After falling short of the NCAA playoffs last fall for the first time since 2008, the St. Thomas football team heads into the 2014 season ranked No. 11 in the D3Football.com preseason rankings.

The Tommies were ranked No. 2 in the same preseason poll last year, but they fell 18 spots by the end of the year, following an 8-2 finish. While the top-15 preseason ranking marks an improvement from last year’s end position, running back Jack Kaiser said the team is only concerned about the poll at the end of this year.

“As a team, some guys have caught wind of the ranking and heard a few things, but it’s just a number,” Kaiser said. “We know how good we are, what we have and what we want to accomplish.”

Coach Glenn Caruso agreed about the lessened significance of the preseason rankings, but said it is still a “reflection of the respect that people have for us.”

“It is a nice reminder of the respect people have for our program and it’s a good sign, but the preseason doesn’t really carry much weight for us,” Caruso said.

The Tommies were also ranked highly in the preseason polls from Lindy’s Sports (No. 7) and The Sporting News (No. 15), but fell behind Bethel (ranked No. 7 by D3Football.com, No. 4 by Lindy’s and No.6 by The Sporting News) as the top-ranked school in the MIAC. Defensive end Josh Corbin said the team can’t be concerned with Bethel’s position and “should just concentrate on themselves.”

“We just have to play at our best and play as a team,” Corbin said. “The rest will take care of itself.”

St. Thomas enters the 2014 season with 18 of its 25 starters returning, in addition to securing another recruiting class that “knows what it’s becoming a part of and what it’s getting into,” according to Kaiser.

Five members of the incoming class participated in the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Tackle Cancer All-Star Game held on June 28 in Collegeville. Caruso said the 2014 recruiting class plays a part in the team’s ranking, but pointed to last season as a more important determining factor.

“While we do have a good recruiting class this year, and some members will contribute, the polls at the beginning of the year are more so a reflection of the prior year’s results,” Caruso said.

The Tommies ended the 2013 season with four straight victories, and while Kaiser hopes the momentum will carry over into this season, he said the team won’t look too far into the future.

“When we opened last year ranked No. 2, we might have gotten a little overwhelmed, especially after the adversity we faced,” Kaiser said. “This year we just have to take it day by day and week to week and not get too ahead of ourselves.”

Caruso said the team will come out stronger after last season’s difficulties.

“We take something away from every situation, whether it’s good or bad,” Caruso said. “Our success is a product not only of the work we put in, but also our ability to learn from situations.”

Corbin said the team has come to live by Caruso’s philosophy and added that the message sticks with the players.

“This program and this team prides itself on reloading, not rebuilding,” Corbin said. “The preseason ranking may not mean much to us from a football perspective, but it shows how much respect other people have for the tradition of success here.”

The American Football Coaches Association Poll will be released on September 21 and will be updated weekly.

Tom Pitzen can be reached at pitz2014@stthomas.edu.