Dordt and Northwestern are both expected to contend near the top of the Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings this fall.
Dordt was picked second and Northwestern third in the 2026 GPAC Preseason Football Coaches’ Poll. Morningside was selected as the conference favorite.
The Mustangs received 96 points and six first-place votes, narrowly finishing ahead of Dordt’s 91 points and four first-place votes. Northwestern collected 82 points and the remaining first-place vote.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.
Dordt Returns Experienced All-Conference Group
Dordt enters the season as a defending GPAC co-champion after finishing 9-1 in conference play and 10-1 overall last fall. The Defenders shared the league championship with Morningside and advanced to the NAIA Football Championship Series.
Head coach Joel Penner was named the 2025 GPAC Coach of the Year.
The Defenders’ potential returning core includes several players who received all-conference recognition as underclassmen last season.
Isaac Kacmarynski was a first-team selection at both linebacker and long snapper. Defensive lineman Zach Quiring and defensive back Cole Johnson also earned first-team honors.
Stephen Leinen was the conference’s first-team kicker, while Keenan Valverde was selected as the first-team punt return specialist and second-team kick return specialist. Wide receiver Eliot Beal earned second-team recognition.
Dordt opens the season Friday night, August 28, at Indiana Wesleyan.
Northwestern Brings Back Six All-GPAC Players
Northwestern is coming off a 6-4 season in which the Red Raiders tied for fourth in the conference standings.
Quarterback Colby Duncan returns after throwing for 1,789 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 529 rushing yards and five scores last season.
The Red Raiders also return considerable experience from a defense that led the NAIA in scoring defense. Northwestern allowed 126 total points, an average of 12.6 per game, and brings back 15 players from its final defensive two-deep.
That group is highlighted by Second Team All-American Kylar Fritz and leading tackler Jackson Smythe, who recorded 72 stops last season.
Six returning Red Raiders received all-conference recognition in 2025, including Fritz, Smythe, Duncan, Jordan Carter, Gianna Bennett and Korver Hupke.
Northwestern opens its season on Thursday night, August 27, at Western Illinois.
Morningside Leads Preseason Poll
Morningside earned the top spot after sharing last season’s GPAC championship with Dordt. The Mustangs also reached the NAIA Football Championship Series and received a top-12 national seed.
Concordia was picked fourth in the preseason poll, followed by Midland, Hastings, Mount Marty, Briar Cliff, Dakota Wesleyan, Doane and Waldorf.
Most GPAC teams begin the season with nonconference games between August 27 and 29. Concordia and Waldorf open conference play August 29, while the remainder of the league begins its GPAC schedule September 5.
2026 GPAC Preseason Football Coaches’ Poll:
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | MORNINGSIDE | 96 | 6 |
| 2 | DORDT | 91 | 4 |
| 3 | NORTHWESTERN | 82 | 1 |
| 4 | CONCORDIA | 67 | |
| 5 | MIDLAND | 60 | |
| 6 | HASTINGS | 59 | |
| 7 | MOUNT MARTY | 49 | |
| 8 | BRIAR CLIFF | 34 | |
| 9 | DAKOTA WESLEYAN | 32 | |
| 10 | DOANE | 25 | |
| 11 | WALDORF | 10 |
