The Muhlenberg football team received 24 votes in the D3football.com 2026 preseason poll.

This is the 10th time in the last 12 seasons that the Mules are predicted to be one of the best football teams in Division III. The 24 votes put Muhlenberg seven spots outside the top 25.

Muhlenberg is coming off a season in which it went 9-3, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, and received votes in the final 2025 poll. The Mules' three losses were to two teams who were ranked in the top five all season (Johns Hopkins and Mount Union) and by one point on the road to Centennial Conference champion Franklin & Marshall.

The Mules, who began the 2025 season with a young squad lacking in experience at several key positions, defeated Union in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, recording a postseason win for the eighth consecutive season. 

Muhlenberg faces a challenging schedule in 2026, with four of its 10 opponents also appearing in the preseason rankings. Johns Hopkins is ranked fourth, Endicott shows up at No. 24, and Franklin & Marshall and Carnegie Mellon received votes. Endicott is the scheduled opponent for the team's home opener, on Saturday, September 12. 

The Mules, who are slated to open their season on Saturday, September 5, with a non-conference game at Moravian, have posted 15 straight seasons with at least seven wins, compiling a tremendous 133-39 (.773) record during that span.