GPAC Preseason Football Poll Released

(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 was selected as the preseason favorite, earning six first place votes. Dordt University followed in second with four first-place votes, and Northwestern College in Orange City was picked third with one first-place vote.

The Defenders are coming off a 10-1 overall record and a 9-1 GPAC mark in 2025, earning a spot in the NAIA football playoffs. Northwestern finished 6-4 last year and tied for fourth in the conference standings.

Here are 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.