BATON ROUGE - Southern football was picked to finish 5th in the SWAC West for the 2026 season, a poll said.

Southern finished its last season 2-10 overall and 1-7 in conference play. They will be lead by new head coach Marshall Faulk this season, opening against the Alabama State Hornets in the SWAC Birmingham Classic.

Kickoff is at 2 p.m. on Aug. 29.

The predicted order of finish was voted on by SWAC head coaches and sports information directors.

View the full list below:

SWAC East

Alabama State – 131 points (16)
Jackson State – 122 points (7)
Bethune-Cookman – 71 points
Florida A&M – 70 points
Alabama A&M – 66 points (1)
Mississippi Valley State – 29 points

SWAC West

Prairie View A&M – 130 points (19)
Grambling State – 93 points (2)
Alcorn State – 90 points (1)
Texas Southern – 79 points (1)
Southern – 65 points (1)
Arkansas–Pine Bluff – 32 points

First-place votes are listed in parentheses.