As far as Southeast Missouri State University football coach John Mumford is concerned, there were no real surprises during Friday's Ohio Valley Conference media day activities in Nashville, Tenn.

But Mumford is counting on their being a major surprise once all the tabulations are in.

Translation: Mumford expected his Indians to be picked near the bottom of the OVC pack -- which they were -- but he's expecting them to finish toward the other end of the standings once all the games have been played.

Such is the nature of the preseason in any sport. The polls are there for the public -- namely the fans -- to scrutinize and mull over. Then it's up to the teams to perform on the field so we can see how the election really went.

One great thing about this time of the year is that every football team in America has the same record: 0-0. No matter what happened the year before or what the pollsters are predicting, optimism reigns supreme in virtually every camp.

Nobody appeared to be more optimistic than Mumford in Nashville Friday, even after the Indians were tabbed for seventh in the eight-team league based on a poll of the league's head football coaches and sports information directors.

After all, Mumford expected it. The Indians had been picked to finish either seventh or eighth in the OVC in virtually all of the many national publications that were already out. Mumford expected that, too. He knows the predictions are based on how a team fared the previous season and what they have coming back.

The Indians went 3-8 last year and tied for sixth in what was then a nine-team OVC. Their offense was one of the worst among I-AA teams in the country. Their defense was solid, but some of their better defenders completed their eligibility.

Hence, the low expectations -- by everybody except Mumford and the rest of the people associated with his program.

Mumford is banking on a combination of several factors, led by the element of the unknown -- players that the rest of the OVC and all those people making the predictions know little or nothing about -- to make his team the surprise of the conference.

The unknown consists of five key transfers from Division I-A programs -- players from Florida, Oklahoma, Missouri and Southern Mississippi -- and at least than many key junior-college transfers.

Add to that some talented returning players; a rejuvenated offense under new coordinator Steve Schottel, a veteran coach who Mumford has a world of respect for; and a favorable schedule that features seven of 11 games at home; and it appears as if Mumford does have considerable cause for his optimism.

Of course, we really won't know for certain if that optimism was justified until after all the votes are tabulated.

In other words, check back in late November -- after the season is over -- to see if the Indians really have made all those so-called experts look silly.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian