KANSAS CITY – The Langston Lions came in at No. 14 in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll, which was released on Monday.
The Lions were undefeated in the regular season in 2017 and finished the year 10-1 after a loss in the first round of the NAIA playoffs.
Oklahoma Panhandle, in its second season in the NAIA received votes and would be ranked No. 28. The Aggies went 7-3 last season.
Here is the complete poll:
| Rank | Previous | School (First-place votes) | Last year’s record | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Saint Francis (Ind.) (16) | 14-0 | 366 |
| 2 | 2 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 12-1 | 349 |
| 3 | 3 | Morningside (Iowa) | 13-1 | 340 |
| 4 | 4 | Southern Oregon | 12-1 | 324 |
| 5 | 5 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 11-1 | 310 |
| 6 | 6 | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | 10-2 | 296 |
| 7 | 7 | Georgetown (Ky.) | 9-2 | 268 |
| 7 | 8 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 10-3 | 268 |
| 9 | 9 | Baker (Kan.) | 10-2 | 259 |
| 10 | 11 | Grand View (Iowa) | 9-3 | 231 |
| 11 | 10 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 8-2 | 227 |
| 12 | 12 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 9-3 | 197 |
| 13 | 14 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 9-2 | 178 |
| 14 | 13 | Langston | 10-1 | 177 |
| 15 | 18 | Marian (Ind.) | 7-3 | 167 |
| 16 | 15 | Concordia (Mich.) | 9-2 | 163 |
| 17 | 16 | Sterling (Kan.) | 9-3 | 159 |
| 18 | 17 | Tabor (Kan.) | 8-2 | 95 |
| 19 | 20 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 8-2 | 86 |
| 20 | NR | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 6-5 | 75 |
| 21 | 21 | Kansas Wesleyan | 8-3 | 67 |
| 22 | 19 | SAGU (Texas) | 8-3 | 51 |
| 22 | NR | Arizona Christian | 7-3 | 51 |
| 24 | 22 | Faulkner (Ala.) | 7-3 | 46 |
| 25 | 23 | Dakota State (S.D.) | 8-3 | 44 |
Others Receiving Votes: Montana Tech (44), Evangel (Mo.) (17), Oklahoma Panhandle State (15), St. Francis (Ill.) (12), College of Idaho (10), William Penn (Iowa) (10), Missouri Valley (9), Midland (Neb.) (8), Bluefield (Va.) 3