WACO, Texas – Colorado State University Pueblo Football will open the 2026 season ranked No. 6 in the Preseason AFCA Division II Coaches Poll that was released Tuesday morning.

In the preseason AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, the ThunderWolves received 581 points to sit sixth in the poll. The ThunderWolves are six points behind No. 5 Minnesota State (587 points) and 103 points in front of No. 7 Central Washington (478 points). It marks the second consecutive season the Pack has been ranked No. 6 in the Preseason AFCA Coaches Poll.

The Pack were one of four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schools either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason poll as Western Colorado, who went 10-3 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs, opens the season ranked No. 11 as they earned 379 points, while Chadron State (83 votes) and Colorado School of Mines (18 votes) were two of 30 schools that earned votes in the inaugural poll of the 2026 season.
 

Ferris State, who are the defending NCAA Division II National Champions, open the season at No. 1 as they earned 775 points and 31 first place votes. Harding, who is the defending NCAA Division II National Runners-up, is ranked No. 2 as the Bisons earned 738 points, while Kutztown (Pa.) is third with 684 points and Pittsburg State is ranked fourth as they earned 587 points. 

CSU Pueblo ended the 2025 season ranked No. 11 in the final AFCA Division II Coaches Poll after posting a 10-2 overall record and earning its second consecutive RMAC title after posting a 9-0 record in league play for the second straight year. The Pack also advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the second straight year and fell in the first round at home to UT-Permian Basin.

Fourth-year Pack head coach Philip Vigil welcomes back 45 lettermen, including 10 starters from last season's team. Vigil's 2026 team has two starters back on offense, four starters on defense and four on special teams.

The Pack are scheduled to play five teams either ranked or receiving votes in the Preseason Top 25 poll. The lone preseason ranked team on the Pack's schedule is Western Colorado, whom the Pack will host on Nov. 14. In addition, the Pack will open the season on Aug. 27 with a game in the ThunderBowl against Central Missouri, who received seven votes in the preseason poll, while playing at Fort Hays State on Sept. 3, playing at Chadron State on Sept. 19 and hosting Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 12.

CSU Pueblo, who is in its third week of preseason camp, opens the 2026 season with a 6 p.m. home game in the ThunderBowl on Thursday, Aug. 27 against Central Missouri. The Pack collected a 29-24 win last season in Warrensburg, Mo., against the Mules.