2026 ODAC football preseason poll released

FOREST, Va. – A new year and new faces are abundant for Averett University football, as the Cougars were chosen to finish eighth in the newly revealed Old Dominion Athletic Conference preseason poll on Tuesday.

Reigning champions of the ODAC for the fourth year straight, and 25th in the D3football.com rankings, Randolph-Macon College sits atop the poll with seven out of eight first-place votes with another trip to the NCAA second round the previous season. Hampden-Sydney College bumps up to the second spot with the remaining first-place vote, tied in said position with Washington and Lee University. Shenandoah University is in fourth, with Bridgewater College and Roanoke College tied for fifth. Guilford College sits in seventh, followed by Averett.

Cougar football has a new coach on the sidelines for the first time since 2020, as first-year head man Matt Quinn takes the helm with a new staff and a large percentage of newcomers on his roster. Averett does have key returning defensive help from the previous season; senior defensive lineman Chavis Martin was a top-20 player in tackles for loss in the ODAC, and junior defensive back Jeremiah Marks was a top-10 corner in passes defended. The Cougars look to improve from 2025, in which the team went 1-8 and 1-6 in ODAC games.

Averett opens up the season against the same opponent from last year, as North Carolina Wesleyan University heads down to Daly Field at Frank R. Campbell Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 5. The Cougars' first conference game is in nearby Lexington, where Averett will travel to Washington and Lee University on Saturday, Oct. 3.

2026 ODAC preseason football poll

1. Randolph-Macon (7)^ – 49 pts.
2. Hampden-Sydney (1) – 38 pts. (tie)
3. Washington and Lee – 38 pts. (tie)
4. Shenandoah – 33 pts.
5. Bridgewater – 23 pts. (tie)
6. Roanoke – 23 pts. (tie)
7. Guilford – 12 pts.
8. Averett – 8 pts.

^Defending champion