FRISCO – The Southland Conference released its preseason poll for football on Monday morning and the East Texas A&M University football team was voted to finish eighth.
The Southland Conference preseason poll is voted on by each school, ranking the predicted order of regular-season finish, not including its own team. First-place votes are worth nine points, second-place votes are worth eight, and so on to one point for ninth place.
The Lions finished in a tie for seventh place a year ago with UIW, having beaten the Cardinals in San Antonio as well. Both teams had a Southland Conference record of 3-5. In the poll for this year, East Texas A&M collected 25 points from the other nine voters around the conference.
Behind the Lions is HCU in ninth place with 16 points and Northwestern State with 10 points for 10
th. The Lions are 4-0 against the Huskies and the Demons over the past two seasons. Nicholls, who East Texas A&M has not played since 2023, is picked seventh with 36 votes.
The leader atop the preseason poll is defending Southland Champion SFA with 77 points, but Southeastern, who made the FCS Playoffs a year ago, is right behind the Lumberjacks with 75 points.
The Lions go into the 2026 season with 66 newcomers on its current roster and begin the season on ESPN as part of the FCS Kickoff at Mercer on August 29. East Texas A&M's first Southland game comes the next week at SFA on September 5.
The first home game of the season is scheduled for 6 p.m. on September 12 against Northwestern State as part of Family Weekend presented by Hilton Dallas/Rockwall Lakefront. Season and single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
LionAthletics.com/tickets.
2026 SOUTHLAND FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Pos. |
Team |
Pts |
| 1 |
SFA (6) |
77 |
| 2 |
Southeastern (3) |
75 |
| 3 |
Lamar (1) |
67 |
| 4 |
UTRGV |
50 |
| 5 |
UIW |
48 |
| 6 |
McNeese |
46 |
| 7 |
Nicholls |
36 |
| 8 |
EAST TEXAS A&M |
25 |
| 9 |
HCU |
16 |
| 10 |
Northwestern State |
10 |
-ETAMU-
