of Riddle. No back had more than 279 yards rushing last season, and Brandon Newsome is the top returning runner with just 238 yards.

Injuries and depth issues hurt the Phoenix on defense last year, and Lembo has moved to address the problem in the offseason. There are no worries at linebacker with Corey Weaver (80 tackles, four sacks). Brandon Wiggins (83 tackles) is another stalwart at LB, while safety Walker White leads the secondary.

4. Wofford (9-4, 5-2, first tie)

The 2007 season was a magical ride for Wofford, which won a share of the league title and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals. But much of the senior- laden talent from that squad has graduated.

The Terriers, who ranked second nationally in rushing last year, are expected to put more emphasis on the passing game this season after running more plays out of shotgun formation last season. Tight end Fenn Allen is one of the more under-utilized players in FCS (16 catches in 13 games) and Andy Strickland (30 catches, 20.0 average) is another receiving threat.

Ben Widmyer split time with graduated Josh Collier at quarterback in the Terriers' wingbone offense, but Wofford lost its big-play halfback Kevious Johnson and fullback Michael Hobbs.

Halfback Jeremy Marshall (418 yards, 7.6 average) is the top returning rusher, but also look for a quick start by freshman Eric Brietenstein, who the Terriers signed out of ASU's backyard. Brietenstein is the grandson of former Appalachian State head coach Bob Brietenstein.

The offensive line has three starters back, including all-conference performer Derek Wooten.

Wofford must replace seven of its starters from a defense that only ranked 60th overall, but was 17th in scoring. The unit leader is linebacker Seth Goldwire (108 tackles).

5. Furman (6-5, 4-3, third tie)

The Paladins managed a winning season by the skin of their teeth, compiling their lowest win total since 1995. In the wake of that, Furman has dumped its I-formation option for the spread and has switched to a 4-2-5 setup on defense.

Scoring points should not be a problem with strong-armed Jordan Sorrells taking over at QB and speedster Mike Brown moving in at tailback. Receiver R.J. Webb is a deep threat when he is healthy, and Larry Hedden can stake a claim to being one the elite tight ends in FCS.

The biggest strength for the Paladins is the offensive line - a pretty normal feature at Furman. Tackle Joel Bell may be the best offensive lineman in FCS, with guards Tyler Haynes and Heath Cockburn also returning.

Furman's pass defense was among the worst in FCS last season (ranked 110th against the pass and 86th overall) as the Paladins gave up ground in terms of speed. Safety Thomas Twitty and cornerback William Middleton are solid, but the remainder of the secondary is a question mark.

The Paladins were better against the run, and a major reason why is nose guard Justin Brown. Furman lost stalwart linebacker Andrew Jones to graduation and must rebuild a linebacking corps that has been among the best in the subdivision through the years.

6. Georgia Southern (7-4, 4-3, third tie)

Coach Chris Hatcher orchestrated a turnaround at Georgia Southern in his first year, helping the Eagles overcome the debacle of previous coach Brian VanGorder and a school-worst 3-8 record.

Much of Hatcher's success revolved around moving Jayson Foster back to QB after VanGorder had tried to make him a receiver. Foster responded by winning the Walter Payton Award with 3,283 total yards and 30 TDs (24 rushing), but has moved on to the Miami Dolphins.

Hatcher adapted his Hal Mumme-influenced passing attack around Foster's running ability last season, but will return back to normal behind either Ohio State transfer Antonio Henton or redshirt freshman Lee Chapple at QB.

Zeke Rozier is expected to be the top running threat, but will miss two games to start the year due to some off-field problems. He was averaging 6.3 yards per carry as Lamar Lewis' backup before suffering a knee injury last season.

Top receiver Raja Andrews (38 catches, 10.2 average) returns, but he also has been suspended for the opening game at Georgia.

The Eagles lost all five offensive line starters, including two All-Americans in guard Marcelo Estrada and tackle Russell Orr. Ricory Green started all 11 games in 2006 before missing the 2007 season with eligibility issues.

Defense will be the Eagles' strength, with nine starters and 11 of their top 12 tacklers returning. Chris Covington developed into an All-SoCon safety after leading the team in rushing in 2006. Larry Beard and Damon Suggs anchor a top-notch defensive line.

7. Chattanooga (2-5, 2-9, seventh)

This is a make-or-break season for coach Rodney Allison, who has just one winning season in five years and is in the final year of his contract. On top of that, the Mocs play Oklahoma and Florida State in two of their first three games.

UTC is 5-17 since going 6-5 in 2005, with just four conference wins.

The Mocs have two of the better running backs in the SoCon with Brian Fitzgerald (798 yards, 6.8 average) and Errol Wynn (776 yards, 4.0 average). Blue Cooper (37 catches, 12.9 average) and Clint Woods (45 catches, 10.4 average) return at receiver. JC transfer Jare Gault is expected to take over for graduated QB Antonio Miller, but Gault has been nursing an ankle injury in camp, giving junior Tony Pastore and freshman Sloan Allison some reps in practice. Allison is the son of the head coach, who was a record-setting QB at Texas Tech during his playing days.

Chattanooga has just three starters back from a defense that allowed 389 yards per game last season. Among the graduation losses were defensive tackle Charles Profit, linebacker Chris Johnson and safeties Chris Camacho and Jeff Phillips.

Joseph Thornton (66 tackles) returns at LB, and the Mocs have been fortified by a bunch of JC transfers including tackle B.J. Taylor and LB Doug Faatiliga.

8. Western Carolina (1-10, 0-7, eighth)

New coach Dennis Wagner has given the fan base renewed hope after the Catamounts suffered through one of the worst years in school history. Wagner's no-nonsense approach has grabbed the players' attention.

But WCU lacks the talent at this point to keep up with the rest of the SoCon, and rebuilding will take time. The fall was a quick one for a team that played ASU for a share of the conference title in 2005. The Catamounts haven't won a conference game since 2005, going 0-14 the past two seasons.

Defense was the major problem for WCU last year. The Catamounts had the worst defense in the SoCon (ranked 114th in FCS), giving up 108 yards more than they gained. They were also negative-18 in turnovers, and gave up nearly 46 points per game.

On the positive side, WCU returns 13 starters, six on defense, including one of the conference's top linebackers, Quinton Phillips (127 tackles), and free safety Chris Collins (94 tackles).

The offense showed some firepower late in games last year, but they lost trackster Mike Malone from the backfield (563 yards, 23.8 average on kickoff returns) and all-SoCon receiver Eddie Cohen (67 catches, 18.0 average, nine TDs).

QB Adam Hearns split time with the graduated Todd Spitzer and threw for 1,375 yards and 12 TDs. Hearns is battling senior Andy Horn and redshirt freshman Zach Jaynes for the starting job.

Receiver Kyle Garland (29 catches, 16.4 average) is the top returning threat in that area, but the Catamounts do have three offensive linemen back.

9. Samford (4-7, 2-6 Ohio Valley, eighth)

Samford makes a big jump from the Ohio Valley Conference to the SoCon. History shows that teams making the move to the SoCon eventually improve their programs, but it will take former Heisman Trophy winner and second-year coach Pat Sullivan some time to make the Bulldogs competitive.

The Bulldogs had faded from a conference contender to an also-ran in their five years in the OVC, finishing with three straight losing seasons. Sophomore Matt Malouf, a QB transfer from Memphis, could provide a spark to an offense that is the team's strong point. Chris Evans returns at RB after rushing for 1,033 yards (5.6 average) and five TDs last year. Jonathan Lowery is the leading returning receiver (56 catches, 8.7 average).

The defense gave up 35 points per game last year, ranked 102nd nationally in points allowed, and will face much more dynamic offenses in the SoCon. Eight starters and 11 of the top 13 tacklers return, including LBs Rodney Shepard (88 tackles) and Quinton Smith (82 tackles).