After returning to form in year one under head coach John McMenamin, Northwest Missouri State will open the 2026 campaign as a top 10 team in the country.
The Bearcats are the No. 8 team in the American Football Coaches Association Division 2 Preseason Poll.
Pittsburg State, ranked No. 4, is the only other MIAA representative in the AFCA rankings.
Northwest posted a nine-win season with a return to the playoffs in 2025 after failing to make the postseason in three consecutive years. The breakout campaign led by McMenamin guided the 'Cats to No. 17 in the nation in the final AFCA poll released in December.
Defending national champion Ferris State received all 31 first-place votes. Harding, the team that knocked Northwest out of the postseason, is No. 2, followed by Kutztown, Pitt State and Minnesota State to round out the top five.
The Bearcats open up the season August 29 on the road against Texas A&M Kingsville.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | 2025 Rec. | Pts. | 2025 Rank | Season Opener | Head Coach |
| 1 | Ferris St. (31) | 16-0 | 775 | 1 | Aug. 27 at No. 4 Pittsburg St. | Tony Annese |
| 2 | Harding | 15-1 | 738 | 2 | Sept. 3 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma St. | Roddy Mote |
| 3 | Kutztown | 14-1 | 684 | 3 | Sept. 3 at Assumption | Jim Clements |
| 4 | Pittsburg St. | 10-3 | 647 | 6 | Aug. 27 vs. No. 1 Ferris St. | Tom Anthony |
| 5 | Minnesota St. | 10-4 | 587 | 8 | Aug. 27 at Colorado Mesa | Todd Hoffner |
| 6 | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 10-2 | 581 | 11 | Aug. 27 vs. Central Missouri | Philip Vigil |
| 7 | Central Washington | 10-2 | 478 | 13 | Sept. 5 at Cal Poly | Scott Power |
| 8 | Northwest Missouri St. | 9-3 | 470 | 17 | Aug. 29 at Texas A&M-Kingsville | John McMenamin |
| 9t. | Grand Valley St. | 7-3 | 451 | NR | Aug. 27 at Charleston | Scott Wooster |
| 9t. | UIndy | 11-2 | 451 | 10 | Aug. 27 vs. Marian | Chris Keevers |
| 11 | Western Colorado | 10-3 | 379 | 12 | Aug. 27 at West Texas A&M | Jas Bains |
| 12 | Minnesota-Duluth | 10-2 | 372 | 16 | Aug. 27 at Slippery Rock | Curt Wiese |
| 13 | Ashland | 10-3 | 328 | 15 | Sept. 3 vs. No. 25 Indiana (Pa.) | Doug Geiser |
| 14 | Virginia Union | 9-3 | 318 | 21 | Aug. 28 at Lenoir-Rhyne | Alvin Parker |
| 15 | Newberry | 12-2 | 276 | 4 | Sept. 5 vs. Reinhardt | Todd Knight |
| 16 | Findlay | 10-2 | 250 | 19 | Sept. 5 at No. 9t UIndy | Tyler Johns |
| 17 | Frostburg St. | 11-3 | 228 | 14 | Sept. 5 at Shepherd | Eric Wagoner |
| 18 | UT Permian Basin | 11-3 | 197 | 5 | Aug. 29 at UT Rio Grande Valley | Chris Softley |
| 19 | Wingate | 9-3 | 183 | NR | Aug. 27 at UNC Pembroke | Rashaan Jordan |
| 20 | Augustana (S.D.) | 9-2 | 181 | 25 | Aug. 27 at Missouri Western | Jerry Olszewski |
| 21 | Albany St. | 12-2 | 172 | 7 | Aug. 29 at Florida A&M | David Bowser |
| 22 | Western Oregon | 8-3 | 165 | NR | Aug. 29 at Colorado Mines | Arne Ferguson |
| 23 | Johnson C. Smith | 10-2 | 159 | 18 | Aug. 29 at Benedict | Maurice Flowers |
| 24 | Ouachita Baptist | 7-4 | 146 | NR | Sept. 3 vs. East Central | Todd Knight |
| 25 | Indiana (Pa.) | 7-4 | 97 | NR | Sept. 3 at No. 13 Ashland | Paul Tortorella |
*– Ranking in final AFCA Division II Poll of 2025
