Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
2025 AFCA Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll
Aug. 19, 2025 - After earning all 51 possible first-place votes, the North Central College football team is ranked No. 1 in the American Football Coaches Association Preseason Poll for the second consecutive season, positioning the Cardinals to defend their national title.
North Central entered the 2024 season as the AFCA preseason No. 1 and never relinquished the top spot, finishing with a perfect 15-0 record. The Cardinals claimed their third NCAA Division III national championship with a 41-25 win over the University of Mount Union. They averaged 52.5 points per game while allowing just 11.8, and their offense generated 536.9 yards per contest. Each of their 15 victories came by a margin of at least 16 points.
The Cardinals also hold the No. 1 spot in the D3football.com Preseason Poll, released last week. Earlier this week, four North Central players, John Sullivan, Brayden Garrigan, Cortez Jones and Rahmareon Roby, were named D3football.com Preseason All-Americans.
Rounding out the top 10 in the AFCA poll are Mount Union, Johns Hopkins University, Saint John's University, Susquehanna University, Hardin-Simmons University, Salisbury University, Mary Hardin-Baylor and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. North Central's Week 4 opponent and conference foe, Wheaton College, is ranked No. 17.
The Cardinals open the 2025 season at home against the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Sept. 13 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
