Next game
at Carroll (WI)
Sat Oct 24 · 2 pm ET
Schneider Stadium · series 4-0, won the last 4
North Central College 92% to win · our ratings after 6 games
North Central College
5-1CCIW · Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium · 4,839 seats
Last game · Sat Oct 17
W 74-2 at Elmhurst
Our model gave North Central College 99% before kickoff
The rest of the season
Every game left is at least 80%
Win out 71% · expect 3.7 of 4 more wins
North Central College's chance to win each game left, from our model: Carroll (WI) 92%, Carthage 99%, Millikin 93%, Illinois Wesleyan 85%Bar height is our model’s chance in each game left. Dashed line: 50%.
The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The marketno line yetBetting line at Carroll (WI) · our model 92% North Central College
Updated Sat Oct 24 · through week 7
Schedule and results
North Central College · 2026 schedule and results5-1Balanced slateAverage opponent win rate 52%.Our rank entering each game: #431 to #427
| Wk | Date | Our rank | Opp rank | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf | Top performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 5 | #431 | #435 | — | Bethel (MN) | W 44-21 | 1-0 | 0-0 | |
| 2 | Sep 12 | #431 | #447 | — | @Wartburg | W 26-20 | 2-0 | 0-0 | |
| 3 | Sep 19 | #431 | #586 | — | @North Park | W 45-10 | 3-0 | 1-0 | |
| 4 | Bye week | ||||||||
| 5 | Oct 3 | #430 | #506 | — | Augustana (IL) | W 35-7 | 4-0 | 2-0 | |
| 6 | Oct 10 | #426 | #453 | — | Wheaton (IL) | L 10-13 | 4-1 | 2-1 | |
| 7 | Oct 17 | #427 | #643 | — | @Elmhurst | W 74-2 | 5-1 | 3-1 | |
| 8 | Oct 24 | #419 | #549 | @Carroll (WI) | 2 pm ET92% to win | ||||
| 9 | Oct 31 | #419 | #597 | Carthage | 2 pm ET99% to win | ||||
| 10 | Nov 7 | @Millikin | 1 pm ET93% to win | ||||||
| 11 | Nov 14 | Illinois Wesleyan | 1 pm ET | ||||||
How to read this table
Win chances are our model for North Central College, through 6 games. This week's game comes from the playoff simulation, later games from the rating model. They are estimates and move every week.
Line is the closing point spread for North Central College: a minus number means favored. A green check means the team covered it, by the number beside it. A red cross means it fell short by that much.
Ahead
The forecast
The games that decide the season
The games that decide the season
Recent form · last 10 games
North Central College has won four of its last five.
8-2 over the last 10, and won the last one.
Streak W1Last 5 · 4-1Last 10 · 8-2
Range of outcomes · North Central College · 2026
Range of outcomes · North Central College · 2026North Central College’s most likely regular season is 9-1. 97% of outcomes land from 8-2 to 9-1.
Regular-season wins: chance of each total, from the game chances above
7 wins 3%; 8 wins 26%; 9 wins 71%What a title game and a playoff run could add
Floor8-4Competitive but likely outside bracket contention.
Base10-2Conference title contender. Bracket bid realistic.
Ceiling11-1Deep playoff run. Program-defining year.
Bars are the chance of each regular-season win total, from our model's chance in each game left, through 6 games. Paler bars are the outer 10% at each end. The closed row comes from the season-path projection, which also plays out conference title games and the CFP.
More in this tab
Worth watching
What it is like to watch them2026 · 5-1
Game feel51even gamescombined pts / game4th highest-scoring of 9 in the CCIW
Heart rate1-1some dramain one-score games (2 of 6)4th most one-score games of 9 in the CCIW
Margin+26.8comfortableavg scoring margin2nd best margin of 9 in the CCIW
Measured from 6 games · ranks are among CCIW teams the same season
Team story
The weekly grind
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.
Standard GapA national champion whose own brutal standard is the Stagg Bowl —…
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.
Game day
The experience
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.
Playoff path
North Central College sits 2nd in the CCIW and 24th of 245 in the CFB Zeitgeist — in the projected field with a seedable rating.
CCIW · 2026
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheaton (IL) | 5-0 | 7-0 | 76.1 |
| 2 | North Central College | 3-1 | 5-1 | 66.0 |
| 3 | Illinois Wesleyan | 3-2 | 5-2 | 62.0 |
| 4 | Carroll (WI) | 3-2 | 4-3 | 56.4 |
| 5 | Augustana (IL) | 2-2 | 3-3 | 52.1 |
| 6 | Millikin | 2-3 | 3-4 | 49.4 |
| 7 | Carthage | 1-3 | 2-4 | 42.5 |
| 8 | North Park | 1-3 | 1-5 | 41.1 |
66.0 CFB Zeitgeist#24 of 245 D353.4 strength of schedule2 quality wins
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.
Source: CFB Zeitgeist — conference records + NPI-style rating from 2026 games · the field is 40 teams, NPI-selected
The 2026 season · 5-1
Signature win 74-2 over Elmhurst; toughest day 10-13 against Wheaton (IL).
Recruiting buzz
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
This page may include content derived from public news sources, social media, and fan communities. We relay these sources as-is — we are not reporting them. Sources may be summarized or quoted imperfectly; for anything that matters, go look at the original source directly. The original source may also be wrong. Text written by our model says so in a line beneath it, and it can get facts wrong. All analysis is editorial opinion, not professional reporting. Data sources · About this site