Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

AFCA Division III Top 25 Poll - Week 3
D3football.com Week 3 Top 25 Poll

Sept. 22, 2025 - Not wavering from the top spot in national polls, the North Central College football team maintains its No. 1 ranking in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll and the d3football.com Top 25 Poll following a 62-0 victory over Carthage College.

The Cardinals made an impact in the record books Saturday, holding the Firebirds to just 100 total yards, the sixth-best mark in program history, while totaling a staggering 688 yards of total offense, the eighth-most in school history. North Central received 22 of the possible 25 first-place votes in the d3football.com and all 52 votes in the AFCA rankings.

Following North Central in both polls are the University of Mount Union, Johns Hopkins University and St. John's University. The AFCA poll ranks Salisbury at No. 5 in Division III, while the D3football.com rankings place the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse at No. 5. North Central's Week 4 opponent, Wheaton College, is tied for No. 16 in the AFCA poll with Mary Hardin–Baylor. The Thunder are ranked No. 17 in the D3football.com poll.

North Central will play its first road game of the season with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Washington University in St. Louis at Francis Field. The Cardinals have won each of the last seven meetings and hold a perfect 6-0 record at Francis Field.