DII CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

South Atlantic

#29 overall#4 in DIIRR50 −3.0Upper strength −0.510 teamsTop 25 teams 0

The weekly grind · 2026

The Lenoir-Rhyne Standard

The South Atlantic Conference runs from the Carolinas through Tennessee and Virginia — Lenoir-Rhyne, Carson-Newman, Wingate, Mars Hill, Tusculum, and Newberry competing in the Appalachian foothills. Carson-Newman has won two. The SAC is the most decorated conference in the Super Region East bracket and operates in a football culture — the Appalachian South — that produces DII-caliber players at a rate that major programs systematically ignore.

Division II10 teamsRace: Super RegionLeader: Carson Newman

South Atlantic · 2026 season

Three things to watch

The frontrunnerCarson Newman's Title Defense

Carson Newman sit atop the South Atlantic midway through 2026 (+1.7), going 8-1 in 2026. Until someone closes the gap, every other team in this conference is chasing them.

The challengerWingate: Closing the Gap

At -0.2, Wingate sit at 5-4 — the most realistic challenger in the South Atlantic. The gap to the frontrunner is 1.9 power points, a margin that one strong head-to-head result can erase.

Wild cardCan Newberry Break Through?

Newberry sit at 7-2 and rank outside the top two in South Atlantic power — but their offensive efficiency numbers suggest a team capable of an upset. If they can improve on this season's inconsistency, the playoff run conversation changes.

Conference standings · South Atlantic · 2026

Standings

#	Team	Conf	Overall	Pwr
1	Carson Newman	6-1	8-1	+1.7
2	Newberry	5-2	7-2	-0.3
3	Mars Hill	4-3	5-3	-3.0
4	Wingate	4-3	5-4	-0.2
5	Lenoir Rhyne	3-4	4-5	-1.1
6	Catawba	3-4	4-5	-3.8
7	Anderson (SC)	3-4	4-5	-4.3
8	Tusculum	3-4	4-5	-4.9
9	Emory & Henry	2-5	3-6	-4.4
10	UVA Wise	2-5	2-7	-6.4

Conference record determines Super Region seeding. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average.

Projected standings · South Atlantic · 2026

Win projection

Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. Avg = expected wins; W-L = most-likely record.

#	Team	W-L	Pwr	Avg	≥9	≥8	≥7	≥6	≥5	≥4	≥3	≥2	≥1
Favorites
1	Carson Newman	6-3	+4.4	5.6	1	8	26	52	77	92	98	✓	✓
2	Wingate	5-4	+2.4	5.1	1	4	17	40	67	87	96	99	✓
Challengers
3	Newberry	5-4	+2.4	5.0		4	15	37	63	85	96	99	✓
4	Lenoir Rhyne	5-4	+1.6	4.8		3	13	33	59	81	94	99	✓
5	Mars Hill	4-5	−0.3	4.4		1	7	22	46	72	90	98	✓
The field
6	Catawba	4-5	−1.1	4.3		1	7	21	44	70	89	97	✓
7	Emory & Henry	4-5	−1.7	4.2		1	5	18	41	67	87	97	✓
8	Anderson (SC)	4-5	−1.6	4.1		1	5	17	38	65	86	97	✓
Rebuilding
9	Tusculum	4-5	−2.2	3.9		1	4	14	35	61	84	96	✓
10	UVA Wise	4-5	−3.7	3.7			3	11	29	55	79	94	99

Conference power · Division II

Where we stand

#	Conference	Avg power	Record	Top team
1	GLIAC	-2.6	—	Ferris State
2	South AtlanticYou are here	-3.0	—	Carson Newman
3	Mid America	-3.1	—	Northwest Missouri State
4	Northern Sun	-3.3	—	Minnesota State
5	Great Midwest Athletic	-3.4	1-0	Findlay
6	Rocky Mountain	-3.6	—	Western Colorado
7	Great American	-3.9	—	Harding
8	Pennsylvania State Athletic	-4.0	—	Slippery Rock
9	Lone Star	-4.1	—	Central Washington
10	SIAC	-4.3	—	Benedict
11	CIAA	-4.6	3-0	Virginia State
12	Great Lakes	-4.6	—	Truman State
13	Northeast 10	-4.8	—	Franklin Pierce
14	Mountain East	-5.0	—	Frostburg State
15	Carolinas	-5.4	2-3	UNC Pembroke

Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = South Atlantic's record vs. that conference across all games this season.

Conference Snapshot

RR50−3.0

Upper Strength−0.5

Median Power−3.5

Resume Pulse46.7

Avg ATS--

Wins vs Market+0.00

Top-to-Middle Gap5.1

Combined Record46-43

League Drivers

Power leader Carson Newman #270 overall | +1.7 pts vs avg Resume leader Carson Newman #270 overall | 76 / 100 resume

South Atlantic Team Board

The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.

Rank	Team	Record	Power	Resume	ATS	Wins vs Market	Recent Form
#270	Carson Newman	8-1	+1.7	76	--	+0.00	4-0 over the last 4 (W5 W6 W7 W9)
#294	Wingate	5-4	−0.2	58	--	+0.00	3-1 over the last 4 (L5 W6 W7 W9)
#296	Newberry	7-2	−0.3	60	--	+0.00	3-1 over the last 4 (L5 W6 W7 W9)
#306	Lenoir Rhyne	4-5	−1.1	34	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (L5 W6 L7 W9)
#335	Mars Hill	5-3	−3.0	38	--	+0.00	1-3 over the last 4 (W5 L6 L7 L9)
#348	Catawba	4-5	−3.8	33	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (W5 L6 W7 L9)
#355	Anderson (SC)	4-5	−4.3	42	--	+0.00	0-4 over the last 4 (L5 L6 L7 L9)
#358	Emory & Henry	3-6	−4.4	30	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (W5 W6 L7 L9)
#364	Tusculum	4-5	−4.9	59	--	+0.00	1-3 over the last 4 (L5 L6 W7 L9)
#390	UVA Wise	2-7	−6.4	36	--	+0.00	2-2 over the last 4 (W5 L6 L7 W9)