Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

D3football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll

July 12, 2018 - The North Central College football team will enter the 2018 season as the No. 7-ranked NCAA Division III program in the nation, according to the annual Preseason Top 25 Poll released Thursday by D3football.com.

The Cardinals are coming off a 2017 campaign which saw them post an overall record of 10-2, including a 7-1 record in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play. North Central won its 13th CCIW championship (its 10th in the last 12 years) and advanced to the second round of the Division III Football Championship, appearing in the postseason for the 10th time in the past 13 seasons.

The Cardinals received 442 points in the preseason voting. The defending national champion, the University of Mount Union (Ohio), claimed the No. 1 spot with 24 of 25 first-place votes, followed by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Linfield College (Oregon). The top 10 is rounded out by the College at Brockport (New York), North Central, Frostburg State University (Maryland), Wesley College (Delaware) and Hardin-Simmons University (Texas).

North Central was also ranked seventh in the Street & Smith's College Football Yearbook and 20th in the Lindy's Sports Annuals College Football Preview, both of which hit newsstands nationwide in June.

A total of three CCIW teams appear in D3football.com's Preseason Top 25, as Wheaton College opens the season ranked No. 18 and Illinois Wesleyan University is ranked 21st. The Cardinals host Wheaton in the annual Battle for the Little Brass Bell on Sept. 29 and travel to face Illinois Wesleyan on Nov. 3.

North Central's 2018 season opens Saturday, Sept. 8, when the Cardinals travel to Lake Forest College for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Farwell Field.