ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell was picked to finish in a tie for fifth place in the 2026 Ivy League Football Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office.

The Big Red garnered 46 points, tying Princeton for fifth in the eight-team preseason poll voted on by two media members who cover each Ivy League institution.

Yale was tabbed the preseason favorite, collecting 127 points and 15 of a possible 16 first-place votes. Harvard was picked second with 111 points and one first-place vote, followed by Dartmouth (94) and Penn (75) in third and fourth. Brown (45) and Columbia (32) rounded out the poll in seventh and eighth, respectively.

Cornell finished the 2025 season 4-6 overall and 3-4 in Ivy League play under The Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Cornell Football Dan Swanstrom, improving on a preseason projection that had the Big Red picked seventh a year ago. The Big Red earned league wins over Brown, Princeton and Penn, while falling to Columbia, Yale, Dartmouth and Harvard. Swanstrom is 8-12 overall at Cornell, posting identical 4-6 marks in each of his first two seasons.

Cornell opens the 2026 season on Sept. 19 at Colgate, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. The Big Red return home the following Saturday, Sept. 26, to host preseason favorite Yale at Schoellkopf Field, also at 1 p.m.