2026 GLIAC Preseason Poll

[KleShreen]

GLIAC Preseason Poll has been released: https://gliac.org/news/2026/7/17/foo...ches-poll.aspx



No real surprises, in my opinion. Feels like the most suspenseful thing will be how the bottom three finish. Feels like they could be in any order lol.

[SVSUAlum]

The AD at SVSU is a problem and has setback the football program for several years ahead. Was described as a “snake in the weeds” at MSU and his last place of employment totally scrubbed their media websites of his existence. Now at SVSU destroying a program that was on the rise. Fired Brady after taking 2nd in the league and finally beating GVSU. Not to mention they have played Ferris tougher than anyone over the last 4 years including an OT loss last year. From what I hear their first 2 candidates said no and they got their 3rd guy. Seems like if you are firing someone like Brady you would of had someone in mind ready to go. Instead the AD and administration dragged their feet while our roster all went into the portal. Inside sources tell me the talent level is lower than they can ever remember. It looks obvious that the other league coaches feel the same way as SVSU is picked in the 5th position and I wouldn’t be surprised if Northern Michigan beats them this year as they have a breakout season under their new head coach. Easily see the Cardinals going 4-7 or 3-8 this season. Fire the AD and start over in 3 years.

[Bballfan]

It's pretty sad that Wayne State, located in an area with some of the best football in the state, can't do better. The fact Roosevelt is voted ahead of them is an embarrassment. I don't expect them to be Ferris or Grand Valley level, but there is no reason they should be better than every other school in the conference.

[NewEraWarrior]

It's pretty sad that Wayne State, located in an area with some of the best football in the state, can't do better. The fact Roosevelt is voted ahead of them is an embarrassment. I don't expect them to be Ferris or Grand Valley level, but there is no reason they should be better than every other school in the conference.

Agree. The only good news is it literally can't get worse than last year and Wheatley is gone. Wheatley should never get another head coaching position again, no leadership ability.

[Bballfan]

Agree. The only good news is it literally can't get worse than last year and Wheatley is gone. Wheatley should never get another head coaching position again, no leadership ability.

It is what happens when you hire a name not a coach. Lake Erie College in Ohio did the same thing as few years ago when they hired Anquan Boldin's brother. That ended badly too.

[HBtoSV]

The AD at SVSU is a problem and has setback the football program for several years ahead. Was described as a “snake in the weeds” at MSU and his last place of employment totally scrubbed their media websites of his existence. Now at SVSU destroying a program that was on the rise. Fired Brady after taking 2nd in the league and finally beating GVSU. Not to mention they have played Ferris tougher than anyone over the last 4 years including an OT loss last year. From what I hear their first 2 candidates said no and they got their 3rd guy. Seems like if you are firing someone like Brady you would have I had someone in mind ready to go. Instead the AD and administration dragged their feet while our roster all went into the portal. Inside sources tell me the talent level is lower than they can ever remember. It looks obvious that the other league coaches feel the same way as SVSU is picked in the 5th position and I wouldn’t be surprised if Northern Michigan beats them this year as they have a breakout season under their new head coach. Easily see the Cardinals going 4-7 or 3-8 this season. Fire the AD and start over in 3 years.

I am pretty new to this and have only casually followed the GLIAC and SVSU for years, but am now getting more into it as I start a program at SVSU and have become pretty sick of major D1 football, so I can’t really speak to the AD and his overall decision making because I just haven’t been invested for enough time to have a true opinion on the matter.

On the other hand, from a slightly outsider perspective, it seems like an exciting time to be an SVSU fan. From my following of the program, SVSU was habitually solid under Brady, and kind of almost a thorn in the side to the big two of GVSU and FSU, they were going to give you a game.

On the flip side, it’s hard to see them as “on the rise,” almost every year has produced very similar results, it seems like they hit a ceiling under Brady.

When I first started casually following the GLIAC, SVSU was the big 2 with GVSU. There were legendary battles between two highly ranked rivals and SVSU was making the playoffs and threatening long runs. They’ve since kind of ceded that status in recent years and seemed content to be maybe the best program in the second tier of the conference.

So as a newcomer to more seriously following the program, I see the appeal to not being satisfied with settling. There’s an appeal to saying 6-7 wins isn’t the standard we want to settle for. To having the aspiration of making more playoff appearances and seriously challenging GVSU and FSU.

From my reading, Engle brings a pretty impressive offensive track record to town, he probably does raise the ceiling.

There’s also the real possibility that this blows up in their face and they were better off before. But overall, I have no problem with taking risks to not settle. I wouldn’t write off this experiment from the start.

[SVSUAlum]

On the flip side, it’s hard to see them as “on the rise,” almost every year has produced very similar results, it seems like they hit a ceiling under Brady.

When I first started casually following the GLIAC, SVSU was the big 2 with GVSU. There were legendary battles between two highly ranked rivals and SVSU was making the playoffs and threatening long runs. They’ve since kind of ceded that status in recent years and seemed content to be maybe the best program in the second tier of the conference.

Well considering Brady never beat GVSU or took 2nd place until last year I would of considered them a program on the rise. You also speak of you remember a time when SVSU was a top 2 team in the GLIAC, that’s what they were last year and it got Brady fired.
Your first post comes across as an administrator at SVSU trying to stick up or defend why the AD fired a good coach as all the talent walked out the door.

[HBtoSV]

Well considering Brady never beat GVSU or took 2nd place until last year I would of considered them a program on the rise. You also speak of you remember a time when SVSU was a top 2 team in the GLIAC, that’s what they were last year and it got Brady fired.
Your first post comes across as an administrator at SVSU trying to stick up or defend why the AD fired a good coach as all the talent walked out the door.

The difference was, in the early 2000s, SVSU was consistently a top 2 GLIAC program, not just one time.

And yes, they beat GVSU and finished 2nd, I guess that can be interpreted as “on the rise.” Also, they won less games than the previous year and 2 less games than a couple years before that. They also didn’t make the playoffs… again.

And there’s another thing I noticed, they lose a ton of close games, especially to teams they shouldn’t lose to. This past year could have been seen as “on the rise” had they beaten GVSU, had a close loss to Ferris, finished something like 9-2, and made the playoffs. But they didn’t, because they lost 4 other games and went backwards in wins, sometimes to teams they shouldn’t lose to. That was a trend of this era from what I can see from afar. It seemed like they were stuck in place, like the pesky underdogs with no real ambition.

You can make the weird claim im holding weight for an administration that I can’t even name a name of a person in charge of all you want, that’s not me. I’m a dude from the thumb of Michigan who’s most natural D2 rooting interest since he was a kid was SVSU, but who only followed it from afar and not super closely because I was a bigger fan of Michigan and D1 FBS P4 football.

But that game sucks now and I find some of its old qualities in D2, while starting a program there this year. So time to get more into it as far as I’m concerned.

You likely know more than me, especially about the administration, I couldn’t possibly argue otherwise. But what I do know, from a somewhat inside somewhat outside perspective, is that it looked like SVSU football was stuck at “just ok” and now they are trying to break free of that label.

As someone starting to invest more in the program now, I like that.

[SVSUAlum]

The difference was, in the early 2000s, SVSU was consistently a top 2 GLIAC program, not just one time.

And yes, they beat GVSU and finished 2nd, I guess that can be interpreted as “on the rise.” Also, they won less games than the previous year and 2 less games than a couple years before that. They also didn’t make the playoffs… again.

And there’s another thing I noticed, they lose a ton of close games, especially to teams they shouldn’t lose to. This past year could have been seen as “on the rise” had they beaten GVSU, had a close loss to Ferris, finished something like 9-2, and made the playoffs. But they didn’t, because they lost 4 other games and went backwards in wins, sometimes to teams they shouldn’t lose to. That was a trend of this era from what I can see from afar. It seemed like they were stuck in place, like the pesky underdogs with no real ambition.

You can make the weird claim im holding weight for an administration that I can’t even name a name of a person in charge of all you want, that’s not me. I’m a dude from the thumb of Michigan who’s most natural D2 rooting interest since he was a kid was SVSU, but who only followed it from afar and not super closely because I was a bigger fan of Michigan and D1 FBS P4 football.

But that game sucks now and I find some of its old qualities in D2, while starting a program there this year. So time to get more into it as far as I’m concerned.

You likely know more than me, especially about the administration, I couldn’t possibly argue otherwise. But what I do know, from a somewhat inside somewhat outside perspective, is that it looked like SVSU football was stuck at “just ok” and now they are trying to break free of that label.

As someone starting to invest more in the program now, I like that.

Well honestly I hope you are right and I am wrong and we are able to go 9-2 this year and make the playoffs. If we finish 5th we are cooked as this is the transfer portal era. There is no give him time he will bring in his guys. No, good coaches come in and win so anything less than a top 2 finish like we had last year the administration failed these players. Look at Northwood right down the road they hired a good coach and immediately became a MUCH better team. A 5th place finish next season would not be a good look at all. The opening game against McKendree will tell us a lot as they aren’t a bad team so a victory would be huge.

[HBtoSV]

I do think it’s worth being patient in year one, and this is maybe where you’re right about the administration, because with the timing of everything thiss staff really had to scramble out of the gate to build a roster.

I don’t think a realistic expectation is 9-2 in year one, but I don’t think that excuses being awful as you fear either.

I mean they lost the best player in the league to the portal, and that’s not this staff’s fault. But I do think it says something about that last regime that 6-5 was what could be produced with the best player in the league.

I think a baseline expectation this year should be in that 6-5, 7-4 range. Stabilize things, show proof of concept, then with a full cycle under your belt really hit the ground running from there. That would be the hope.

if they do something like go 3-8 like you fear, that would be a bad start.

[Wildcat Warrior]

"Look at Northwood right down the road they hired a good coach and immediately became a MUCH better team."

Actually, they are enjoying the benefit of joining the GMAC and going from the second hardest schedule in the country three years in a row while in the GLIAC to something much less challenging.

[HBtoSV]

And that’s another thing, Saginaw Valley hasn’t been able to beat Northwood. On paper, that should be a win for SVSU, if you’re on the rise and can beat Grand Valley and Ferris, why can’t you beat Northwood? Is it hard to get up for a rivalry game?

It’s just this weird trend the last few years. Compete with the literal best teams in the country, lay a random egg or two, boom 6 wins! It just wasn’t adding up to a team building toward anything anymore in my opinion.

[GLIAC2MAC]

It's pretty sad that Wayne State, located in an area with some of the best football in the state, can't do better. The fact Roosevelt is voted ahead of them is an embarrassment. I don't expect them to be Ferris or Grand Valley level, but there is no reason they should be better than every other school in the conference.

Roosevelt slapped Wayne around last season and they will continue to get better. Wayne has been a disaster since the return from Covid (top to bottom).

[mtsax305]

Agree. The only good news is it literally can't get worse than last year and Wheatley is gone. Wheatley should never get another head coaching position again, no leadership ability.

This is the first year since I've been a WSU fan (2013) where my expectation is just "be exciting and win a game" even if it's disappointing to say. The "let it play out" take is admittedly lazy, but I think there are just too many variables to really know what will happen. #1 has to be getting the offense functioning again. Yes, defense had gotten more and more leaky, but I always felt that a lot of that had to do with the D being left out to dry. Even with limited PT there, I like that Coach Isaac brought in a QB from CMU. Lots of new faces to catch the ball. Lots of new RBs as well. Hoping that OL has gotten healthier over the summer, and luckily 2 of the 3 three-year letter-winners are on that unit.

[WayneStatesman]

The new head coach at Wayne State is an unknown commodity. He was left with a program in disarray and the cupboard essentially bare. I hope coach Isaac turns out to be a competent head coach but time will tell.

I'm not expecting much this season out of Wayne State but I hope they can at least win a game and show steady progress throughout the season.