Football

Central Arkansas breaks into FCS Coaches Poll at No. 24

Central Arkansas cracked the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll this week after knocking off then-No. 22 UT Martin on the road.

Published

12 hours ago

August 31, 2026

All Bears Plus

UCA Bears coach Nathan Brown on the field during fall practices in Conway, Ark.

Central Arkansas is a ranked football team again, and it did not take long to get there.

The program cracked the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll this week, checking in at No. 24 in the very first rankings release of the 2026 season.

It’s a small number on a big list, but for a team that started the year outside the poll entirely, it’s a nice place to land.

UCA earned that spot the hard way.

The Bears knocked off then-No. 22 UT Martin, 36-24, in the season opener and that result did more than just fill the win column.

It flipped the script on both teams at once.

UT Martin had entered fall camp sitting at No. 22 in the preseason poll.

After the loss to the Bears, the Skyhawks dropped out of the rankings completely, joining Southeastern Louisiana and Monmouth (N.J.) on the list of teams that fell out this week.

UCA wasn’t the only newcomer either.

Richmond also jumped into the poll at No. 23 after beating Bucknell, 35-14, and William & Mary vaulted all the way to No. 19 following a wild comeback win over then-No. 7 Villanova.

The Bears picked up 63 points in the coaches’ vote, just enough to hold down the final spot at No. 24.

UCA turns its attention to West Florida

Now the focus shifts to keeping that ranking.

UCA hosts West Florida on Sept. 5, and it’s the first real chance for the program to prove week one wasn’t a one-time thing.

A win keeps the Bears in the conversation heading into the second week of the season. A loss could send them right back out the way UT Martin went.

The rest of the poll shows just how unpredictable opening week was across the FCS.

Montana State stayed at No. 1 after a 54-0 win over Utah Tech, picking up all 26 first-place votes along the way.

South Dakota State jumped up to No. 2 after a 70-7 win over Stetson, while Montana slipped to No. 3 following a tighter than expected 28-21 win over Southern Utah.

Illinois State, Tarleton State and UC Davis all held onto their preseason spots at No. 4 through No. 6. Villanova had the toughest week of any ranked team, falling from No. 7 all the way to No. 17 after William & Mary scored 13 points in the final 53 seconds to steal a 35-32 road win.

For UCA, none of that outside noise really matters right now.

The goal is simple: protect the ranking, take care of business at home against West Florida and keep building on a season opener that already turned heads.

It’s a start, and the Bears earned every bit of it on the field.