Franklin · Next-Season Outcome BandMike Leonard era (2003-2019)
129 wins and the golden age of Franklin football
Franklin5-5The mood around Franklin has soured.
Fanbase belief
Souring
45/100 · 528 mentions
~ our readVerdict Begins·Offseason
Franklin College is the HCAC program that brought back its all-time winningest coach Mike Leonard — the Grizzlies are betting the 129-win legend can restore the program to championship contention.
Standard GapA program that struggled without its legendary coach vs the return of Mi…
Fans here believe no chip. Franklin is honoring its past by bringing back the greatest coach in program history.
offseason · quiet
Quiet weeks in Grizzlies country.
Franklin · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Floor 3-9
Base 5-7
Ceiling 8-4
floor3-9Rebuild year. Below .500.
base5-7Mid-table finish.
ceiling8-4Conference title race. Bracket qualifier in range.
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Recent Form · last 10 games
Mixed
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Streak L1Last 5 · 3-2Last 10 · 5-5
The forecast
Opens Sep 5
vs North Park · at home
Game Week
9 days
until kickoff · vs North Park · Sat Sep 5 · 22:00 UTC
The experience
Franklin College is the HCAC program that brought back its all-time winningest coach Mike Leonard — the Grizzlies are betting the 129-win legend can restore the program to championship contention.
DIVISION III · THE PATH TO THE STAGG BOWL
Franklin sits 3rd in the Heartland Conference and 125th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.
Heartland · 2025
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanover | 6-0 | 9-3 | 66.0 |
| 2 | Mount St Joseph | 5-1 | 6-5 | 52.4 |
| 3 | Franklin | 3-3 | 5-5 | 49.7 |
| 4 | Bluffton | 3-3 | 5-5 | 46.9 |
| 5 | Rose Hulman | 3-3 | 3-7 | 42.8 |
| 6 | Anderson (IN) | 1-5 | 2-8 | 36.2 |
| 7 | Manchester | 0-6 | 0-10 | 28.5 |
49.7 CFB Zeitgeist#125 of 240 D349.8 strength of schedule1 quality win
Win the Heartland Conference for the automatic berth into the 40-team NCAA Division III bracket. Miss it and the path is an at-large bid, selected by NPI — the metric the CFB Index mirrors. Six wins survive the bracket to the Stagg Bowl.
Source: CFB Zeitgeist — conference records + NPI-style rating from 2025 games · the field is 40 teams, NPI-selected
THE 2025 SEASON · 5-5
Signature win 41-7 over Anderson (IN); toughest day 18-51 against Hanover.
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
The Pulse on Franklin
45
baseline · first week of signal
528
mentions this week · conversation velocity
What moved it — fall camp · last 14 days
Camp
Fall camp open — install + scrimmage cycle
ongoing
"Go Grizzlies."
— Franklin fanbase · recurring line
Player stats — 2025 season
No player stats logged for this program yet — stats appear once the season is underway.
Franklin · 2025 schedule & results5-5Balanced slateAverage opponent win rate 47%.
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sep 6 | — | — | — | Ohio Northern | W 27–20 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 13 | #569 | #430 | — | Hope | L 14–38 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #548 | #519 | — | @Trine | L 27–35 | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #573 | #566 | — | @Muskingum | W 34–33 | 2-2 | 0-0 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #570 | #591 | — | Rose Hulman | L 34–35 | 2-3 | 0-1 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #576 | #666 | — | Manchester | W 48–21 | 3-3 | 1-1 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #572 | #491 | — | @Mount St Joseph | L 21–52 | 3-4 | 1-2 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #591 | #662 | — | @Anderson (IN) | W 41–7 | 4-4 | 2-2 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #578 | #624 | — | Bluffton | W 59–57 | 5-4 | 3-2 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #577 | #419 | — | @Hanover | L 18–51 | 5-5 | 3-3 |
Home-Field Advantage · Franklin · 2018-present
Strong
45% home win rate vs 35% on the road. margin runs +12.0 better at home. Stewart ""Red"" Faught Stadium seats 4,000.
Home9-11Away7-13
Venue texture
72°F average kickoff temp; 5% of games had measurable precipitation; 6 mph average wind.
Based on 20 home games with weather data.
All-Time Record
20-43-1
since 1901 · 25 seasons · .312 win rate
HOME
10-12-1
AWAY
9-29
NEUTRAL
1-2
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Program memory
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
Mike Leonard's return (2025)
The legendary coach comes back to restore championship contention
Miracle
Moment of the Year · Franklin · 2025
Moment of the Year · Franklin · 2025Won 48-21 vs Manchester
Week 8 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
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