The Emporia State football team has been selected sixth by the coaches and media in the 2026 MIAA Football Preseason Polls released on Monday. Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri were chosen as the favorites to win the league this year after splitting last year’s title. The Gorillas were favored by the coaches with seven first place votes with the Bearcats second while Northwest Missouri earned 19 first place votes in the media poll with PSU finishing in the No. 2 slot. UCO was third in both polls with Fort Hays State and Central Missouri flip-flopping the fourth and fifth picks between the two polls. The Hornets were picked sixth which was one spot down from last year in the coaches poll and the same selection in the media poll from a year ago. Head coach Garin Higgins said that while there has been a lot of success on and off the field for the Hornets recently, injuries and new personnel combined to make it a tough 2025.
Returning MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Landon Boss said the Hornets have been working hard in the summer.
Returning First Team All-MIAA wide receiver Malik O’Atis says the energy has felt different from 2025 as the team has prepped for 2026.
Emporia State begins training camp on August 3. We’ll provide training camp reports each afternoon during camp across the entire KVOE network of stations.
| COACHES POLL | MEDIA POLL |
|---|---|
| 1. Pittsburg State [7] | 1. Northwest Missouri [19] |
| 2. Northwest Missouri [3] | 2. Pittsburg State [10] |
| 3. Central Oklahoma | 3. Central Oklahoma [1] |
| 4. Fort Hays State | 4. Central Missouri |
| 5. Central Missouri | 5. Fort Hays State |
| 6. Emporia State | 6. Emporia State |
| 7. Nebraska Kearney | 7. Nebraska Kearney |
| 8. Washburn | 8. Washburn |
| 9. Missouri Western | 9. Missouri Western |
| 10. Missouri Southern |
