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

Otterbein

1-9 2025 final

Otterbein is the OAC program attempting its first winning season since 2017 — a 1-9 2024 led to hiring Dave Marquis from Valparaiso, betting the FCS coordinator can rebuild the Cardinals.

Cardinals country waits.

Record

1-9

win% .100

Conference

10th of 10

Ohio · 1-7

Index Rating

36.8

D3 #205 of 240

Playoff Path

Win the league

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — diagnostic

The Long Wait·Offseason

Otterbein is the OAC program attempting its first winning season since 2017 — a 1-9 2024 led to hiring Dave Marquis from Valparaiso, betting the FCS coordinator can rebuild the Cardinals.

Standard GapAn OAC member that has not had a winning season in eight years vs the be…

After a 1-9 season in 2024, Otterbein hired Dave Marquis, the former defensive coordinator at Valparaiso University, as head coach in 2025. Marquis brings FCS experience and a fresh approach to a program that needs to snap an eigh…

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

Otterbein sits 10th in the Ohio Conference and 205th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.

Ohio · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	John Carroll University	1-0	12-2	74.2
2	University of Mount Union	8-1	11-1	74.0
3	Ohio Northern	7-1	8-3	60.5
4	Baldwin Wallace	6-2	8-2	62.2
5	Heidelberg	5-3	6-4	54.2
6	Muskingum University	4-4	4-6	47.7
7	Marietta	3-5	5-5	51.8
10	Otterbein	1-7	1-9	36.8

36.8 CFB Zeitgeist#205 of 240 D354.5 strength of schedule

Win the Ohio 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 · 1-9

Signature win 20-19 over Capital; toughest day 13-69 against Heidelberg.

—

Cardinals country waits.

What moved it — offseason · last 30 days

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

Camp Fall camp ~40 days out

"Go Otterbein" — Otterbein 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 0-12

Base 1-11

Ceiling 4-8

floor0-12Rebuild year. Below .500.

base1-11Mid-table finish.

ceiling4-8Conference 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.

Act II

Who We Are

Home-Field Advantage · Otterbein · 2018-present

Average

10% home win rate vs 10% on the road. margin runs +2.1 better at home.

Home2-18Away2-18

Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Cold

One of five. The film room is busy this week.

Streak L3Last 5 · 1-4Last 10 · 1-9

Schedule Strength · Otterbein · 2025

Hard

Average opponent win rate 55% across 10 finalized games. Strong conference slate — wins here carry full weight in Super Region selection.

Opp Win %0.559

From the Archive — Otterbein

2024: Won 39-10 vs Capital

In 2024, the program won 39-10 vs Capital — a blowout home result that left the 29-point margin on the books.

Go Cardinals.