Coaches in the Great American Conference predicted the University of Arkansas at Monticello football team will fall just short of last year’s finish in conference standings.
UAM is picked ninth in the 2025 Preseason GAC Coaches’ Poll, one spot below its finish from last season. The Boll Weevils went 4-7, just one game ahead of Southern Nazarene and Southwestern Oklahoma State and two games ahead of Northwestern Oklahoma State and Oklahoma Baptist.
Harding and Ouachita Baptist are picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the conference, after the two teams shared the conference championship last season at 10-1.
Harding, the 2023 national champion, reached the third round of the 2024 NCAA Division II playoffs, losing to eventual champion Ferris State of Michigan. Ouachita Baptist, which beat Harding in the regular season but suffered a stunning loss to Southern Nazarene two weeks later, lost its playoff opener in overtime to Central Oklahoma.
Harding earned 119 voting points and accounted for nine first-place votes. Ouachita Baptist earned 108 points and three first-place votes.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Southern Arkansas (99 points) is picked to come in third place again. The rest of the predicted order is Henderson State (96), Southeastern Oklahoma State (72), East Central (68), Arkansas Tech (66), Southwestern (42), UAM (41), Southern Nazarene (39), Oklahoma Baptist (26) and Northwestern (16).
All 12 teams will begin action Sept. 4 and complete the season without any bye weeks. Every game in the Great American counts toward conference standings.
UAM will start the season at Southeastern in Durant, Okla., and will open its home slate Sept. 13 against East Central.