Montana Tech has been dominant in three games to start the 2026 NAIA football season, and the Orediggers reaped some of the benefits Monday.
Tech is ranked third in the latest NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, trailing only No. 1 Grand View (Iowa) and No. 2 Keiser (Fla.). Grand View defeated Keiser in last season's NAIA national championship game and has won 31 consecutive games.
The No. 3 ranking is the highest in program history for Tech, surpassing last season's No. 4 ranking.
The Orediggers have allowed just 21 total points through three games. They routed Ottawa (Ariz.) 48-0 in their season opener, defeated then-No. 11 Carroll 24-14 two weeks ago and then blew past then-No. 18 Montana Western 34-7 last week.
Tech is followed in the NAIA top 25 by College of Idaho at No. 4 and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at No. 5. Tech and C of I play each other Sept. 26 in Caldwell, Idaho.
Carroll slipped from 11th to 15th in the rankings, and Western fell from 18th to 21st. Dakota State (S.D.) also represents the Frontier Conference in the poll, as the Trojans climbed to No. 23. View the complete rankings.
Frontier Conference teams continue the non-league portions of their schedules this week. No. 3 Tech hosts Southern Oregon at Bob Green Field in Butte; No. 15 Carroll hosts Dickinson State (N.D.) at Nelson Stadium in Helena; and No. 18 Montana Western hosts Rocky Mountain College at Bulldog Stadium in Dillon. All three games are scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.
The rest of next week's Frontier Conference football schedule is below.
Saturday, Sept. 19
No. 4 College of Idaho at MSU-Northern, 12 p.m.
Arizona Christian at No. 23 Dakota State, 12 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at Valley City State, 1 p.m.
Simpson at Mayville State, 1 p.m.
