August 24, 2026
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dakota State (S.D.) will begin the 2026 football season with a national ranking. The Trojans checked in at No. 25 in the STADIONIC-NAIA Football Coaches' Preseason Top 25 national poll, announced Monday by the national office.
It marks the first time in eight years that Dakota State has been ranked in the NAIA preseason Top 25. The Trojans were last ranked prior to the start of a season in 2018, when they also entered the season at No. 25.
Dakota State went on to open the 2018 campaign with a 27-18 road victory over rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) in Mitchell. That contest marked the first time DSU opened a season as a nationally ranked team under head coach
Josh Anderson.
The Trojans return to the preseason national rankings after an impressive 2025 campaign. Dakota State finished 8-2 overall and 5-1 in its inaugural season in the Frontier Conference, finishing runner-up in the East Division standings. DSU closed the season with five consecutive victories and broke into the final NAIA Coaches' Top 25 at No. 25.
Dakota State was also picked to finish second in the 2026 Frontier Conference East Division Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Trojans received 31 points and one first-place vote, trailing defending East Division champion Montana Tech.
Two-time defending NAIA national champion Grand View (Iowa) holds the No. 1 spot in the preseason poll after collecting all 13 first-place votes. Keiser (Fla.) is ranked second, followed by Benedictine (Kan.) at No. 3 and College of Idaho at No. 4. Montana Tech rounds out the top five.
Four other Frontier Conference teams are ranked in the preseason Top 25. College of Idaho checked in at No. 4, followed by Montana Tech at No. 5, Carroll (Mont.) is No. 11, and Montana Western is No. 18.
The Trojans begin their 2026 season Saturday, Aug. 29, hosting rival Dakota Wesleyan at Brian Kern Family Stadium at Blankley Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tailgate opens at 4 p.m. with live music by Serious Shriley and five food trucks serving up plenty of options.
The preseason poll is the first of seven NAIA coaches' polls scheduled during the 2026 season. Three national selection committee polls will follow, along with the final ARC rating on Nov. 15. The 2026 season concludes with the NAIA Football National Championship game Dec. 19 at Crowley ISD Multipurpose Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.
