IRVING, Texas – Old Dominion was picked to finish sixth in the East Division in Conference USA’s preseason media football poll.

Coach Bobby Wilder isn’t pleased about that.

“It bothers me,” Wilder said last week at Conference USA Media Days. “… To be picked sixth with a veteran team coming back, that’s unacceptable to me and that’s motivation to myself and everybody in our organization.”

Wilder’s frustration with the sixth-place pick came from a couple of different aspects.

First, the Monarchs return 17 starters from a team that was one of the youngest in college football last season.

Second, ODU has never finished lower than fourth in a league or division since starting its football program in 2009. That includes a 3-5 C-USA record one season ago that put the Monarchs in a three-way tie with FIU and Florida Atlantic for fourth in the East.

Old Dominion finished 5-7 overall in 2015, missing out on a bowl bid thanks to a 33-31 loss to FAU in its season finale.

“If there’s 13 teams playing this year I guess you can do the math, and we’re what, 11th or 12th, something like that?” Wilder said. “So that’s why I’m not in my normal, jovial mood I’m in when I come to Conference USA Media Day.”

Middle Tennessee was picked to win the East, followed by defending C-USA champion Western Kentucky, which hosts the Monarchs on Oct. 22 for its homecoming date.

Following that pair in the preseason poll were, in order, Marshall, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Old Dominion and Charlotte.

Wilder said he expected his team to be picked “third, fourth at worst.” He declined to name what teams should’ve been picked below the Monarchs, but said “there are a good number of teams picked ahead of us that we’re going to be better than.”

Wilder said he didn’t think the sixth-place pick came as much from “disrespect as much as maybe more lack of knowledge of who we are and what we’ve always been as a program.”

Wilder cited a stat that 53 teams have started football programs since 2008. He said Old Dominion has the fourth-best record of any of them and the best of any that have played FBS football.

“This is the first time that I’ve felt like going into a season that we’re being overlooked,” Wilder said. “I don’t think the information supports it.

“I don’t think when you look at who we have coming back, when you look at the number of starters we have, when you look at our roster, I don’t think it’s supportive of us being sixth.

“My responsibility isn’t to come out here and kiss everybody’s ass. My responsibility is to come out here and represent our players and our program.”

Wilder’s starting quarterback will be senior David Washington. He’s split time between QB and wide receiver during his career but will focus this year on the quarterback position.

Washington completed 58.4 percent of his passes in 2015 for 1,155 yards with eight touchdowns against three interceptions.

Other key offensive returners for the Monarchs include junior running back Ray Lawry (194 rushes, 1,136 yards, 11 touchdowns in 2015) and senior wide receiver Zach Pascal (68 catches, 970 yards, eight touchdowns).

Returning defensive standouts include senior outside linebacker T.J. Ricks (123 tackles) and junior defensive end Bunmi Rotimi (4.5 sacks).

ODU has tough back-to-back road tests at Appalachian State and N.C. State on Sept. 10 and Sept. 17. The Monarchs host Massachusetts on Oct. 8, then have a bye week to prepare for their Oct. 22 trip to Bowling Green.

Old Dominion will go into its 2016 campaign led by a coach upset about what he considers a preseason snub.

“I’m friends with every coach in this league, I get along with every coach in this league, I respect every guy in this league,” Wilder said. “But I also want to beat all their asses.”

– Follow Daily News sports reporter Brad Stephens on Twitter @BradBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.