Mercer picked as Southern Conference preseason favorite for 2026 season
Mercer got six of nine first-place votes and 76 points, but Tennessee Tech and ETSU kept the SoCon race tight behind the Bears.
Mercer opened the Southern Conference preseason race with a narrow edge that reads more like pressure than comfort, earning six of nine first-place votes and 76 total points from the league’s head coaches. Tennessee Tech sat only six points back at 70, with three first-place votes, while ETSU collected one first-place vote and finished third at 61, leaving the top of the league crowded before a snap is played.
The vote put Mercer in the familiar spot of preseason benchmark, but it also showed how little separation exists near the top of the conference. Western Carolina followed with 58 points, Furman had 46, and Wofford finished with 36, giving the SoCon a first tier that can still be shuffled quickly once conference play begins. The coaches’ choice pointed to Mercer as the team to beat, yet the split in first-place votes made clear that the Bears were the top choice in a tight field rather than an untouchable favorite.
The preseason honors added another layer to that picture. Western Carolina redshirt sophomore quarterback Taron Dickens was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, giving the Catamounts a proven offensive centerpiece, while Mercer sophomore defensive lineman Andrew Zock was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Both awards went to underclassmen, a reminder that the conference’s most important players are spread across multiple contenders rather than concentrated in one place.
For Mercer, the No. 1 slot carries a different kind of weight. The Bears were picked to win the league, but the numbers behind the poll show how quickly that spot can become vulnerable if Tennessee Tech or ETSU turns a good start into a real run. With Western Carolina and Furman also sitting close enough to matter, the SoCon enters the 2026 season with a front end that looks more compressed than settled, and Mercer starts there with the standard everyone else will be trying to catch.
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