June 22, 2026 · Dead Period · Heritage Window · 2026 Outlook

Hope College

9-2 2025 final D3 TOP 25 #17

The Flying Dutchmen of Hope College in Holland, Michigan — a multi-time MIAA champion steeped in Dutch heritage, locked in one of Division III's fiercest rivalries with neighboring Calvin.

Quiet weeks in Flying Dutchmen country.

Record

9-2

win% .818

Conference

2nd of 8

Michigan · 6-1

Index Rating

65.0

TOP 25 #17 · D3 #25 of 240

Playoff Path

In the field

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — reckoning

The Long Wait·Offseason

The Flying Dutchmen of Hope College in Holland, Michigan — a multi-time MIAA champion steeped in Dutch heritage, locked in one of Division III's fiercest rivalries with neighboring Calvin.

Standard GapA historic MIAA program with championship pedigree, measured against the…

Win the MIAA again and, above all, beat Calvin — there is no season in Holland that the rivalry doesn't define.

low signal

Read the full program story ↓

Offseason

69 days

until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC

Act I

The 2026 Outlook

DIVISION III · THE PATH TO THE STAGG BOWL

Hope College sits 2nd in the Michigan Conference and 25th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — inside the projected 40-team field on the at-large math.

Michigan · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	Alma	7-0	8-3	64.2
2	Hope College	6-1	9-2	65.0
3	Adrian	5-2	8-2	60.6
4	Calvin University	4-3	7-3	59.1
5	Trine University	3-4	5-5	52.0
6	Kalamazoo	1-6	4-6	44.4
7	Albion	1-6	3-7	43.7
8	Olivet College	1-6	1-9	36.9

65.0 CFB Zeitgeist#25 of 240 D352.3 strength of schedule2 quality wins

Win the Michigan 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 · 9-2

Signature win 62-0 over Loras College; toughest day 26-29 against Alma.

—

Quiet weeks in Flying Dutchmen country.

What moved it — offseason · last 30 days

June Dead-period quiet — official-visit + heritage window —

Camp Fall camp ~40 days out

"Go Hope College" — Hope College fanbase · recurring line

0 mentions · awaiting signal

Winning record—

The baseline for a successful season.

Conference title—

The primary goal and national bracket path.

32-team bracket qualifierLocked—

One of 32 national tournament entries.

Stagg BowlLocked—

The Division III national championship game.

Floor 7-5

Base 9-3

Ceiling 12-0

floor7-5Competitive but likely outside bracket contention.

base9-3Conference title contender. Bracket bid realistic.

ceiling12-0Deep playoff run. Program-defining year.

Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.

Act II

Who We Are

Home-Field Advantage · Hope College · 2018-present

Average

79% home win rate vs 77% on the road. margin runs -2.5 weaker at home.

Home19-5Away14-4

Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Warming

Four of five. The board favors this trend.

Streak L1Last 5 · 4-1Last 10 · 8-2

Schedule Strength · Hope College · 2025

Balanced

Average opponent win rate 50% across 11 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.

Opp Win %0.509

Moment of the Year · Hope College · 2025

Postseason · Lost 7-9 vs Wisconsin-Lacrosse

Week 14 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.

Postseason

Postseason History

Recent postseason (2025): 0-1

Most recent: 2025 — loss 7-9 (home). Last 5 postseason: 0-1.

2025

From the Archive — Hope College

2025: Won 63-6 vs Olivet College

In 2025, the program won 63-6 vs Olivet College — a blowout home result that left the 57-point margin on the books.

Go Flying Dutchmen.