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5 Things To Know About The D3 Football Rankings Latest Shakeups After Week 5

5 Things To Know About The D3 Football Rankings Latest Shakeups After Week 5

The D3 Football rankings of the 2026 season continue to see movement from the country's best programs. Here are 5 things you need to know about them.

Oct 8, 2026 by Andrew Spey
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Replay: Bridgewater (VA) vs Randolph-Macon | Oct 3 @ 12 PM3:05:59

Another week of college football is in the books, and we're pretty much at the halfway point of the Division III season. Goes by quick, doesn't it?

There's been significant movement in the top 25 from Week 4 to Week 5 and even more changes since the preseason rankings came out. Two CCIW rivals now sit at the top, Hardin-Simmons made a jump into the Top 10 and three new teams joined the rankings this week.

Here are five things to know about the latest rankings.

UPCOMING

2026 Randolph-Macon College vs Washington and Lee

Tomorrow · 5:00 PM UTC

WATCH

1) CCIW On Top

The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is holding it down at the top of the rankings, specifically with North Central and Wheaton at the one and two spots, respectively.

Those two Chicagoland rivals have been class all season long, which is reflected in their undefeated records. Though they are the only two CCIW programs in the top 25, what this tells you is that if you can compete in the CCIW, you can compete for a national title.

The MIAC and WIAC aren't far behind, with the No. 3 spot going to Saint John's of the MIAC and No. 4 and No. 5 being occupied by UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater, respectively. A lot of quality ball happening in the Midwest right now.

2) The Cowboys Climb Into The Top 10

Hardin-Simmons was the biggest mover since last week. The Cowboys obliterated the University of Fort Lauderdale last weekend, 58-0, and galloped from No. 12 to No. 8.

Four of the aforementioned top five programs from the previous thing to know about the D3 rankings (it's right up there if you forgot already) jumped two spots. The Thunder, the Johnnies, the Pioneers and the Warhawks now all occupy prime positions on our list and have perhaps painted targets on their backs as a result.

Their moves up were precipitated by slides down the rankings by No. 14 John Carroll and No. 12 UW-River Falls. The Blue Streaks were at No. 2, and the Falcons were previously perched at No. 3. And yes, I am proud of myself for not using 'River Falls Down' in a headline.

3) Welcome To The Party, WashU

Washington University in St. Louis stayed undefeated, allowing the Bears to escape 'receiving votes' limbo and enter the top 25 promised land at No. 25. Already with a win over DePauw this season, the Bears have positioned themselves nicely to win out the regular season.

No. 23 Concordia-Moorhead and No. 25 Chapman also make their first appearances in the top 25. And for the Cobber fans and Panther faithful, hopefully not their last.

4) 8 Programs Are Putting The Conference On Their Backs

There are eight teams that are the lone conference representatives in the top 25. They are:

  • CNE: No. 10 Endicott
  • MIAA: No. 11 Hope
  • Empire 8: No. 13 Cortland
  • Centennial: No. 16 Franklin & Marshall
  • Landmark: No. 17 Susquehanna
  • ODAC: No. 21 Randolph-Macon
  • NEWMAC: No. 22 Springfield
  • SCIAC: No. 25 Chapman

Fans of intraconference rivals aren't expected to be thrilled about the situation, but the silver lining is that their strength of schedule will improve the higher their opponents climb in the rankings.

5) Can North Central Go Wire-To-Wire?

Is the rest of D3 Football Nation tired of hearing about the North Central Cardinals by now? Probably. But can we still point out that they started the preseason as the No. 1 team in America? Well, if your answer is no, we beg your forgiveness, but we kinda just did.

UW-River Falls, last year's champ, which beat North Central in the championship game, has taken a loss this year. But the coast is not clear for NCC. A showdown with No. 2 Wheaton looms. The winner will have pole position for the back half of the season.

Pretty safe bet to call that the biggest D3 game of the regular season. Will we have a new number one next week? We'll find out soon.

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

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