FloCollege is debuting a brand new set of rankings for D3 football this season, with some tinkering, some spice, and more than a few things to argue about.
While UW-River Falls did in fact win the D3 national championship in 2025, over North Central, they find themselves starting at the No. 4 spot, fairly or unfairly, depending on your fandom.
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The program deserves plaudits for their win over North Central, but significant losses in the form of head coach Matt Walker departing, along with Gagliardi winner Kaleb Blaha, puts them squarely in the top 5.
North Central starts at the top. The program is the standard for D3 football as it stands.
A little spicier is that Mount Union starts at No.2. The Raiders lost a double-overtime nail-biter to John Carroll in the third round of the D3 playoffs. It was their only loss of the season. Mount Union has shown they can reload, recoup, and stay atop the Division powerhouses season after seasons. They'll have to win to say here, but history says they will.
See the full FloCollege Top 25 Rankings below, ahead of Week 1 of the D3 football season.
D3 Football Rankings 2026: Preseason Top 25
- North Central
- Mount Union
- Bethel (Minn.)
- UW-River Falls
- Johns Hopkins
- UW-Whitewater
- Cortland
- John Carroll
- Wheaton (Ill.)
- Saint John's (Minn.)
- UW-La Crosse
- Trinity (Texas)
- UW-Platteville
- Berry
- Wartburg
- DePauw
- Salisbury
- Susquehanna
- Christopher Newport
- Hope
- Monmouth (Ill.)
- Hardin-Simmons
- Endicott
- Coe
- Randolph-Macon
Also receiving votes:
UW-Stout, UW-Stevens Point, Augustana (Ill.), Carroll (Wis.), Ohio Northern, Muskingum, Dubuque, Carthage, Luther, Macalester.
How The FloCollege D3 Football Rankings Are Determined
The FloCollege Division III football rankings are driven by objective data, with an emphasis on winning, strength of schedule and quality victories.
Ranking factors include:
- Wins
- Strength of Schedule
- Quality Wins
- Total Margin of Victory
- Away Wins
- Current Streak
D3 Football Week 1 Schedule On FloCollege
Here's every Division III football game happening on FloCollege this week.
Thursday, Sep 3
- 2026 Virginia University-Lynchburg vs Roanoke
- 2026 Westminster (Pa.) vs Marietta
- 2026 Gettysburg vs Juniata
Friday, Sep 4
- 2026 Belhaven vs Millsaps
- 2026 Shenandoah vs Methodist
- 2026 Western New England vs Springfield
- 2026 Case Western Reserve vs Rochester
- 2026 St. Lawrence vs Norwich
Saturday, Sep 5
- 2026 Howard Payne vs Pacific (OR)
- 2026 Muhlenberg vs Moravian
- 2026 University of New England vs Coast Guard
- 2026 Calvin vs Otterbein
- 2026 Wittenberg vs Washington and Lee
- 2026 Worcester State vs Massachusetts Maritime
- 2026 Westfield State vs VTSU-Castleton
- 2026 Maryville College vs Heidelberg
- 2026 Chapman vs No. 22 Hardin-Simmons
- 2026 Willamette vs Pomona-Pitzer
- 2026 Northwestern-St. Paul vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
- 2026 Bethany (WV) vs Sewanee
- 2026 Utah Islanders vs Whitworth
- 2026 Lewis & Clark vs Puget Sound
- 2026 Cal Lutheran vs Pacific Lutheran
- 2026 Guilford vs Greensboro
- 2026 NC Wesleyan vs Averett
- 2026 Westgate Christian vs Centenary (LA)
- 2026 McMurry vs Southwestern
- 2026 Austin College vs Schreiner
How To Watch D3 Football In 2026
Hundreds of Division 3 football games will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.
Game replays, highlights and breaking news will also be available on both platforms.
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