By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / External Communication Strategy
The Weekly Preview
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The 113th season of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football gets off to a fast start with all 10 teams in action during Week Zero of the 2026 season, including eight Thursday night games.
Chadron State, which finished second in the RMAC last season, is one of two teams to open the 2026 campaign with its 5 p.m. kickoff at Northern State. Also in the league-opening spot is Black Hills State, which also heads east to meet the University of Sioux Falls.
Defending champion, preseason favorite, and nationally-ranked CSU Pueblo plays one of those eight Thursday contests when it hosts Central Missouri in the ThunderBowl. Nationally-ranked Western Colorado, the league’s second-place outfit in 2025, makes the trip to Canyon, Texas, for a Thursday night outing against West Texas A&M. Back in the footprint, Colorado Mesa opens its season with a stern test from nationally-ranked and 2025 national quarterfinalist Minnesota State.
Just two games await fans on Saturday, beginning with Fort Lewis at Willam Jewell in an 11 a.m. (MT) kickoff. Capping off the week’s action is another big interconference test as Colorado School of Mines, which was picked third in the RMAC preseason poll, will square off against nationally ranked Western Oregon, the Lone Star Conference’s preseason No. 2 squad
Week Zero Schedule
| Thursday, August 27 |
| (RV)/#21 Chadron State at Northern State |
5 p.m. |
NSIC Network |
| Black Hills State at Sioux Falls |
5 p.m. |
NSIC Network |
| Western New Mexico at Adams State |
6 p.m. |
RMAC Network |
| #5/3 Minnesota State at Colorado Mesa |
6 p.m. |
RMAC Network |
| #11/11 Western Colorado at (RV) West Texas A&M |
6 p.m. |
FloSports |
| (RV) Central Missouri at #6/10 CSU Pueblo |
6 p.m. |
RMAC Network |
| Eastern New Mexico at New Mexico Highlands |
6 p.m. |
RMAC Network |
| South Dakota Mines at Drake |
6:30 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, August 29 |
| Fort Lewis at William Jewell |
11 a.m. |
GLVC Sports Net |
| #22/14 Western Oregon at (RV) Colorado School of Mines |
Noon |
RMAC Network |
Rankings: AFCA Coaches Poll/D2Football.com Poll. Yellow indicates an RMAC contest.
“Small School Saturday” Opens Season at Colorado School of Mines
Small School Saturday, presented by Division I Rejects, visits Golden, Colorado, where nationally ranked Western Oregon visits Colorado School of Mines. Now in its second season, Small School Saturday covers the top games across NAIA, NCAA Division II, and III levels and is available on FloSports.
NCAA Division II Championship Field Selection Moves to NPI
New for 2026, the NCAA Division II Championship Field Selection will be determined by the NCAA Power Index (NPI). Used in Division III for the past two seasons, the NPI will replace the NCAA’s Regional Advisory Committees across most team sports during the 2026-27 season.
The NPI is a system that objectively applies the selection criteria to data based on the sport committee’s established weighted criteria. NPI is a combination of the following: winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away multiplier, quality win bonus, and minimum wins.
The first NPI will be released on Mondays four weeks before Selection Sunday in each sport, with the first football NPI release on Monday, Oct. 19. In the two weeks before Selection Sunday, the NPI will be updated daily.
Nine RMAC Athletes Included in D2Football.com Preseason Top 100
D2Football.com released its Preseason Elite 100 list of Division II’s top football athletes, with RMAC student-athletes earning six spots. Western Colorado linebacker Ian Loomis, Colorado Mesa defensive back Gibson Leafgreen, and Colorado School of Mines punter Lucas LeSieur earned second-team recognition. CSU Pueblo wide receiver Marcellus Honeycutt Jr., Chadron State defensive lineman William Stemler, and Western Colorado defensive lineman Drew Johnson.
Two RMAC Kickers Named to Fred Mitchell Award Watch List
The Fred Mitchell Award Selection Committee released its 2026 Preseason Watch List for the 18th edition of the award, which recognizes the nation’s top place-kickers competing outside the Division I ranks. Colorado School of Mines’ Preston Kyle and CSU Pueblo’s Jackson Smith were two of 12 Division II place-kickers recognized on the list.
RMAC Preseason Poll
Two-time defending champion Colorado State University Pueblo is again picked as the preseason favorite in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Preseason Football Coaches’ Poll released in late July.
CSU Pueblo received eight of a possible nine first-place votes, and one second-place vote, to amass 80 of a possible maximum 81 points to lead the 2026 preseason poll. The ThunderWolves had three athletes named to the preseason team, led by wide receiver Marcellus Honeycutt Jr., who returns after earning Second-Team All-RMAC recognition last season.
Western Colorado University, which reached the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs last season, was picked second in the poll with one first-place vote and 69 points. The Mountaineers led all teams with seven returning student-athletes, including two offensive linemen from the 2025 First Team All-RMAC, named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team.
Colorado School of Mines (62 points), Chadron State (60) and Colorado Mesa (52) rounded out the top half of the preseason poll. New Mexico Highlands University led the second half of the 10-team poll with 38 points and were followed by South Dakota Mines (34 points), Black Hills State University (29), Fort Lewis College (16), and Adams State University (10).
RMAC Preseason Squad
Four 2025 First Team All-RMAC honorees return to lead the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC unit. Western Colorado offensive linemen Taylor Nichols and Joseph Shepardson, Black Hills State kick returner Bryce Coulson, and Colorado School of Mines long snapper Josh Hildebrand. They were joined by 14 returning Second Team All-RMAC selections, including New Mexico Highlands outside linebacker Dontaivious Nelson, who returns after earning the league’s Defensive Freshman of the Year honor last season.
RMAC Championships
Western Colorado (19, 2021); Colorado School of Mines (16, 2023); Colorado Mesa (12, 2017); CSU Pueblo (10, 2025); Chadron State (8, 2008); Adams State (7, 1989); New Mexico Highlands (2, 1999); and Fort Lewis (1, 1984).
(Championships won and the last year the program won or shared a championship)
RMAC Network PPV
All RMAC football games broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members are available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. A discounted annual subscription price is available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league’s membership to enhance their programs. Visit RMACNetwork.com/Purchase for more information and to subscribe.
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 71 national championships since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.
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