Debuting Teams 6th – 15th in the ACA’s Pre-Season Poll for the 2025-26 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Debuting Teams 6th – 15th in the ACA’s Pre-Season Poll for the 2025-26 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year

San Antonio, TX – The Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, operated by the Association of Collegiate Anglers, is college fishing’s only all-encompassing National Rankings system. This week, the ACA will release the first official standings for the 2025-26 season. Ahead of that rankings release, the ACA is rolling out the results to its fifth annual Pre-Season Poll. In this article, we will highlight teams voted 6th-15th.

6) Drury University

7) Adrian College

8) Blue Mountain Christian University

9) Wabash Valley College

10) Campbellsville University

11) Lander University

12) Tarleton State University

13) Auburn University

14) Bethel University

15) Murray State University

Each team highlighted in this rankings reveal finished the 2024-25 season ranked inside of the Top 15 for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Campbellsville University was the highest ranked out of this group at the end of last season, as they finished 5th. Murray State University, who’s selected 15th entering the 2025-26 campaign ended last year ranked 15th.

Nine out of the 10 teams ranked 6th – 15th in the ACA’s Pre-Season Poll have been selected in the Top 20 going into the new season since the first poll in 2021. Lander University is the only team not in that group. However, they’ve been voted 17th in 2023 and 8th in 2024.

Auburn University is the only program in this rankings reveal to have been selected number one in a previous Pre-Season Poll (2023).

Bethel University is the sole team to have previously won a Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia title (2018). Nine other teams will by vying to claim their first-ever title this year and finish the season ranked number one.

The Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA) is a division of CarecoTV that was created over twenty years ago to facilitate growth, development, and provide structure within competitive collegiate bass fishing, with emphasis on competitive fishing events nationwide. The ACA created the original BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship which has now evolved into the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, which is now recognized as the longest-running consecutive collegiate bass fishing series in existence. The ACA has also created various other programs such as the Collegiate School of the Year Rankings system, College Bass Fishing Open, Collegiate Big Bass Bash and the College Bass Fishing Springtime Slam.

The ACA lineup of major college fishing events includes a variety of nationwide tournaments that are multi-day tournaments, all of which are televised and streamed on several networks, as well as streamed on a variety of connected platforms allowing fans to follow anyway they choose on any device. These major events have no entry fees and no membership costs associated with them for the college anglers competing. The ACA also provides support to numerous schools operating regional events nationwide which is an effort to provide more opportunities to grow the exposure and awareness of college fishing.

The ACA owns the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, Bass Pro Shops School of Year presented by Abu Garcia program, and associated assets which is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and prestigious collegiate bass fishing title today.

Thanks in part to the large diversity of media exposure the ACA provides, the series boasts the largest amount of televised and streaming coverage of any collegiate fishing series. This includes a dedicated television series on numerous television networks and streaming platforms, as well as additional coverage of select events inside other programs.

This combination includes coverage from national and regional television networks as well as being streamed online on various apps and connected devices. You can also find coverage via video on demand online at any time of past events thanks to coverage on OutdoorActionTV.com and PursuitUp.com

For more information on the ACA or the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series, visit www.CollegiateBassChampionship.com.

For more information on CarecoTV, visit www.CarecoTV.com

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