Following the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops last week, the Association of Collegiate Anglers has updated the rankings for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. The ACA's historic 21st National Championship was a triple points tournament with huge implications towards college fishing's only all-encompassing National Rankings system. One more points eligible event remains before the standings are finalized next week.
The University of Montevallo mathematically eliminates other teams from contention to claim its 6th straight title as Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. The remaining Top 3 are also cemented as Carson-Newman University secures 2nd place, and the University of North Alabama ends the year in 3rd.
Entering the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, Montevallo needed to earn no worse than 1,000 points less than Carson-Newman to secure the title at Pickwick Lake. If Carson-Newman had out gained Montevallo by 1,000 points or better, the race would have come down to the final Bassmaster College Series event this week. Montevallo was up to the task, as they earned 6,455 points at the ACA National Championship. This mark was 660 points better than what Carson-Newman anglers achieved.
By capitalizing on the triple points opportunity, Montevallo boosted its season total to 40,285 points. Here are their top finishers at the Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops:
3) Peyton Sorrow & Brady McCormick – 44.26 lbs.
16) Cassius Olson & Nolan Smith – 38.60 lbs.
40) Thomas Turnbull & Dylan Sorrells – 33.79 lbs.
Montevallo won its first title as Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia in 2021. The victory in 2026 marks their 6th straight year finishing the season ranked number one. Over each of the last five seasons Montevallo's average margin of victory has been 2,183 points. As Carson-Newman still has one more event remaining in which they can earn points, Montevallo's season is complete, and they lead 2nd place by 4,135 points.
Each team ranked in the Top 25 for this points update competed in last week's Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops. Here is a look at several of the big movers up in this standings review:
4) Blue Mountain Christian University – Previously Ranked 6th
7) Adrian College – Previously Ranked 10th
14) Auburn University – Previously Ranked 15th
16) Kentucky Christian University – Previously Ranked 19th
Click here to view the complete updated rankings.
Georgia College was the only team to move up into the Top 25 after being ranked on the outside in the previous points update. They moved from 27th to be ranked 25th currently.
One more points eligible event remains, with the Bassmaster College Series set to compete at the James River this week. Following the conclusion of that tournament, the ACA will update and release the final points standings for the 2025-26 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia.
About the Association of Collegiate Anglers (ACA)
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