Sioux Center, Iowa — The preseason NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll is out, and the Dordt Defenders open the year at No. 8.
Dordt earned a share of the GPAC Championship last season and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Championship Playoffs, finishing 10-1. The Defenders open the season Friday, August 28th, on the road against No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Indiana.
Dordt is one of three GPAC teams in the Top 25. Morningside checks in at No. 7, while Northwestern is No. 24. Concordia appears in the receiving-votes portion of the poll.
Dordt opens GPAC play Saturday, September 5th, at home against Hastings, and will play a 10-game conference schedule, closing the regular season November 14th at Northwestern in Orange City.
The preseason poll is the first of seven coaches’ polls in 2026, followed by three national selection committee polls, a final ARC rating on November 15th, and a postseason poll on January 4th. The 2026 NAIA season concludes with the NAIA National Championship Game on December 19th in Fort Worth, Texas, at Crowley ISD Multipurpose Stadium.
View the full preseason poll below.
Preseason NAIA Football Poll
| Rank | Institution [First-Place Votes] | 2025 Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand View (Iowa) [13] | 14-0 |
| 2 | Keiser (Fla.) | 12-1 |
| 3 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 12-2 |
| 4 | College of Idaho | 11-2 |
| 5 | Montana Tech | 12-1 |
| 6 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 10-2 |
| 7 | Morningside (Iowa) | 9-3 |
| 8 | Dordt (Iowa) | 10-1 |
| T-9 | Friends (Kan.) | 12-1 |
| T-9 | Indiana Wesleyan | 9-3 |
| 11 | Carroll (Mont.) | 9-3 |
| 12 | Marian (Ind.) | 8-4 |
| 13 | William Penn (Iowa) | 11-2 |
| 14 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 8-3 |
| 15 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 9-3 |
| 16 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 7-4 |
| 17 | Saint Francis (Ind.) | 10-3 |
| 18 | Montana Western | 7-3 |
| 19 | Evangel (Mo.) | 9-3 |
| 20 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 7-3 |
| 21 | McPherson (Kan.) | 9-2 |
| 22 | Southwestern (Kan.) | 8-3 |
| 23 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 7-4 |
| 24 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 6-4 |
| 25 | Dakota State (S.D.) | 8-2 |
Receiving Votes:
Baker (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.), Concordia (Neb.), Cumberland (Tenn.), Dickinson State (N.D.), Kansas Wesleyan, Louisiana Christian, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), OUAZ (Ariz.), Pikeville (Ky.), Saint Xavier (Ill.), St. Francis (Ill.), Taylor (Ind.), Texas Wesleyan.
