Western Michigan receives votes in 2026 Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll
The Broncos finished as MAC champions in 2025, and have high expectations entering the 2026 campaign.
The Western Michigan Broncos, already the defending champions of the Mid-American Conference and an expected favorite to repeat the feat in 2026, earned another accolade on Tuesday afternoon.
The Broncos were one of many teams who "received votes" from the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll, with three votes to their tally in the 2026 preseason edition. The poll, which is comprised of randomly selected coaches from every FBS conference, votes weekly on teams on a scale from 25 (highest) to 1 (lowest) during the season.
The Broncos land at "49th" in the country, and sit above Power Four teams such as Kansas State and California.
(Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor is a participant in this season's polling.)
The Broncos came out of nowhere in 2025 to claim the conference title after a 1-3 start in non-conference play, winning 10 of their next 11 contests after committing to Broc Lowry– who eventually won Offensive Player of the Year honors– at signalcaller.
Their miracle run was acknowledged by the Associated Press in the final edition of their 2025 Top 25 poll, with WMU receiving two votes at season's end.
The 2026 campaign shapes up to be a potential dynasty-builder, as the Broncos retained the vast majority of their starters on offense and defense in an offseason where a lot of their MAC peers turned over sizeable chunks of the roster.
Western's football season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 5th at the Big House in Ann Arbor, when they take on the Michigan Wolverines for a primetime game on NBC.
