Indianapolis, Ind. – The University of Findlay football team has been selected third in the 2026 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Coaches Poll, which was released by the conference on Wednesday, August 5. Findlay received 74 points in the poll and did not receive a first-place vote. This is the 10th year of G-MAC football for Findlay, and the program has never been selected lower than third in any of the 10 preseason polls. It is also the second consecutive season that the Oilers, last year's G-MAC Co-Champions, have been picked third.

The Oilers are coming off a historic season in which the team went 10-2, setting a program record with 10 regular-season victories. That dominant regular season, which included clinching a share of the conference title with a Week 10 road victory over Ashland, earned Findlay the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II Playoffs and the program's first NCAA home playoff game.

Since the league expanded nine seasons ago, the G-MAC has seen five different schools win a conference championship. During that span, the preseason favorite has gone on to win the title just twice, highlighting the parity within the Great Midwest. Those two teams were Ohio Dominican in 2017 and Tiffin during the 2021 spring season.

Ashland University, which shared the 2025 G-MAC championship with Findlay, was picked as the preseason favorite, receiving 87 points and six first-place votes.

Findlay, under the direction of first-year head coach Tyler Johns, begins the 2026 campaign on the road against the University of Indianapolis on Saturday, Sept. 5. The two teams renewed their rivalry last season, marking the first meeting between the Greyhounds and Oilers since 2011. Findlay won that game, defeating No. 17 UIndy, 38-35, to spark a 10-game winning streak to open the season. This will be the last time that the two meet as non-conference opponents as Indianapolis has announced its' intention to join the G-MAC in the fall of 2027.

2026 Great Midwest Football Coaches Preseason Poll

First-place votes are listed in parentheses.