Secondary Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Sept. 21, 2026) - North Central's football program maintained its top spot in both the D3Football.com and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) polls after defeating North Park University 45-10 this weekend.
North Central received 20 of 25 possible first-place votes in the D3Football poll. The University of Wisconsin-River Falls jumped two spots from fourth to second after its defeat of No. 6/10 Wartburg College last week, earning River Falls the other five first-place votes. Wheaton College dropped from second to third in the poll, and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville dropped one spot to No. 4. St. John's University stayed steady at No. 5 to round out that top five.
In the AFCA poll, the Cardinals received 46 of the 53 possible first-place votes to remain steady at the top of the poll. Wheaton held on to its number two spot, while River Falls moved from fourth to third thanks to the seven first-place votes it received. Platteville dropped a spot to No. 4 while St. John's held steady once again at No. 5.
A pair of College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) teams received votes in the AFCA poll: Illinois Wesleyan University earned 21 points while Augustana College received one.
The Cardinals are 19th in the country in passes intercepted, with five, and first in the country in red zone offense, holding a perfect 100% conversion rate. The offensive line has been stout, having allowed the 14th-least number of sacks in the country. North Central leads the conference in passing efficiency with a 164.63 mark.
North Central, which has a 2-0 record against top-10 opponents, has one more scheduled game against a current top top-10 foe on October 10 against No. 3/2 Wheaton. The Cardinals take on RV Illinois Wesleyan in the season finale on November 14.
The Cardinals are idle this week. They hit the gridiron again on Saturday, Oct. 3, taking on RV Augustana at home at 1 p.m.
