Expectations are always high for the Flyer football team, considering its pedigree of 10 Pioneer Football League titles.

This year proves to be no exception as the squad returns 15 starters, 10 on offense, from a team that went 9-2 and captured a share of the PFL crown last fall.

With the season opening Saturday against Robert Morris, however, for head coach Rick Chamberlin, it's business as usual.

"I feel this year is no different than any other year," Chamberlin said. "Dayton has always been, and I hope continues to be, one of the favorites each year for a PFL championship. Whether we are picked first or fourth in the preseason poll, it doesn't matter to our players because they are going to approach the season with the same intensity and attitude in both cases."

The rest of the league has already taken note of Dayton's potential for the upcoming season as UD received four of 10 first place votes amongst PFL coaches, making it the preseason favorite for an 11th title.

For Chamberlin, though, the focus still is on just winning games.

"Our first goal every year is to have a winning record no matter how many players we have returning," Chamberlin said. "We have had a winning record 34 out of the last 35 seasons, and that is a tradition we want to continue here at UD. Now the second goal is to have the opportunity to be playing for a PFL championship going into the last game of the season."

At the forefront of UD's returning offense is last season's PFL Offensive Player of the Year Steve Valentino. After starting 2009 as a wide receiver, Valentino moved into the quarterback position after injuries to both of UD's other QBs forced him into it.

Starting the final 10 games, Valentino led the PFL in total offensive yards, averaging 281.6 yards per game, and rushed for over 700 total yards during the season.

Adding to the accolades, Valentino also was selected in July to the Walter Payton Award Watch List, an award given to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision conferences. It was the first time a UD player has been selected.

Other returning starters include Valentino's co-captains Tyler Friedrich and Joe Ries, both former First-Team All-PFL performers. With the depth of this year's team, Chamberlin expects a lot of his veterans to have big seasons.

"I would expect all of our 13 fifth-year players to contribute in a big way," Chamberlin said. "All of them have been in the program a long time, and they all know what it takes to keep this program a winner. Of course we would expect players like Steve Valentino, James Vercammen, Joe Ries, Justin Watkins, Tyler Friedrich and Brandon Wingeier, all of whom had great seasons last year, to continue that type of play this year."

The season opener is scheduled to kick-off Saturday, Sept. 4, at 1 p.m. at Welcome Stadium, a game the program hopes will help jump-start another successful season of UD football. But as far as Chamberlin is concerned, what UD did last season, and all the preseason hype, becomes irrelevant.

"On paper has never won a championship," Chamberlin said. "It is how the team performs on the field."