Linfield College
7-2 2025 finalThe Wildcats of McMinnville, Oregon, who won the 2004 NCAA Division III national championship over Mary Hardin-Baylor and own one of the longest winning-season streaks in all of college football — the relentless king of the Northwest Conference.
The Wildcats are on the prowl.
The Wildcats of McMinnville, Oregon, who won the 2004 NCAA Division III national championship over Mary Hardin-Baylor and own one of the longest winning-season streaks in all of college football — the relentless king of the Northwest Conference.
Protect the legendary winning-season streak and return to the Stagg Bowl for a second Division III national championship.
Offseason
69 days
until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC
The 2026 Outlook
Linfield College sits 2nd in the Northwest Conference and 55th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — on the at-large bubble — the conference title is the surer route.
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whitworth | 7-0 | 8-3 | 61.2 |
| 2 | Linfield College | 6-1 | 7-2 | 59.9 |
| 3 | Pacific Lutheran | 5-2 | 6-4 | 51.6 |
| 4 | Lewis & Clark College | 5-4 | 6-4 | 52.0 |
| 5 | NEWBERG | 4-4 | 4-6 | 44.8 |
| 6 | Pacific (OR) | 3-5 | 3-7 | 40.6 |
| 7 | Puget Sound | 1-7 | 1-9 | 33.5 |
| 8 | Willamette | 0-8 | 1-9 | 32.7 |
Win the Northwest 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.
Signature win 77-14 over Puget Sound; toughest day 14-31 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
The Pulse on Linfield College
What moved it — offseason · last 30 days
Aspiration Ladder
Brief Part III §33.4 · Linfield College
The baseline for a successful season.
The primary goal and national bracket path.
One of 32 national tournament entries.
The Division III national championship game.
Linfield College · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Who We Are
Home-Field Advantage · Linfield College · 2018-present
Soft
82% home win rate vs 89% on the road. margin runs -0.1 weaker at home.
Act IIILast Season Reviewed
2025 season · tap to expand
Recent Form · last 10 games
Warming
Four of five. The board favors this trend.
Schedule Strength · Linfield College · 2025
Balanced
Average opponent win rate 45% across 9 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.
Moment of the Year · Linfield College · 2025
Won 28-13 vs Chapman
Week 4 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.
From the Archive — Linfield College
2025: Won 23-6 vs Pacific (OR)
In 2025, the program won 23-6 vs Pacific (OR) — a comfortable home result that left the 17-point margin on the books.
Wildcats own the night.