The Harding Bisons will open the 2025 football season ranked No. 2 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches Poll, the second straight season that Harding has been in the preseason top two.
The No. 2 ranking comes on the heels of another high preseason honor, as Harding was also tabbed No. 2 in Lindy’s Sports Magazine’s Top 25. The magazine also named senior running back Braden Jay its Division II preseason Most Valuable Player.
Harding received 734 points in the AFCA poll, trailing only defending national champion Ferris State, which claimed all but one of the first-place votes. The Bisons finished the 2024 season with a 12-2 record and a No. 4 final ranking. Harding has now been ranked in 78 consecutive polls, dating to the final poll of the 2017 season.
Harding will open its season on September 4 with a road game against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
_To report a typo or correction, please_ [_click here_](https://www.kait8.com/page/tips/)_._
_Copyright 2025 KAIT. All rights reserved._