HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team is ranked 19^th in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25, which was released Monday.
 
SLU has finished ranked in the top 25 in five of the eight seasons under head coach Frank Scelfo. The Lions enter 2026 in search of its seventh overall postseason appearance in program history and fifth FCS playoff berth in the past eight seasons.
 
All three of the Southland Conference's 2025 FCS playoff participants were included in the poll. Reigning SLC champion SFA was selected 13^th, while Lamar was one spot behind Southeastern at No. 20. SLC member UTRGV was among the teams receiving votes.
 
Southeastern, which returns to the practice field Tuesday at 9 a.m., will open the 2026 season Aug. 27, hosting HCU at 6 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium.
 
Stats Perform 2026 Preseason FCS Top 25 Poll
 
Team (First-place votes) | Points
1. Montana State (57) | 1,425
2. Montana | 1,328
3. South Dakota State | 1,266
4. Illinois State | 1,231
5. Tarleton State | 1,100
6. UC Davis | 1,063
7. Rhode Island | 1,048
8. Villanova | 1,008
9. Youngstown State | 946
10. North Dakota | 945
11. Lehigh | 826
12. South Dakota | 783
13. SFA | 773
14. Tennessee Tech | 594
15. Abilene Christian | 579
16. Southern Illinois | 509
17. Austin Peay | 440
18. Yale | 418
19. Southeastern | 392
20. Lamar | 380
21. Mercer | 306
22. Monmouth | 200
23. UT Martin | 144
24. South Carolina State | 107
25. Northern Arizona | 103
Others Receiving Votes: Idaho State 100, Western Carolina 75, Harvard 72, New Hampshire 61, Alabama State 59, Jackson State 48, Southern Utah 27, Prairie View 25, West Georgia 25, UTRGV 20, Richmond 15, ETSU 12, Elon 11, Southeast Missouri 10, William & Mary 9, Delaware State 7, Drake 7, Furman 6.
2026 Southeastern opponents in bold italics
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow @lionupfootball on Instagram.
 
TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics observes a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.