(STATS) -- Kennesaw State is no longer looking out at a blank landscape, the Owls have a road map this year.Theyve been afforded more of a sense of certainty in their second season after debuting with a successful startup campaign last year.Big South teams are much more aware of Kennesaw as well. The Owls were selected third in the conferences preseason poll announced Tuesday at football media day in Charlotte, North Carolina.Not surprisingly, Charleston Southern was installed as a prohibitive favorite after sweeping to the Big South title last season. Liberty was picked second with Monmouth fourth, Gardner-Webb fifth and Presbyterian sixth.The Big South has dropped to six teams this season with the departure of conference power Coastal Carolina, which is transitioning toward the Sun Belt Conference on the FBS level.Kennesaw State not only comes back more established after finishing 6-5 last season, but with a sense of confidence because the Owls were ahead of schedule for a typical program forming from scratch. They even gained one of the 18 first-place votes in the preseason poll.I think the biggest thing from year one to year two is year one there were really no expectations, coach Brian Bohannon said. There was a lot of unknown and uncertainty. Now weve been through a season, our kids have been through this, I think theres a little expectation with our football team. I think our kids understand whats getting ready to happen, too, and I think thats been a big difference as well.I think theyre excited about knowing whats coming and having a chance to go out and compete. Its definitely a different feel, but its equally as exciting going into year two because weve got a great challenge to continue to move forward.Kennesaw, an associate member of the Big South located about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta, debuted with terrific facilities and community support, going 5-1 at home. While an easy non-conference start helped the Owls to a 6-2 start, it included conference wins over Gardner-Webb and Monmouth.They lost their final three Big South games to finish 2-4 in the conference, but it was a terrific opening campaign. They return 10 starters on each side of the ball, with option-style quarterback Trey White, wide receiver Justin Sumpter, center Malik Letatau and strong safety Taylor Henkle named to the Big South preseason team. Free safety Derrick Farrow made the conference second team last season.I think our kids think they can go and compete in the Big South, Bohannon said. There was that unknown last year. Its a good league, theres well-coached football teams and we know were going to play extremely well to compete.You look at what Charleston Southern did last year, winning the league and making a run in the playoffs. So its good football, theyre well-coached, but I believe our kids believe they can go compete and they can go win. And I think now going through that (last season), that helps us.Big South preseason players of the year Darius Hammond (running back) and Anthony Ellis (defensive end) boosted Charleston Southern to the top spot in the preseason poll. Coach Jamey Chadwells Buccaneers, who finished 10-3 and sixth in the final STATS FCS Top 25 last season, had the most players on the preseason team with seven, one more than Monmouth.---=BIG SOUTH FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL=Head Coaches and Media Panel1. Charleston Southern (16 first-place votes), 1062. Liberty (1), 863. Kennesaw State (1), 684. Monmouth, 475. Gardner-Webb, 406. Presbyterian, 31---=BIG SOUTH PRESEASON FOOTBALL TEAM=Offensive Player of the Year -- Darius Hammond, RB, Charleston SouthernDefensive Player of the Year -- Anthony Ellis, DE, Charleston SouthernOffenseQB -- Trey White, Kennesaw State, R-Sr.RB -- Darius Hammond Charleston Southern, Sr.RB -- Darrell Bridges, Presbyterian, R-Jr.WR -- Zac Parker, Liberty, Sr.WR -- Darren Ambush, Monmouth, Sr.WR -- Justin Sumpter, Kennesaw State, R-So.TE -- Joseph Purter, Presbyterian, Sr.OL -- Erik Austell, Charleston Southern, R-Sr.OL -- Malik Letatau, Kennesaw State, Sr.OL -- Jackson Williamson, Charleston Southern, Sr.OL -- Alex Thompson, Monmouth, Jr.OL -- Caleb Smith, Gardner-Webb, R-Sr.DefenseDL -- Anthony Ellis, Charleston Southern, Jr.DL -- Darnell Leslie, Monmouth, Sr.DL -- Jaron Greene, Liberty, Sr.DL -- Obinna Ntiasagwe, Presbyterian, R-Jr.LB -- Chad Geter, Gardner-Webb, R-Sr.LB -- Solomon Brown, Charleston Southern, R-So.LB -- Aaron Cook, Gardner-Webb, Sr.LB -- Payton Minnich, Monmouth, Sr.DB -- Mike Basile, Monmouth, Jr.DB -- Troy McGowens, Charleston Southern, Sr.DB -- Taylor Henkle, Kennesaw State, R-So.DB -- Chris Turner, Liberty, R-So.Special TeamsPK -- Matt White, Monmouth, Jr.P -- Trey Turner, Liberty, R-Jr.LS -- Joseph Smith, Charleston Southern, R-Sr.KR -- Darius Hammond, Charleston Southern, Sr.PR -- Darius Hammond, Charleston Southern, Sr. Asics Canada Sale . 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LOUIS -- The NFLs Rams are gone, and attention in St. Louis now turns to soccer with an ownership group pursuing a Major League Soccer expansion team.The effort includes plans to build a $200 million stadium downtown that would require millions of dollars in public funding.The ownership group revealed Thursday is known as SC STL. Paul Edgerley, a partner at the investment firm VantEdge Partners, is lead owner and chairman. Among his partners is Dave Peacock, former president of Anheuser-Busch and a driving force behind the effort last year to build a $1 billion riverfront stadium for the Rams.The football stadium plan died when the NFL in January approved Rams owner Stan Kroenkes request to move the team to Los Angeles. Since the departure of football, efforts to secure an MLS team have escalated.The MLS is already adding two new teams to expand to 24 by the end of the decade, and eventually plans to add four more, league spokesman Dan Courtemanche said. St. Louis is among eight markets that have publicly expressed interest in the four additional expansion slots, Courtemanche said. A timetable for when those cities would join the league has not been determined.Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement that league officials have had very productive meetings with Edgerley and his partners.With its rich soccer heritage, St. Louis has always been a market of great interest to Major League Soccer and SC STL is the ideal ownership group that will provide St. Louis the best opportunity for a futture expansion team, Garber said.dddddddddddd.The open-air stadium would have 20,000 seats with the ability to expand to 28,500. It would sit next to St. Louis Union Station and encompass about 24 acres on land near Interstate 64 currently owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The city has an option to buy the site, but the value is still being appraised.SC STL said it would fund much of the stadium construction cost, but St. Louis voters in April would be asked to fund a significant share, up to $80 million, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Specific details on the public portion are still being worked out, but the spokesman for the ownership group, Jim Woodcock, said the stadium will only be built if the league approves a St. Louis team.Getting it on the ballot is no sure thing. Though the NFL plan was eventually approved by city aldermen, the debate was often contentious. Alderman Sam Moore said at one meeting that some residents live in Third World conditions while taxpayers were paying for stadiums. Messages left for Moore on Friday were not immediately returned.The ownership group said it also will work with the state for financial assistance related to site development and infrastructure.The stadium would be within about a mile of two other downtown sports venues -- baseballs Busch Stadium and the Scottrade Center, home of the NHLs Blues. ' ' '