College football notes: NDSU is No. 1 in two FCS polls

Five-time defending national champion North Dakota State is No. 1 in both the STATS FCS Top 25 and the FCS Coaches preseason polls released Monday.

The Bison received 152 of 158 first-place votes in the STATS poll to easily outdistance Sam Houston State, Jacksonville State, Richmond and Northern Iowa round out the top five. South Dakota State, NDSU's rival in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, is No. 8, and North Dakota is No. 19.

In the coaches poll, the Bison received all 25 first-place votes, and the top five was the same as the STATS poll. South Dakota State is No. 14 in the coaches poll, and North Dakota is No. 21.

The Bison open the season Aug. 27 against No. 6/7 Charleston Southern in the FCS Kickoff on ESPN.

Zach Hemmila, a senior offensive lineman for the University of Arizona, has died in his sleep, athletic director Greg Byrne said.

Byrne and Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez told the team of Hemmila's death after practice on Monday morning.

Hemmila was found by a cousin. There was no immediate word on a cause of death.

An LGBTQ advocacy group has sent a letter to the commissioner of the Big 12 urging the conference to remove Brigham Young University from consideration for membership because it says the school has discriminatory policies.

Athlete Ally, a nonprofit group that works with sports leagues and organizations on educational and awareness programs, wrote in a letter dated Aug. 8 that "… through its policies, BYU is very clear about its intent to discriminate against openly LGBT students …"

BYU is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The school's honor code states that same-gender attraction is not an issue. But it does state "Homosexual behavior is inappropriate and violates the Honor Code." The honor code requires all students to commit to chastity outside of marriage.

• Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said fifth-year senior Tyler O'Connor is the team's "headline guy" at quarterback as the Spartans try to move on without star Connor Cook.