The USA South Athletic Conference's football coaches have released their 2026 preseason poll. Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.
LaGrange, the defending League champions, was placed atop the rankings for the first time in program history thanks to receiving 48 total points and six of the possible eight first place votes. The Panthers posted an undefeated, 7-0, record last year in Conference play, capturing the program's first championship. Huntingdon was in the second spot in the poll with 40 points and one first place vote while Belhaven came in third with 35 points. Brevard rounded out the top-half of the rankings in fourth with 34 points and the final first place vote.
| 2026 USA South Coaches Preseason Football Poll |
| Rank |
Institution (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
LaGrange* (6) |
48 |
| 2. |
Huntingdon (1) |
40 |
| 3. |
Belhaven |
35 |
| 4. |
Brevard (1) |
34 |
| 5. |
N.C. Wesleyan |
23 |
| t-6. |
Greensboro |
18 |
| t-6. |
Southern Virginia |
18 |
| 8. |
Methodist |
8 |
| *Defending Champion |
All-Time Football Conference Records
(ranked by total conference wins of current Conference members) |
| Team |
Seasons |
Record |
Pct. |
Conference Championships |
| N.C. Wesleyan |
22 |
84-66 |
.560 |
3 |
| Huntington |
13 |
74-16 |
.822 |
7 |
| Methodist |
25 |
73-96 |
.432 |
3 |
| Brevard |
8 |
35-18 |
.660 |
1 |
| LaGrange |
13 |
35-59 |
.372 |
1 |
| Greensboro |
25 |
33-135 |
.196 |
0 |
| Belhaven |
4 |
23-8 |
.742 |
1 |
| Southern Virginia |
5 |
7-30 |
.189 |
0 |