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

D3football.com Rankings - Week 7
AFCA Division III Rankings - Week 7

Oct. 19, 2026 - Following a dominant victory Saturday, the North Central College football team remains in the top five of both the D3football.com and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Polls after Week 7 of the regular season. D3football.com ranks the Cardinals fourth while the AFCA has North Central fifth.

The Cardinals rolled past Elmhurst University, 74-2, Saturday afternoon, the ninth-largest win in program history. The offense tallied 721 yards of total offense, the third most in a single game in school history. Of those, 470 came on the ground, the eighth most in program history. The defense also posted a top-10 mark, allowing just 105 yards in the game, the ninth-fewest in school history.

Wheaton College remains the top-ranked team in both polls, with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville ranked second. St. John's University jumped the Cardinals and is now in third place, with UW-Whitewater rounding out the top five. Hardin-Simmons University, Endicott College, Washington University in St. Louis, Hope College and Christopher Newport University make up the top 10. 

The AFCA poll has a consistent top three, with UW-Whitewater ahead of North Central. Hardin-Simmons, WashU, Christopher Newport, Hope and Endicott round out the top 10 spots.

North Central visits Carroll University for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Schneider Stadium. The Cardinals have won each of the past 11 contests, including a 64-7 win last year in Waukesha.