HELENA, MT (fcsports.org) – The Frontier Conference announced their 2025 football coaches preseason poll Monday.  The league expanded to 14 total teams this fall with the addition of five programs – Dakota State (S.D.), Dickinson State (N.D.), Mayville State (N.D.), Simpson (Calif.), and Valley City State (N.D.).

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams in their own division.  There are two divisions in the football conference – East and West.  First place is worth seven (7) points, second place is worth six (6) points, third place is worth five (5) points, and so on to the last place with one (1) point.

Montana Tech (9-3 overall record in 2024) edged Dickinson State (N.D.) (10-2 overall record, 10 straight NSAA football regular season champion after the 2024 season) by one point to claim the top spot in the East Division.  The Orediggers collected four first-place votes and 34 points, followed by the Blue Hawks with three first place votes and 33 points.  Both teams qualified for the NAIA FCS Football postseason last season (second round appearance).

Rocky Mountain (Mont.) recorded 25 points to place third in the East Division poll, followed by Dakota State (S.D.) fourth with 21 points.  Mayville State (N.D.) secured fifth place after tallying 15 points, edging Valley City State (N.D.) by one point (14 points).  MSU-Northern is seventh with seven (7) points.

Montana Western (10-2 overall record, 7-1 Frontier conference record in 2024), who won the previous two Frontier Conference regular-season titles, took the top spot in the West Division with five first-place votes and 35 points.  The Bulldogs advanced to the NAIA FCS quarterfinals last season.  Southern Oregon placed second in the West Division poll with 30 points and a first-place vote.

College of Idaho scored 26 points to finish third in the West Division preseason poll.  Carroll (Mont.) picked up the final first-place vote and collected 23 points to place fourth.  Eastern Oregon was fifth with 16 points, followed by Arizona Christian sixth with 11 points, and Simpson seventh with six points.

The NAIA Football officially kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 28.

The Frontier Conference will have two weeks of cross-over contests (East vs. West) on Sept. 20 and Sept. 27.  Each team will play one road contest and one home contest during their cross-over span.

The division contests will start on Oct. 4, with each team playing a total of six contests in their own division (last division contest scheduled for Nov. 15).  Each team will play three road contests and three home contests during the division schedule.

The Frontier Conference will have two automatic bids for the NAIA Football Championships Series (FCS), which begins on Nov. 22 with the opening round.  The East and West division winners will receive an automatic bid for the FCS playoffs.

The national postseason action continues with the second round on Nov. 29, quarterfinals on Dec. 6, and semifinals on Dec. 13.  The NAIA Football National Championship game is slated for Dec. 20, 2025, at Crowley ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

Below is the complete 2025 Frontier Conference Football Coaches’ Preseason Poll by divisions: