# Montana college football 2026 preseason

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/montana-college-football-2026-preseason
> Updated: 2026-08-03T16:26:15.000Z. Sources: 17. Developments: 2.

In early July 2026, Montana State University and the University of Montana published their football schedules for the upcoming season. A month later, the FCS preseason poll placed Montana State at No. 1 with a unanimous first‑place vote and the University of Montana at No. 2, giving the state the only top‑two spots in the national rankings. On August 3, the USA Today/US LBM Coaches Poll released its preseason rankings, and the accompanying FCS poll reaffirmed Montana State as the unanimous No. 1 team and Montana as No. 2. These consistent rankings have set high expectations for both programs as the 2026 season approaches. No further Montana‑specific preseason updates have been reported since early August 2026.

## Claims

- Oregon was ranked #2 in the same poll. (disputed by 6 sources)
- Indiana was ranked #6 with 14 first‑place votes. (disputed by 6 sources)
- The SEC had nine teams in the top ten of the poll. (disputed)
- Ohio State received 38 first‑place votes in the 2026 USA Today preseason coaches poll. (corroborated by 6 sources)
- Six teams received first‑place votes for the first time since 2008. (corroborated by 6 sources)
- The poll allocated a total of 72 first‑place votes. (corroborated by 6 sources)
- Clemson was ranked #23, its lowest spot since 2011. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Ole Miss was ranked #10 in the poll. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-03: Ohio State Tops Preseason Coaches Poll as Indiana Drops to Sixth

Ohio State leads the 2026 preseason Coaches Poll (38 first‑place votes); Oregon is second, Indiana drops to sixth, SEC fields nine top‑10 teams, and Texas Tech hits a school‑record No. 12.

17 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/montana-state-and-montana-grizzlies-top-2026-fcs-preseason-rankings

### 2026-07-07: Montana State and Grizzlies unveil 2026 football schedules

The University of Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats released their 2026 football schedules, detailing kickoff times, night games and three nationally‑televised matchups for the Bobcats.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/montana-state-and-grizzlies-unveil-2026-football-schedules

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Cite as: Montana college football 2026 preseason. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/montana-college-football-2026-preseason