Secondary Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Oct. 12, 2026) – After falling 13-10 to Wheaton College in the Battle for the Little Brass Bell this past weekend, the North Central College football program dropped from its top spot atop both the D3Football.com and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) polls. The Cardinals come in at No. 3 in the D3Football.com poll and No. 4 in the AFCA poll.

Wheaton sits as the No. 1 team in both polls. St. John's University and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville follow at No. 2 and No. 3 in the AFCA poll. The Cardinals come in at four, while the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater closes out the top five.

In the D3Football.com poll, the top five are Wheaton, St. John's, North Central, UW-Whitewater and UW-Platteville, in that order.

Illinois Wesleyan University is the only other team from the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin mentioned in either poll. The Titans received votes in the AFCA poll.

North Central has a top-10 red zone offense, converting at a 95% clip. The Cardinals also boast a top-30 scoring defense and are in that same range in time of possession.

The Cardinals hit the gridiron again at 1 p.m. this Saturday in Elmhurst, where they'll take on the Blue Jays of Elmhurst University.