2026 Northwest Missouri State vs A&M-Kingsville

D2 Football Rankings 2026: Ferris State Leads Preseason Top 25

Ferris State football opens the 2026 season at No. 1 in the D2 football rankings. See the preseason Top 25 and where the nation’s best Division 2 teams rank

Aug 21, 2026 by R. R. Ellis

D2 Football Rankings 2026: Ferris State Leads Preseason Top 25

“The nature of our sport is that it’s all one-week deals,” Chip Kelly once said. That’s worth remembering before attempting something as ephemeral as a preseason football ranking. But we do it nonetheless.

With FloCollege's D2 Football 2026 rankings debut, there's little suspense at the top. Ferris State opens the year at No. 1. That's one thing we can all be sure of, whether you're a fan of the Bulldogs, an adversary, a pundit, an analytics wonk, or just a D2 football writer. Ferris State still has to go win every week to stay at the top. Nothing has stopped the Bulldogs since 2024.

What sticks out to me, you ask, about the rankings below? First of all, thank you for asking. Second, here are a few teams I'm intrigued by in the Top 25, in no particular order: Pittsburg State, Findlay, Newberry, UTPB, Frostburg State, Albany State, Johnson C. Smith, Western Oregon, Slippery Rock, and Chadron State.

Some are new bloods. Some are blue bloods. Some are picking up the pieces, and some are challenging for titles.

Ask me again in a week.

D2 Football Rankings 2026: Preseason Top 25

Ferris State
Harding
Kutztown
Pittsburg State
Central Washington
CSU Pueblo
Indianapolis
Minnesota State
Northwest Missouri State
Virginia Union
Findlay
Western Colorado
Ashland
Newberry
Minnesota Duluth
UT Permian Basin
Grand Valley State
Frostburg State
Albany State
Johnson C. Smith
Wingate
Augustana (SD)
Western Oregon
Slippery Rock
Chadron State

Also Received Votes:

Northwood, Delta State, Michigan Tech, Northeastern State, Upper Iowa, Kentucky State, Assumption, Emory & Henry, Benedict, UNC Pembroke

How The FloCollege D2 Football Rankings Are Determined

The FloCollege Division 2 football rankings are driven by a mix of objective data and input from voters.

Ranking factors include:

Voter Points
Wins
Margin of Victory
Away Wins

D2 Football Week 0 Schedule On FloCollege

Thursday, Aug 27

Friday, Aug 28

Saturday, Aug 29

Sunday, Aug 30

How To Watch D2 Football In 2026

Hundreds of Division 2 football games will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.

Game replays, highlights and breaking news will also be available on both platforms.

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