The good news is that coaches and media expect Mercer to have a better year than the norm.

          The bad news is that both groups have the Bears in the middle of the Southern Conference pack.

          Mercer was picked fifth by the coaches and fourth by the media at Monday’s conference media day in Spartanburg, S.C.

          Wofford, Furman, and ETSU were the clear choices for the top three spots, with VMI the near-consensus for the basement.

          Mercer was four points behind Chattanooga in the coaches voting and one point ahead of Samford. The media poll was different after the top three, with Mercer a chunk behind ETSU and a little ahead of Chattanooga.     

          Seven Bears made the first or second team in preseason all-conference voting, with David Durden making it in two spots.

          Linebacker Will Coneway, a senior from Washington County, made the second-team defense.

          First-teamers: RB Tyray Devezin; OL Austin Sanders; RS David Durden.

          Second-teamers: TE Chris Ellington; WR Durden; Coneway; DL Dorian Kithcart; DB Malique Fleming.

          Peach County grad Mitchell Fineran, a sophomore at Samford, is co-placekicker on the first team, with Furman’s Grayson Atkins.