(Logo courtesy of the Great Plains Athletic Conference)Sioux City, Iowa – The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) has released its 2026 preseason football poll for the upcoming season.
Morningside out of Sioux City was pegged as the top team in the preseason marks with six first place votes. Dordt University in Sioux Center was second with four first place votes and Northwestern College in Orange City was third with one first place vote.
The Defenders finished with a 10-1 overall mark and a 9-1 record in the GPAC in 2025, earning a spot in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics football playoffs.
Northwestern compiled a 6-4 overall record last season and finished in a tie for fourth in the GPAC standings.
Here is the full results of the GPAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll:
1. Morningside – 96 pts. (6 first-place votes)
2. Dordt – 91 pts. (4 first-place votes)
3. Northwestern – 82 pts. (1 first-place vote)
4. Concordia – 67 pts.
5. Midland – 60 pts.
6. Hastings – 59 pts.
7. Mount Marty – 49 pts.
8. Briar Cliff – 34 pts.
9. Dakota Wesleyan – 32 pts.
10. Doane – 25 pts.
11. Waldorf – 10 pts.
