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RIO GRANDE VALLEY \u2013 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football program is receiving votes in the Preseason Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll<\/a>, marking the first time the Vaqueros have ever received votes in a preseason poll. Support UTRGV Football<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Become a Fan on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on X<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on YouTube<\/a>
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\nUTRGV is receiving the 10th most points of any team receiving votes outside the top 25.
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\nThe Vaqueros received votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches Poll 10 times last season, including the last nine polls of the year, while also appearing in the Stats Perform Top 25 Poll twice.
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\nAt 9-3, UTRGV was the first of the 11 football programs to start from scratch at the NCAA DI-AA (1978-2005)\/FCS (2006-Present) level since Division I college football split into two levels in 1978 to win nine games. No other team had ever won more than seven games or six while playing a schedule including NCAA Division I competition.
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\nUTRGV was the first inaugural team to win six games against NCAA DI-AA \/FCS competition, breaking the record of five set by Florida International in 2002.
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\nUTRGV was the only inaugural to go undefeated at home, as the Vaqueros finished 7-0.\u00a0
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\nUTRGV’s only losses were on the road against teams that made the FCS Playoffs, all three of which are ranked in the preseason poll, including No. 13 Stephen F. Austin, No. 19 Southeastern, and No. 20 Lamar.
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\nStats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll (2026 Preseason)
\n(2025 Record in Parentheses)
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\n1. Montana State (14-2, 8-0 Big Sky)
\nPoints:\u00a01,425 (57 of 57 first-place votes);\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a01;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 at Utah Tech
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\n2. Montana (13-2, 7-1 Big Sky)
\nPoints:\u00a01,328;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a03;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Southern Utah
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\n3. South Dakota State (9-5, 4-4 MVFC)
\nPoints:\u00a01,266;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a013;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Stetson
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\n4. Illinois State (12-5, 5-3 MVFC)
\nPoints:\u00a01,231;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a02;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. St. Francis (IL)
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\n5. Tarleton State (12-2, 7-1 UAC)
\nPoints:\u00a01,100;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a06;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Prairie View A&M
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\n6. UC Davis (9-4, 6-2 Big Sky)
\nPoints:\u00a01,063;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a08;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 at Portland State
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\n7. Rhode Island (11-3, 8-0 CAA)
\nPoints:\u00a01,048;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a011;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 28 at Merrimack
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\n8. Villanova (12-3, 7-1 CAA; Patriot League member in 2026)
\nPoints:\u00a01,008;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a04 (tie);\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 28 vs. William & Mary
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\n9. Youngstown State (8-5, 5-3 MVFC)\u00a0
\nPoints:\u00a0946;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a018;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 27 vs. Mercyhurst
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\n10. North Dakota (8-6, 5-3 MVFC)
\nPoints:\u00a0945;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a014;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 27 vs. LIU
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\n11. Lehigh (12-1, 7-0 Patriot)
\nPoints:\u00a0826;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a010;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 at Holy Cross
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\n12. South Dakota (10-5, 6-2 MVFC)
\nPoints:\u00a0783;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a09;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Central Connecticut State
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\n13. Stephen F. Austin (11-3, 8-0 Southland)
\nPoints:\u00a0773;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a07;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 at McNeese
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\n14. Tennessee Tech (11-2, 8-0 Ohio Valley; SoCon member in 2026)
\nPoints:\u00a0594;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a016;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Monmouth
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\n15. Abilene Christian (9-5, 7-1 UAC)
\nPoints:\u00a0579;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a012;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 at Lamar
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\n16. Southern Illinois (7-5, 4-4 MVFC)
\nPoints:\u00a0509;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a025;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 27 at West Florida
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\n17. Austin Peay (7-5, 4-4 UAC)
\nPoints:\u00a0440;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a0NR;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 27 vs. Gardner-Webb
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\n18. Yale (9-3, 6-1 Ivy)
\nPoints:\u00a0418;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a015;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Sept. 19 at Holy Cross
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\n19. Southeastern Louisiana (9-4, 7-1 Southland)\u00a0
\nPoints:\u00a0392;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a019;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 27 vs. HCU
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\n20. Lamar (8-5, 5-3 Southland)
\nPoints:\u00a0380;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a024;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Abilene Christian
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\n21. Mercer (11-3, 7-1 SoCon)
\nPoints:\u00a0306;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a017;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. East Texas A&M
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\n22. Monmouth (9-3, 6-2 CAA)
\nPoints:\u00a0200;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a022;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 at Tennessee Tech
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\n23. UT Martin (6-6, 6-2 OCV-Big South; rebranded to Ohio Valley Conference in 2026)
\nPoints:\u00a0144;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a0NR;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 27 vs. Central Arkansas
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\n24. South Carolina State (10-3, 5-0 MEAC)
\nPoints:\u00a0107;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a021;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Savannah State
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\n25. Northern Arizona (7-5, 4-4 Big Sky)
\nPoints:\u00a0103;\u00a0Final 2025 Ranking:\u00a0NR;\u00a02026 Season Opener:\u00a0Aug. 29 vs. Eastern Washington
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\nOthers Receiving Points (schools listed on two or more ballots):\u00a0Idaho State (6-6, 5-3 Big Sky)\u00a0100;\u00a0Western Carolina (7-5, 6-2 SoCon)\u00a075;Harvard (9-2, 6-1 Ivy)\u00a072;\u00a0New Hampshire (8-5, 6-2 CAA)\u00a061;\u00a0Alabama State (10-2, 7-1 SWAC)\u00a059;\u00a0Jackson State (9-3, 7-1 SWAC)\u00a048;\u00a0Southern Utah (7-5, 6-2 UAC; Big Sky member in 2026)\u00a027;\u00a0Prairie View A&M (10-4, 7-1 SWAC)\u00a025;\u00a0West Georgia (8-3, 5-3 UAC)\u00a025;\u00a0UTRGV (9-3, 5-3 Southland)\u00a020;\u00a0Richmond (7-5, 3-4 Patriot)\u00a015;\u00a0ETSU (7-5, 5-3 SoCon)\u00a012;\u00a0Elon (6-6, 4-4 CAA)\u00a011;\u00a0Southeast Missouri (4-8, 2-5 Ohio Valley; rebranded to Ohio Valley Conference)\u00a010;\u00a0William & Mary (7-5, 6-2 CAA; Patriot League member in 2026)\u00a09;\u00a0Delaware State (8-4, 4-1 MEAC)\u00a07;\u00a0Drake (8-4, 7-1 Pioneer)\u00a07;\u00a0Furman (6-6, 4-4 SoCon)\u00a06
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\nStats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll Voting Panel \u2013 Stats Perform:\u00a0Craig Haley.\u00a0Big Sky Conference:\u00a0Riley Corcoran, Tyson Rodgers,\u00a0Larry Weir.\u00a0CAA Football:\u00a0Roger Brown,\u00a0Matt Harmon, Rob Washburn.\u00a0Ivy League:\u00a0JJ Klein, Craig Larson.\u00a0Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference:\u00a0Isaiah Green,Kendrick Lewis.\u00a0Missouri Valley Football Conference: Kyle Grooms, Tom Miller, Randy Reinhardt.\u00a0Northeast Conference:\u00a0Sarah Boissonneault, Brian Cleary.\u00a0Ohio Valley Conference:\u00a0Mike Bradd, Kyle Schwartz, Mark Simpson.\u00a0Patriot League:\u00a0Bob Black, Eric Malanoski, Ryan Sakamoto.\u00a0Pioneer Football League:\u00a0Cody Bush, Larry Hansgen.\u00a0Southern Conference:\u00a0Scott Keeler, Andrew Miller, Ralan Wardlaw.Southland Conference:\u00a0Matthew Bonnette, James Dixon, Jasmine Washington.\u00a0Southwestern Athletic Conference:\u00a0Curtis Ford, Ronnie Johnson.\u00a0United Athletic Conference:\u00a0Claire Johnson, Benjamin Ray, Jake Withee.\u00a0National Representatives:\u00a0Sean Anderson, Stan Becton,Taylor Blue,\u00a0Zack Carlton, Gene Clemons, Joe DeLeone, Matt Dixon, Steven J. Gaither, Sam Herder,\u00a0Emory Hunt, Kyle Kensing, Brandon Lawrence, Zach McKinnell,\u00a0Jon Passman, Omar Rashon Borja, Ryan Roberts, Timothy Rosario, Kent Schmidt, Phil Sokol,\u00a0Reggie Thomas, Ralph Ventre, Jamie Williams.<\/p>\n
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