FHSU Athletics
WACO, Texas - Fort Hays State was listed among the teams receiving votes in the AFCA Preseason Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday (Aug. 18). This is the third-straight year the Tigers were among the receiving votes list in the preseason poll.
Six of the 10 programs in the MIAA were referenced in the poll. Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State are both ranked in the top 10 nationally to start the season, PSU at No. 4 and NWMSU at No. 8. Fort Hays State joined Central Oklahoma, Central Missouri, and Nebraska-Kearney in the receiving votes list. FHSU received 13 voting points in the poll.
The Tigers will face a team also among the receiving votes list to open the 2026 season. Angelo State received four voting points in the poll. The Tigers and Rams are meeting in the season opener for the third-straight year, this time in San Angelo, Texas on August 27 at 7 p.m. FHSU's first home game will be on September 3 against CSU Pueblo, which enters the season ranked No. 6 nationally in the preseason poll. The Tigers defeated CSU Pueblo last year in Pueblo when the Thunderwolves were ranked No. 5 nationally, which in turn was the highest AFCA ranked opponent the Tigers defeated in their NCAA Division II history.
Below is the AFCA Preseason Top 25 Poll for 2026.
Rank School 2025 Rec. Pts. 2025 Final Rank
1 Ferris St. (31) 16-0 775 1
2 Harding 15-1 738 2
3 Kutztown 14-1 684 3
4 Pittsburg St. 10-3 647 6
5 Minnesota St. 10-4 587 8
6 Colorado St.-Pueblo 10-2 581 11
7 Central Washington 10-2 478 13
8 Northwest Missouri St. 9-3 470 17
9t Grand Valley St. 7-3 451 NR
9t UIndy 11-2 451 10
11 Western Colorado 10-3 379 12
12 Minnesota-Duluth 10-2 372 16
13 Ashland 10-3 328 15
14 Virginia Union 9-3 318 21
15 Newberry 12-2 276 4
16 Findlay 10-2 250 19
17 Frostburg St. 11-3 228 14
18 UT Permian Basin 11-3 197 5
19 Wingate 9-3 183 NR
20 Augustana (S.D.) 9-2 181 25
21 Albany St. 12-2 172 7
22 Western Oregon 8-3 165 NR
23 Johnson C. Smith 10-2 159 18
24 Ouachita Baptist 7-4 146 NR
25 Indiana (Pa.) 7-4 97 NR
Receiving Votes: Valdosta St., 86; Chadron St., 83; Central Oklahoma, 64; North Greenville, 61; Slippery Rock, 56; California (Pa.), 53; Northwood, 50; Delta St., 33; Michigan Tech, 31; Assumption, 29; Bentley, 27; Benedict, 25; Lenoir-Rhyne, 21; Colorado School of Mines, 18; Northeastern St., 16; Southern Arkansas, 14; Charleston, 13; Fort Hays St., 13; Truman St., 13; West Texas A&M, 10; UNC Pembroke, 8; Central Missouri, 7; Edward Waters, 7; Henderson St., 6; Angelo St., 4; East Stroudsburg, 4; Nebraska-Kearney, 4; Upper Iowa, 3; Davenport, 2; Carson-Newman, 1.