2026 FCS Football Polls

BlueGoldAg

The Big Sky Conference has released its 2026 Preseason Coaches' and Media Polls:

Big Sky Football Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Montana State (11) – 143
2. Montana – 130
3. UC Davis (2) – 121
4. Northern Arizona – 108
5. Idaho State - 99
6. Southern Utah – 82
7. Idaho – 77
8. Eastern Washington – 70
9. Weber State – 48
10. Northern Colorado – 47
11. Cal Poly – 46
12. Portland State – 24
13. Utah Tech – 19

*Parentheses denotes first-place vote // Coaches could not vote for their own team

Big Sky Football Preseason Media Poll

1. Montana State (35) – 490
2. Montana (1) – 448
3. UC Davis (2) – 421
4. Idaho State – 349
5. Northern Arizona – 339
6. Idaho – 283
7. Southern Utah – 273
8. Eastern Washington – 246
9. Cal Poly – 168
10. Weber State – 155
11. Northern Colorado – 153
12. Portland State – 68
13 Utah Tech – 65

*Parentheses denotes first-place vote

Whole article here: https://bigskyconf.com/news/2026/7/19/bobcats-sweep-big-sky-football-preseason-polls-yet-again.aspx

AggieFinn

Idaho State on the upward trend and then some - big step taking season for them in 2026.

It's too bad Davis @ ISU isn't on the 2026 schedule, after the game last year in Davis, that would be a hot ticket, one I might go to actually.

Check out Utah Tech's Schedule:
vs. Montana State
@ BYU
@ Montana
vs. Northern Arizona
@ Northern Colorado
vs. SUU
@ Portland State
@ Poly
vs. Idaho State
@ UC Davis
vs. Eastern Washington
@ Weber State

That is f***ing brutal.

Pacifico2

I'd like to see the Ags get a piece of ISU as well. I'm not on the Bengal bandwagon.

Montana State and BYU back-to-back, capped by a trip to Missoula?! They must be getting PAID to go to Provo, that is the sort of team with a bunch of NIL and 27 year old players that can wreck an FCS program's season.

agalum

I thought i read somewhere that the ncaa was going to have an age limit?
Edit:
“ As detailed by the NCAA, this timeline means athletes typically must finish their five years of collegiate competition before turning 24. While the NCAA strictly limits the eligibility window, it grants limited exceptions for specific life circumstances such as active military service, official religious missions, and maternity leave NCAA.”

So go on a mission and you can extend your eligibility.

Riveraggie

↪agalum

New eligibility rule applies to all athletes beginning school this fall.. Previously enrolled students are covered by whichever rule benefits them most.

NCagalum

↪agalum

remember when it was normal to get out of college at 21? Even if you add on a 2 year mission for Mormon kids you should be able to play 4 years by 24. It’s been crazy since Covid.

Riveraggie

↪NCagalum

Everyone has five years now. Used to be five years to play four, now its five years to play five. Lots of 19 year olds straight out of high school because parents start them in school late for athletic ambitions.

NCagalum

↪Riveraggie

yah, I had forgot about the delay in high school. Some kids transfer multiple times in high school in an attempt to better their college recruiting status. As more money infiltrates college football crazier things happen. Kind of sorry for the kids who don’t get to be a kid and experience a wide range of activities but alternately become one -trick ponies most of whom ultimately don’t cash in anyway.

BlueGoldAg

cmt

↪AggieFinn

That's actually not that bad relative to some of their schedules. They're always pretty loaded.

In 2021, they played the teams that finished 4, 5, 6, 10. 14, 17 and 21 in the STATS poll.
In 2024, they played the teams that finished 2, 5, 13, 14, 21 and 22 in the STATs poll, plus a 11-3 UNLV team.

It used to be worse because they had fewer conference games and they'd really load up in the non-con.. But they tend to schedule a lot of Big Sky teams in the non-con, which makes sense. Since transitioning, they've played UCD, NAU, Idaho, Montana St, Montana, Sac St, Weber St.

2026 FCS Football Polls

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