CLEVELAND, Ohio – The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) released its 2026 football preseason coaches poll on Monday afternoon. The Ohio Wesleyan University football team was selected to finish seventh in the now 10-team conference.

Reigning NCAC champion John Carroll was picked to finish atop the conference with 95 points and six first-place votes. DePauw was a close second with 93 points and four first-place votes. Wabash was third with 76 points, followed by new NCAC football-affiliate WashU in fourth with 68 points, Denison in fifth with 57 points, and Wittenberg in sixth with 51 points.

The Battling Bishops were seventh with 38 points, followed by Wooster in eighth with 36 points, Kenyon in ninth with 22 points, and Oberlin in 10th with 14 points.

The Red and Black finished the 2025 season in seventh place with a 2-6 conference record, going 3-7 overall. The two NCAC wins came over Kenyon (55-13) and Oberlin (35-0) with another coming up just short against Wooster (20-24).

OWU will open the 2026 season with Thursday night football at Selby Stadium on September 3 as the Bishops host Bluffton at 7 p.m.