WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Mount Union, under the direction of seventh-year Head Coach Geoff Dartt, has been picked by the league coaches to win the Ohio Athletic Conference Football title in 2026.

The Purple Raiders collected 64 points and eight of the nine available first-place votes. Baldwin Wallace landed at No. 2 with 54 points, while Ohio Northern rounded out the top three with 53 points (one first-place vote). Heidelberg followed in fourth with 43 points, and Marietta came in fifth with 32 points. Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.

Last season, Mount Union posted a perfect 10-0 record for its 34th overall and ninth straight undefeated regular season, along with its league-record 36th Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championship.

The 2026 Purple Raiders open their season with a top-5 nationally ranked matchup at Wheaton College in Illinois on Saturday, September 5, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Mount Union is ranked No. 3, while the Thunder are ranked No. 5 in the 2026 D3football.com preseason poll.

2026 OAC Preseason Football Poll