HELENA -- Montana Tech's football team will begin the 2025 season as the favorite in the Frontier Conference East Division.
The Orediggers set the pace in the league's preseason coaches' poll, the Frontier office announced Monday.
Montana Tech collected 34 points and four of the seven first-place nods in the poll, narrowly edging Frontier newcomer Dickinson State for the top spot. The Blue Hawks carried the other three top votes and 33 points. Rocky Mountain checked in third in the East Division voting, followed by a trio of new conference members in Dakota State, Mayville State, and Valley City State. MSU-Northern was voted seventh.
There are two divisions in the football conference, East and West, beginning this season. Coaches voted only within their divisions were not allowed to vote for their own teams. First place is worth seven points, second place is worth six, third place is worth five, and so on to the last place with one point.
The Frontier Conference will sport a drastically new look in 2025-26. The league expanded to 14 total teams this fall with the addition of existing North Star Athletic Association institutions — Dakota State, Dickinson State, Mayville State, and Valley City State. All four of those institutions will play football in the East Division. Simpson also joined the Frontier this fall and will compete in the West Division.
With the expansion, the Frontier receives two automatic bids to the NAIA's Football Championship Series. The winner of each division will earn the qualifier.
Montana Tech returns a talented core from last season's 9-3 team that reached the second round of the NAIA postseason. Senior
Levi Torgerson was a first-team All-Frontier return specialist and third-teamer at wide receiver a season ago, and sophomores
Shannen O'Brien and
Anthony Okes were second-teamers on the offensive and defensive lines, respectively. Senior defensive back
Payton Gonser and graduate student tight end
Derek Pearse return off honorable mention campaigns.
The Orediggers kick off the 2025 season Thursday, August 28 when Montana Western pays a visit to Alumni Coliseum for the Copper Game. The Bulldogs were tabbed the favorite in the West Division.
2025 Frontier Conference East Division Preseason Coaches' Poll
| RANK |
TEAM (FIRST-PLACE VOTES) |
POINTS |
| 1 |
Montana Tech (4) |
34 |
| 2 |
Dickinson State (3) |
33 |
| 3 |
Rocky Mountain |
25 |
| 4 |
Dakota State |
21 |
| 5 |
Mayville State |
14 |
| 6 |
Valley City State |
13 |
| 7 |
MSU-Northern |
7 |
2025 Frontier Conference West Division Preseason Coaches' Poll
| RANK |
TEAM (FIRST-PLACE VOTES) |
POINTS |
| 1 |
Montana Western (5) |
35 |
| 2 |
Southern Oregon (1) |
30 |
| 3 |
College of Idaho |
26 |
| 4 |
Carroll (1) |
23 |
| 5 |
Eastern Oregon |
16 |
| 6 |
Arizona Christian |
11 |
| 7 |
Simpson |
6 |
Visit Montana Tech athletics' home online, GoDiggers.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news and coverage of the Orediggers. Give Montana Tech athletics a like on Facebook, and follow the Orediggers on X and Instagram at @DiggerAthletics.
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