HELENA — The Frontier Conference announced its 2025 football coaches preseason poll Monday. The league expanded to 14 total teams this fall with the addition of five programs: Dakota State (S.D.), Dickinson State (N.D.), Mayville State (N.D.), Simpson (Calif.) and Valley City State (N.D.).
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams in their own division. There are two divisions in the football conference, East and West. First-place votes were worth seven points, second-place votes worth six points, third worth five points and so on to the last place with one oint.
Montana Tech (9-3 overall record in 2024) edged Dickinson State (10-2 overall record in 2024, 10 straight North Star Athletic Association football regular-season championships) by one point to claim the top spot in the East Division. The Orediggers collected four first-place votes and 34 points, followed by the Blue Hawks with three first-place votes and 33 points. Both teams qualified for the NAIA football postseason last season.
Rocky Mountain recorded 25 points to place third in the East Division poll, followed by Dakota State in fourth with 21 points. Mayville State secured fifth place after tallying 15 points, edging Valley City State by one point (14 points). MSU-Northern is seventh with seven points.
Montana Western (10-2 overall record, 7-1 Frontier conference record in 2024), which won the previous two Frontier Conference regular-season titles, took the top spot in the West Division with five first-place votes and 35 points. The Bulldogs advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals last season. Southern Oregon placed second in the West Division poll with 30 points and a first-place vote.
College of Idaho scored 26 points to finish third in the West Division preseason poll. Carroll picked up the final first-place vote and collected 23 points to place fourth. Eastern Oregon was fifth with 16 points, followed by Arizona Christian in sixth with 11 points and Simpson in seventh with six points.
The NAIA football season officially kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 28.
The Frontier Conference will have two weeks of cross-over contests (East vs. West) on Sept. 20 and Sept. 27. Each team will play one road contest and one home contest during the cross-over span.
The division contests will start on Oct. 4, with each team playing a total of six contests in its own division. Each team will play three road contests and three home contests during the division schedule.
The Frontier Conference will have two automatic bids for the NAIA playoffs, which begin on Nov. 22 with the opening round. The East and West division winners will receive an automatic bid for the playoffs.
Below are the complete preseason polls.
2025 Frontier Conference football preseason coaches' poll - East Division
| Rank | School (First-place votes) | Total points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana Tech (4) | 34 |
| 2 | Dickinson State (N.D.) (3) | 33 |
| 3 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 25 |
| 4 | Dakota State (S.D.) | 21 |
| 5 | Mayville State (N.D.) | 14 |
| 6 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 13 |
| 7 | MSU-Northern | 7 |
2025 Frontier Conference football preseason coaches' poll - West Division
| Rank | School (First-place votes) | Total points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana Western (5) | 35 |
| 2 | Southern Oregon (1) | 30 |
| 3 | College of Idaho | 26 |
| 4 | Carroll (Mont.) (1) | 23 |
| 5 | Eastern Oregon | 16 |
| 6 | Arizona Christian | 11 |
| 7 | Simpson (Calif.) | 6 |
