DII CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

South Atlantic

#27 overall#2 in DIIRR50 -2.8Upper strength -1.310 teamsTop 25 teams 0

VERDICT BEGINS · 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. Lenoir-Rhyne has won five DII national championships and appeared in the Super Region final seven times. 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: Newberry

South Atlantic · 2026 Season

Three Things to Watch

The DynastyLenoir-Rhyne: Five National Championships

Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina has won five DII national championships and made the Super Region final seven times — the most successful program in the Super Region East bracket by any measure. Their recruiting covers the western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina corridor, developing players from a region that Power Four programs undervalue. Drew Cronic built the program's modern dynasty, and their culture of development and retention makes them the most dangerous program in the SAC every November.

The Rival

Carson-Newman's Jefferson City Tradition

Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee has won two DII national championships and appeared in multiple Super Region finals. Their program draws from eastern Tennessee and the western North Carolina corridor, competing with a physical, mountain-football identity that has produced NFL players at a rate that surprises those unfamiliar with the Tennessee hill country's football tradition. They are Lenoir-Rhyne's most consistent rival and the program with the deepest SAC history.

Wild CardWingate's Charlotte Pipeline

Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina — thirty miles east of Charlotte — has access to one of the best DII recruiting markets in the country: the Charlotte metro, which produces high school football players who don't earn Power Four offers but are genuinely DII-caliber. Their program has won SAC titles and appeared in Super Region games, and entering 2026 they have the roster depth to challenge both Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman for the conference title.

Conference Standings · South Atlantic · 2026

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1Carson Newman1–03–0-0.6
2Mars Hill1–02–0-2.4
3Lenoir Rhyne1–02–1-1.1
4Anderson (SC)1–02–1-2.1
5Tusculum1–02–1-4.6
6Newberry0–11–1-0.1
7Wingate0–11–2-2.3
8Catawba0–11–2-3.3
9Emory & Henry0–11–2-4.1
10UVA Wise0–10–3-5.2

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
1Carson Newman5–4+2.05.014163864859699✓
2Newberry5–4+2.45.04163764859699✓
Challengers
3Lenoir Rhyne5–4+1.44.83123258819499✓
4Wingate5–4+0.34.62102853789399✓
5Anderson (SC)5–4+0.54.6292652769298✓
The Field
6Mars Hill4–5+0.24.5292550759198✓
7Catawba4–5-0.74.4282347729098✓
8Emory & Henry4–5-1.54.2161942688897✓
Rebuilding
9Tusculum4–5-2.04.0141536628496✓
10UVA Wise4–5-2.73.914153561839699

Conference Power · Division II

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1South AtlanticYou are here
-2.8
—Newberry
2GLIAC
-2.9
—Ferris State
3Mid America
-3.0
—Central Oklahoma
4Northern Sun
-3.2
—Minnesota State
5Rocky Mountain
-3.2
—Western Colorado
6SIAC
-3.3
—Kentucky State
7Great Midwest Athletic
-3.5
1–0Ashland
8Lone Star
-3.5
—Central Washington
9Great Lakes
-3.5
—Indianapolis
10Great American
-3.7
—Harding
11CIAA
-3.9
3–0Virginia State
12Northeast 10
-4.0
—Franklin Pierce
13Pennsylvania State Athletic
-4.0
—Kutztown
14Carolinas
-4.2
2–3UNC Pembroke
15Mountain East
-4.3
—Charleston (WV)

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.

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. Lenoir-Rhyne has won five DII national championships and appeared in the Super Region final seven times. 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.

Conference Snapshot

RR50-2.8
Upper Strength-1.3
Median Power-2.6
Resume Pulse55.0
Avg ATS--
Wins vs Market+0.00
Top-to-Middle Gap2.2
Combined Record15-13

`RR50`, `Upper Strength`, and `Median Power` are shown on the same public power scale as the rest of the site: points on a neutral field versus the average all-level NCAA team. Very small affiliations are gently regressed toward their subdivision baseline so a one-team outlier does not hijack the entire conference board.

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
#271 Newberry 1-1 -0.1 53 -- +0.00 0-1 over the last 1 (L2)
#275 Carson Newman 3-0 -0.6 70 -- +0.00 2-0 over the last 2 (W1 W2)
#283 Lenoir Rhyne 2-1 -1.1 54 -- +0.00 2-1 over the last 3 (W1 L1 W2)
#301 Anderson (SC) 2-1 -2.1 72 -- +0.00 1-1 over the last 2 (L1 W2)
#307 Wingate 1-2 -2.3 56 -- +0.00 1-2 over the last 3 (L1 W1 L2)
#310 Mars Hill 2-0 -2.4 74 -- +0.00 2-0 over the last 2 (W1 W2)
#345 Catawba 1-2 -3.3 33 -- +0.00 1-2 over the last 3 (W1 L1 L2)
#371 Emory & Henry 1-2 -4.1 32 -- +0.00 1-2 over the last 3 (L1 W1 L2)
#387 Tusculum 2-1 -4.6 69 -- +0.00 2-1 over the last 3 (W1 L1 W2)
#401 UVA Wise 0-3 -5.2 38 -- +0.00 0-3 over the last 3 (L1 L1 L2)