North Central College14-1D3 TOP 25 #2The Cardinals of Naperville, Illinois, the reigning dynasty of Division III football — three national championships since 2019, a string of Stagg Bowl appearances, and a league-record run of consecutive CCIW wins.
North Central has three national titles and the longest conference winning streak in CCIW history, and still has to prove the dynasty isn't finished every single fall.
Cardinals country waits.
North Central College · Next-Season Outcome Band
North Central College · Next-Season Outcome BandFloor / Base / Ceiling
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
Warming
Four of five. The board favors this trend.
Opens Sep 5
vs Bethel (MN) · at home
Game Week
11 days
until kickoff · vs Bethel (MN) · Sat Sep 5 · 17:00 UTC
The Cardinals of Naperville, Illinois, the reigning dynasty of Division III football — three national championships since 2019, a string of Stagg Bowl appearances, and a league-record run of consecutive CCIW wins.
North Central College sits 1st in the CCIW and 2nd of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — in the projected field with a seedable rating.
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Central College | 9-0 | 14-1 | 76.9 |
| 2 | Wheaton (IL) | 8-1 | 11-3 | 68.7 |
| 3 | Washington University (St. Louis) | 7-2 | 8-3 | 60.8 |
| 4 | Augustana (IL) | 6-3 | 7-3 | 59.9 |
| 5 | Illinois Wesleyan | 4-5 | 4-6 | 48.8 |
| 6 | Carroll (WI) | 4-5 | 4-6 | 48.3 |
| 7 | Carthage | 3-6 | 4-6 | 47.7 |
| 8 | North Park | 2-7 | 3-7 | 44.3 |
Win the CCIW 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 75-0 over North Park; toughest day 14-24 against Wisconsin River Falls.
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
The Pulse on North Central College
What moved it — fall camp · last 14 days
No player stats logged for this program yet — stats appear once the season is underway.
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sep 13 | — | #428 | — | Wisconsin Oshkosh | W 45–14 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #431 | #591 | — | Carthage | W 62–0 | 2-0 | 1-0 |
| 5 | Sep 27 | #432 | #494 | — | @Washington University (St. Louis) | W 44–14 | 3-0 | 2-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #430 | #467 | — | Wheaton (IL) | W 35–0 | 4-0 | 3-0 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #418 | #635 | — | Millikin | W 59–10 | 5-0 | 4-0 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #408 | #570 | — | @North Park | W 75–0 | 6-0 | 5-0 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #393 | #545 | — | Augustana (IL) | W 76–14 | 7-0 | 6-0 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #390 | #557 | — | @Carroll (WI) | W 64–7 | 8-0 | 7-0 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #380 | #643 | — | @Elmhurst | W 58–0 | 9-0 | 8-0 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #382 | #549 | — | Illinois Wesleyan | W 24–7 | 10-0 | 9-0 |
| Conference Championship | ||||||||
| 14 | Nov 29 | #385 | #409 | — | Hanover | W 38–6 | 11-0 | 9-0 |
| 15 | Dec 6 | #350 | #392 | — | Wisconsin La Crosse | W 35–27 | 12-0 | 9-0 |
| 16 | Dec 13 | #339 | #375 | — | Bethel (MN) | W 35–21 | 13-0 | 9-0 |
| Bowl Season | ||||||||
| 17 | Dec 20 | #338 | #411 | — | John Carroll | W 41–21 | 14-0 | 9-0 |
| 19 | Jan 5 | #332 | #346 | — | Wisconsin River Falls (N) | L 14–24 | 14-1 | 9-0 |
Home-Field Advantage · North Central College · 2018-present
Average
97% home win rate vs 100% on the road. margin runs -3.1 weaker at home. Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium seats 4,839.
52°F average kickoff temp; 12% of games had measurable precipitation; 10 mph average wind.
Based on 32 home games with weather data.
All-Time Record
59-13-1
since 1900 · 12 seasons · .808 win rate
Moment of the Year · North Central College · 2025
Moment of the Year · North Central College · 2025Postseason · Won 41-21 vs John Carroll
Week 17 of 2025. Postseason win — the season-defining moment.
Postseason History
Postseason HistoryRecent postseason (2019-2025): 9-3
Most recent: 2025 — loss 14-24 (home). Last 5 postseason: 3-2.