August 24, 2026

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five Frontier Conference football teams will begin the 2026 season ranked in the STADIONIC-NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll, announced Monday by the national office.

The preseason poll is the first of seven coaches’ polls in 2026, followed by three national selection committee polls, a final ARC rating Nov. 15, and a postseason poll Jan. 4. 

The 2026 NAIA football season culminates with the NAIA National Championship game in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 19 at Crowley ISD Multipurpose Stadium, lived on the NAIA family of broadcast networks at www.naia.org/watch.

College of Idaho leads the Frontier contingent at No. 4, followed immediately by Montana Tech at No. 5. Carroll (Mont.) enters the season at No. 11, Montana Western is ranked No. 18, and Dakota State (S.D.) rounds out the national poll at No. 25. Dickinson State (N.D.) also received votes.

Two-time defending NAIA national champion Grand View (Iowa) collected all 13 first-place votes to claim the No. 1 ranking. Keiser (Fla.) is second, followed by Benedictine (Kan.) at No. 3.

The Frontier Conference is the only league with two teams among the top five, with College of Idaho and Montana Tech holding the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

No. 4 College of Idaho enters 2026 after an 11-2 campaign and a run to the NAIA Football Championship Series semifinals last season. The Yotes captured the inaugural Frontier Conference West Division championship and return 16 of 22 starters.

Quarterback Caden Young and Frontier West first-team running back Rylie Byington headline the returning offensive unit. Defensively, CI returns nine starters from a unit that recorded 17 interceptions and surrendered just 82 rushing yards per game in 2025.

No. 5 Montana Tech is the highest-ranked Frontier East Division program after posting a 12-1 record last season. The Orediggers won the inaugural East Division championship with a perfect 6-0 division record before advancing to the NAIA FCS quarterfinals.

Montana Tech returns Frontier East Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Jarrett Wilson along with standout receiver Levi Torgerson. Torgerson led the NAIA last season with 103 receptions and 1,370 receiving yards while scoring 14 touchdowns. He also led the association with 2,446 all-purpose yards and 444 punt-return yards.

No. 11 Carroll returns to the national rankings after finishing 9-3 in 2025. The Fighting Saints are the third Frontier program listed in the preseason Top 25.  CC advanced to the second round of NAIA FCS playoffs last season.

No. 18 Montana Western gives the Frontier West Division a third nationally ranked program. The Bulldogs finished the 2025 season with a 7-3 record.

No. 25 Dakota State begins the season nationally ranked following an 8-2 campaign in its first season as a member of the Frontier Conference. The Trojans finished runner-up to Montana Tech in the East Division with a 5-1 record and closed the 2025 season on a five-game winning streak.

Dickinson State is just outside the Top 25 as one of 15 teams receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll.
 

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