Trine University5-5The Thunder of Angola, Indiana — the program once known as Tri-State University until a 2008 donor renaming — now one of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's strongest Division III sides.
A rebranded small school in rural northeast Indiana climbed into MIAA contention, and the national Division III conversation still acts like Trine doesn't exist.
The Thunder hold the line.
Trine University · Next-Season Outcome Band
Trine University · 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
Cooling
Two of five. Schedule has caught up.
Opens Sep 3
vs Chicago · at home
Game Week
9 days
until kickoff · vs Chicago · Thu Sep 3 · 23:00 UTC
The Thunder of Angola, Indiana — the program once known as Tri-State University until a 2008 donor renaming — now one of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's strongest Division III sides.
Trine University sits 5th in the Michigan Conference and 109th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alma | 7-0 | 8-3 | 64.2 |
| 2 | Hope | 6-1 | 9-2 | 65.0 |
| 3 | Adrian | 5-2 | 8-2 | 60.6 |
| 4 | Calvin | 4-3 | 7-3 | 59.1 |
| 5 | Trine | 3-4 | 5-5 | 52.0 |
| 6 | Kalamazoo | 1-6 | 4-6 | 44.4 |
| 7 | Albion | 1-6 | 3-7 | 43.7 |
| 8 | Olivet | 1-6 | 1-9 | 36.9 |
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.
Signature win 59-7 over Olivet; toughest day 7-38 against Christopher Newport.
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
The Pulse on Trine University
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sep 6 | — | — | — | @Christopher Newport | L 7–38 | 0-1 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 13 | #511 | #472 | — | Rose-Hulman | W 27–10 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #519 | #548 | — | Franklin | W 35–27 | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Sep 27 | #538 | #523 | — | @Albion | W 38–35 | 3-1 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #533 | #446 | — | Hope | L 35–55 | 3-2 | 1-1 |
| 8 | Oct 16 | #542 | #610 | — | @Olivet | W 59–7 | 4-2 | 2-1 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #517 | #573 | — | @Calvin | L 31–34 | 4-3 | 2-2 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #528 | #425 | — | Alma | L 28–42 | 4-4 | 2-3 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #530 | #430 | — | @Adrian | L 21–44 | 4-5 | 2-4 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #540 | #621 | — | Kalamazoo | W 25–24 | 5-5 | 3-4 |
Home-Field Advantage · Trine University · 2018-present
Average
60% home win rate vs 60% on the road. margin runs -0.5 weaker at home. Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium seats 5,000.
68°F average kickoff temp; 15% of games had measurable precipitation; 9 mph average wind.
Based on 20 home games with weather data.
All-Time Record
24-16
since 2022 · 4 seasons · .600 win rate
Moment of the Year · Trine University · 2025
Moment of the Year · Trine University · 2025Won 27-10 vs Rose-Hulman
Week 3 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.