KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Ottawa (Kan.) will begin the 2026 season No. 1 in the first-ever NAIA Women's Flag Football Preseason Coaches' Top 10 Poll, claiming seven of eight first-place votes after winning the last five Women's Flag Football Red Banners, including last year's 23-0 run, the first perfect season in NAIA Flag history.
The Braves have compiled an overall record of 88-8 since starting the sport in 2021, and they're followed in this season's preseason poll by Keiser (Fla.), the team Ottawa defeated in last season's finals. Keiser picked up the only other first-place vote in the poll after the Seahawks went 20-2 in 2025. Keiser is 75-15 in five seasons with Flag Football. The Seahawks will open the 2026 season Feb. 19 at home against Lees-McRae, followed by a home game against No. 10 Life (Ga.) Feb. 21.
Feb. 26, No. 1 and No. 2 will meet, as Ottawa takes on Keiser on a neutral field at Reinhardt (Ga.), marking the eighth matchup all-time between the two. Ottawa leads the series 5-2 in seven previous games.
The Sun Conference and the KCAC have a hold on spots three through eight in the preseason poll, with Warner (Fla.) at No. 3, followed by No. 4 Baker (Kan.), No. 5 St. Thomas (Fla.), No. 6 Kansas Wesleyan, No. 7 Webber International (Fla.), and last year's regular-season champion in The Sun, Thomas (Ga.), at No. 8.
No. 9 Milligan (Tenn.) and No. 10 Life round out the inaugural top 10.
|
|
Institution [First-Place Votes] |
2025 W-L |
Pts. |
| 1 |
 |
Ottawa (Kan.) [7] |
23-0 |
98 |
| 2 |
 |
Keiser (Fla.) [1] |
20-2 |
91 |
| 3 |
 |
Warner (Fla.) |
15-5 |
83 |
| 4 |
 |
Baker (Kan.) |
13-9 |
76 |
| 5 |
 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
15-3 |
70 |
| 6 |
 |
Kansas Wesleyan |
15-7 |
69 |
| 7 |
 |
Webber International (Fla.) |
11-7 |
63 |
| 8 |
 |
Thomas (Ga.) |
18-2 |
55 |
| 9 |
 |
Milligan (Tenn.) |
21-4 |
52 |
| 10 |
 |
Life (Ga.) |
7-8 |
36 |
Receiving Votes: William Woods (Mo.) 33, Midland (Neb.) 20, Graceland (Iowa) 16, Campbellsville (Ky.) 16, Siena Heights (Mich.) 15, Arizona Christian 12, Florida Memorial 6, La Sierra (Calif.) 6, Southwestern (Kan.) 2.
Poll Methodology
- The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national invitational consideration.
- A panel of head coaches representing four conferences vote in the poll, submitting their top 15 selections to the NAIA National Office.
- The Top 10 teams are selected using a points-based system:
- 15 points for a 1st-place vote, 14 for 2nd, 13 for 3rd, and so on.
- The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
- Teams receiving only one point are not listed as "receiving votes."
