By Southern Pigskin Staff
SouthernPigskin.com

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We asked our staff to submit a predicted order of finish for the 2016 Southern Conference football season.

nWe asked our staff to submit a predicted order of finish for the 2016 Southern Conference football season. The following are the culmination of those votes. Chattanoogaxc2xa0received the most votes to win the championship.

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nSoCon

n	n1. Chattanooga	nxc2xa0Despite losing quarterback Jacob Huesman, the Mocs’ defense, the engine of their recent string of success, will continue to keep Chattanooga in contention. A league leading seven first team preseason all-conference selections highlights just how talented this team is.
n	n2. The Citadel	nxc2xa0Not having Dominique Allen for the opener may come back to bite the Bulldogs, down the road. At full strength, the Citadel can go head to head with anyone, but taking a loss at Mercer would not get the season off on the right foot.
n	n3. Mercer	nThis marks the first year in which Mercer will trot out a substantial senior class. With five of their six losses, in 2015, coming by a score or less, the Bears must prove that they have learned how to close.xc2xa0
n	n4. Samford	nxc2xa0Devlin Hodges burst onto the scene as true freshman in 2015, completing nearly 70% of his passes for 248 yards per game. With preseason all-conference selections Karel Hamilton and Kelvin McKnight at wideout, Samford will have one of the most prolific passing attacks in the SoCon.
n	n5. Western Carolina	nxc2xa0The Catamounts are hoping fora big season, on the legs of preseason Offensive Player of the Year projection Detrez Newsome, the junior running back. Newsome aside, nine other preseason all-conference selections display the wide breadth of talent in Cullowhee, but quarterback questions may hold Western back.
n	n6. Furman	nxc2xa0Reese Hannon’s health will largely factor into Furman’s ultimate success in 2016. We will know early on whether or not Furman is for real, as they open up with Michigan State, the Citadel, Chattanooga, and Coastal Carolina, all in September.
n	n7. Wofford	nxc2xa0Wofford, with 17 offensive and defensive starters coming back, boasts one of the most experienced squads in the conference. Mike Ayers will need to rely on the veteran leadership this season, his 29th as head coach of the Terriers.
n	n8. VMI	nxc2xa0Preseason first team All-SoCon quarterback Al Cobb can toss the ball all over the yard. He will need to more than live up to his billing, though, if VMI hopes to move up in the conference pecking order.
n	n9. ETSU	nxc2xa0ETSU, in its first year back in the SoCon, has tempered expectations for this inaugural campaign. After a two win 2015, the Bucs are just hoping to steps in the right direction.

nSoCon Champion: Chattanooga