2026 FCS Preview

Every FCS team gets a page: last season’s results, returning production, and the schedule with a win probability on every game. Plus the projected 24-team bracket, conference orders of finish, and where our number disagrees with the market.

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Big South-OVC 2026 Season Preview

Gardner-Webb's Edge Is Thin

Gardner-Webb projects as the favorite at No. 49 nationally, but the gap to the field is razor-thin rather than commanding. UT Martin sits right behind at No. 54, and Lindenwood at No. 56 is close enough to crash the top of the league, so this reads as a three-team scrap more than a coronation. Charleston Southern and Southeast Missouri State, projected at No. 72 and No. 73, look like the next tier down rather than true title threats. The projected path still runs through a Gardner-Webb-UT Martin title game, but with three teams separated by just a handful of spots, that outcome is far from settled.

Leathernecks Lead the Ballot

Western Illinois tops the preseason all-conference sheet with six selections, and it comes from both lines of scrimmage: quarterback Cason Carswell and receiver Christian Anaya anchor the offense while David Dunston, Jalen Nicolas, Christian S. Pierce and Chance Harrison stack the defensive picks. Lindenwood counters with four honorees split evenly, running back Jared Rhodes and receiver Jalen Smith up front, linebackers Nolan O'Hara and Zach Lewis on the back end, while Charleston Southern's Mylan Bowen and Malik McKinzie give that defensive line real teeth alongside tight end Nebanye Moore. With Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri State, Gardner-Webb and UT Martin all still landing first-teamers, the ballot reads less like a one-program league and more like a conference where talent is spread across at least five rosters.

Lindenwood and Charleston Southern Lead

Lindenwood claims the most top position rooms in the league with 3 of 7, anchored by Jared Rhodes in the backfield, Jalen Smith at receiver, and Nolan O'Hara at linebacker, a spread that points to a team built to win on both sides of the ball rather than lean on one unit. Charleston Southern answers with three rooms of its own up front and on the back end, with Mylan Bowen and Champ Brantley setting the tone on defense and Nebanye Moore giving the offense a proven target at tight end. Western Illinois rounds out the group with Cason Carswell holding down the conference's top quarterback room, a reminder that even outside the two teams stacking rooms, individual difference-makers still shape how the league's talent is distributed.

All 124 FCS team previews

Every team in the FCS book. Each one has its own preview: projected finish, what the roster returns, and the games that decide the season.

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