Ouachita Baptist has won eight GAC titles from Arkadelphia, Arkansas — a town of 10,000 with a Baptist university that has produced more NFL draft picks per enrollment than almost any DII program. Their program culture is built on development, retention, and a coaching staff that has been together longer than most Power Four programs. They enter 2026 as the conference's most complete program and the most likely to make a Super Region final run.

Harding's National Championship Model

Harding University won the DII national championship in 2021 — the first for a Church of Christ institution — and has been in the national conversation since. Their Searcy, Arkansas program recruits to a specific student: faith-committed, academically serious, football-invested. The combination has produced a program that challenges Ouachita for the GAC title every year and has demonstrated it can win the national championship.

Henderson State in Arkadelphia — Ouachita Baptist's literal next-door neighbor — plays a physical style of football that matches the region's identity. They recruit from the same Arkansas pipeline as Ouachita but have a different program culture: harder, more physical, built on the offensive and defensive lines. When Henderson is healthy and their line wins, they are the most dangerous program in the GAC behind the two perennial title contenders.