The FCS season kicks off in Texas during Week 0 with some major clashes waiting at the end of August. A record four FCS teams – SFA, Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, and Lamar – reached the playoffs last year while Prairie View A&M won the SWAC and nearly emerged victorious from the Celebration Bowl. 

The 2026 season should be another banner year for the FCS programs in the Lone Star State with many of the familiar programs vying for conference championships while the teams toward the bottom of the power poll start to close the gap. 

1. Tarleton State 

Tarleton is the winningest Division I football program in Texas since 2018 and head coach Todd Whitten has his Texans on the doorstep of an FBS invite. Replacing 47 seniors won’t be an easy task, but a strong portal class and the likes of QB Braedyn Locke and WR Tanner West should help OC Chris Ross retool an offense that led the FCS with 42.4 points per game last year. The Week 1 clash with Prairie View A&M provides a good litmus test for both squads. 

2. Abilene Christian 

ACU is the co-favorite to win the United Athletic Conference (UAC) after the two split the title in 2025. The Wildcats have won three conference championships in the last five years and another playoff run is expected for head coach Keith Patterson. The offensive line is a strength for a team that’s fielding 63 new players in 2026. OC Graham Harrell should post another strong offense as Patterson moves to more of a CEO role with Sam Bennett stepping in as defensive coordinator. Early non-conference games against Lamar and SFA should tell us a lot. 

3. SFA

The Lumberjacks climbed to the top of a crowded Southland Conference and reached the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs last season. Head coach Colby Carthel believes his Jacks can do it again despite losing key contributors on both sides of the ball and both coordinators. Jared May was elevated into the OC role and Caid Faske returns to SFA to take over as DC. Gavin Rutherford is the expected starter at QB and he’ll have OL Eric Gray to lead the way in the trenches. 

4. Lamar 

No one in the state has done a better coaching job than Pete Rossomando since he’s taken over the Cardinals. They reached the FCS playoffs last year for the first time since 2018 and finished the season ranked for the first time as a Division I football program. Lamar is a dark horse pick to win the SLC. Improvements are needed at quarterback and running back, which Rossomando fully admits. DE Andrew Huff anchors a strong front seven on defense. 

5. UTRGV 

The defense returns nine starters so if the Vaqueros can replace the lost production on offense, they are clear contenders in the SLC. Head coach Travis Bush helped UTRGV establish itself as a program to watch in the FCS ranks and the home environment is already one of the top draws in the Non-FBS ranks. UTRGV is no longer just a fun story. The Vaqueros are for real. 

6. UIW 

The Cardinals were 42-10 overall and 24-3 in Southland Conference play from 2021-2024, while reaching the playoffs four times and claiming a share of four SLC crowns. UIW fell back to earth in 2025 but head coach Clint Killough believes it was a one-year blip and not a trend. Has the rest of the conference stepped up and erased the gap UIW built over the last five or so years? Maybe. But that doesn’t mean the Cardinals won’t wake back up in 2026 and push for another SLC crown. Landing QB transfer Emmett Brown was a big win this summer. 

7. Prairie View A&M 

I’ll admit that finding the right place for the Panthers is a tough chore and I won’t push back on anyone who feels this is too low for Tremaine Jackson’s program. After all, PVAMU won 10 games last year and came two points shy of claiming a victory in the Celebration Bowl. But while the Panthers are clearly catching up, the gap between the SWAC and SLC and UAC remains. The Panthers can prove the doubters wrong early in the season, however, thanks to non-conference clashes with Tarleton State and SFA. 

8. East Texas A&M 

The Lions never recovered from early-season games against SMU and Florida State as injuries mounted. Head coach Clint Dolezel says that his team can win six or seven games and play spoiler in the SLC, which would be a huge improvement for a program that is 7-27 over the last three seasons. 

9. Houston Christian 

A talented group of wide receivers and a strong front seven on defense provide the Huskies with some hope heading into 2026. Year 3 feels like a pivotal one for head coach Jason Bachtel. He’ll need quarterback play to improve to help unlock an offense that only averaged 16.83 points and 153.33 passing yards per game last year. 

10. Texas Southern

Head coach Chris Dishman made some major changes this offseason that could push his Tigers further up this list by the end of 2026. Texas Southern hired a new defensive coordinator and a new cornerbacks coach while adding seven new defensive backs and six new linemen on each side of the ball. Beating PVAMU in Week 2 would be a major boon and provide some much-needed momentum.