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

D3football.com Top 25 Poll
AFCA Top 25 Poll

Oct. 11, 2021 - Now alone atop the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) standings, the North Central College football team maintains its No. 1 status in NCAA Division III National Top 25 Polls released this week by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

The Cardinals improved to 5-0 (4-0 in CCIW play) on Saturday with a 64-13 victory at Carthage College. It was North Central's 16th consecutive victory dating back to the 2019 season as well as its 16th win over the Firebirds dating back to 2005. The Cardinals received 17 first-place votes and 612 points in the D3football.com voting, while the No. 2-ranked University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) received seven first-place votes.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is ranked third, followed by the University of Mount Union (Ohio) and Saint John's University (Minnesota). Rounding out the top 10 are Wheaton College, Linfield College (Oregon), Hardin-Simmons University (Texas), Delaware Valley University (Pennsylvania) and Central College (Iowa). 

North Central received 36 of 44 first-place votes in the AFCA poll. Mary Hardin-Baylor is also ranked second by the AFCA, followed by Wisconsin-Whitewater, Mount Union, Saint John's, Linfield, Delaware Valley, Hardin-Simmons, Wheaton and Central.

The Cardinals host Elmhurst University (1-4, 1-3 CCIW) on Saturday. Kickoff at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2021 schedule.

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