Morningside is ranked third in the nation in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Morningside is ranked third in the nation in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll released on August 8.  

Morningside comes off a banner 2015 campaign where it posted a 12-2 record en route to a fifth consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship and a 12th consecutive post-season appearance in the NAIA Championship Series for the nation’s longest active streak. The Mustangs advanced to the NAIA Championship Series Semifinals, where they lost 30-27 against Southern Oregon University.

Morningside has been ranked in the NAIA Top 10 for 62 consecutive polls dating back to Sept. 19, 2011, for the nation’s longest active streak of top 10 rankings. The Mustangs have been ranked in the NAIA Top 25 for 113 consecutive polls for the nation’s longest active streak in Top 25 rankings.

Morningside has a 124-25 record for a .832 winning percentage since the start of the 2004 season.

Morningside is one of three teams from the GPAC in the NAIA Preseason Top 25. Doane College is ranked ninth and Dakota Wesleyan University is 16th.

The Mustangs will open the 2016 season with a 1 p.m. home game against Ottawa University on Saturday, Sept. 3, as part of the GPAC/KCAC Football Challenge.

Click here for the complete NAIA Preseason Top 25: