SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word football team was picked to finish first in the 2025 Southland Conference Preseason Poll the conference office announced Monday morning.
 
Despite claiming three of the last four conference titles and spending more than 50 consecutive weeks in the FCS top-25 national rankings the Cardinals had never been picked to win the SLC.
 
UIW has dominated the league with a 28-6 record against Southland opponents since 2020, with only one loss under the leadership of head coach Clint Killough. Killough's single conference loss comes against Nicholls State in 2023. The Cardinals avenged this loss to the eventual Southland Champions with a dominant 55-10 win over the Colonels to open up SLC play in 2024.
 
The Word will kickoff the 2025 season with a trip to Thibodaux to take on Nicholls in week 0. This historic matchup will be the first college football game to be played on American soil in 2025, and first time two Southland opponents will play on ESPN2.
 
2025 Southland Conference Football Preseason Poll

Place	School	Votes (First Place)
1.	UIW	158 (15)
2.	SFA	137 (3)
3.	Southeastern	136 (1)
4.	Lamar	112 (1)
5.	Nicholls	91
6.	McNeese	85
T-7.	East Texas – A&M	59
T-7.	HCU	59
9.	Northwestern State	39
10.	UTRGV	24

 
 
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