HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team was picked second in the Southland Conference preseason poll, which was released by the league office Monday.
The Lions are coming off a 2025 season that saw SLU finish 15th in both of the final FCS polls. Southeastern finished 9-4 overall and 7-1 in SLC play, as the Lions have a league-best 13-2 conference mark over the past two seasons.
SLU made its fourth playoff appearance in the past seven seasons last fall, as the Southland placed three teams in the postseason field for the first time since 2019. The three 2025 FCS playoff participants also occupy the top three spots in the SLC preseason poll.
Defending league champion SFA is the preseason favorite. The Lumberjacks, who the Lions did not face last fall, were 8-0 in SLC play a season ago. SLU heads to Nacogdoches, Texas Oct. 24.
Southeastern will have an opportunity to avenge 2025’s lone conference loss Oct. 17 when it hosts Lamar, which was picked third and joined SLU and SFA as the only teams to receive a first-place vote.
UTRGV, UIW, McNeese, Nicholls, East Texas A&M, HCU and Northwestern State rounded out the preseason poll. Each school had one vote between its head coach and media relations contact and schools were not allowed to vote for its own team.
Southeastern, which returns to the practice field Tuesday at 9 a.m., will open the 2026 season at home, hosting HCU at 6 p.m. Aug. 27 in Strawberry Stadium.
2026 Southland Conference Preseason Poll
Team (First-place votes) | Points
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
2026 Southeastern Football Key Preseason Dates
Aug. 15 – Season Ticket Pickup Party | 9 a.m.
Aug. 18 – Strawberry Jam | 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 19 – First day of classes
Aug. 22 – Lionpawlooza | 5 p.m. | Railroad Park
Aug. 25 – Debut episode of Inside Southeastern Football with Frank Scelfo | 7 p.m. | Brady’s