PRINCETON, N.J. – Following one of the most historic seasons in program history, the Ivy League has announced its 2026 Football Preseason Poll.
Yale was selected as the preseason favorite with 15 first-place votes, followed by Harvard with one.
Dartmouth was picked third with 94 points, while Penn earned 75 points to finish fourth.
Rounding out the poll are Cornell and Princeton, tied for fifth with 46 points, Brown in seventh (45 points), and Columbia in eighth (32 points).
Sixteen media members who regularly cover Ivy League football participated in this year's voting.
Yale is coming off a historic 2025 campaign that saw the Bulldogs finish 9-3 overall and 6-1 in Ivy League play. The Bulldogs defeated Harvard to claim the program's 19th Ivy League championship and secure the conference's first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
Yale also earned its first NCAA FCS playoff victory, rallying from a 35-7 halftime deficit with 29 unanswered points to defeat No. 15 Youngstown State in the opening round before falling to eventual national champion Montana State in the second round.
The Bulldogs open the 2026 season on Sept. 19 at Holy Cross before beginning Ivy League play on Sept. 26 at Cornell. Yale's home opener is set for Oct. 3 against Merrimack.
2026 IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL (First Place Votes)
- Yale – 127 (15)
- Harvard – 111 (1)
- Dartmouth – 94
- Penn – 75
- Cornell – 46
- Princeton – 46
- Brown – 45
- Columbia – 32
