Iowa D2, FCS, and NAIA Scorecard – Saturday Sept. 5, 2026 –
Each week we grade Iowa Football teams in these three divisions versus expectations – SGI uses the point spreads provided by Massey Ratings to rate programs where they are on their progress.
Week One – Star Students
Northwestern College A+: You come off a tough opener on the road at an FCS team go down the road to archrival NAIA Power Morningside and you are +12.5 underdog. You win… go sing your fight song loud and proud as the teacher gives you 3 Gold Stars on your essay.
Graceland A+: You are getting 3.5 points and you win by 26. Our own Jordan Cole said this week on our Pigskin Breakdown Show after watching their opener at William Penn (Week Zero) look out for the Phil Staback led Yellow Jackets from Lamoni this fall. They have sting this fall.
St. Ambrose A: The Bees covered -3.5 with another impressive showing this week. The Bees on the Bluff are stacking up some great early season grades.
Grand View A: The “Rhodes Scholars of Iowa Football” with win number 31 in a row. The Vikings if they were working for Super Club would be the SGI Employee of the Month for 3 years running and own a Newish Chevy Malibu long ago. Two time defending national champ and #1 again in 2026 for good reasons.
Dordt B: Joel Penners squad Top 25 squad came off a close top 25 matchup road loss in week zero with big 34 point win and cover at home (-22.5). The Defenders showed their expected top of the class performance with a very solid week one win.
William Penn B: Methodical “Just WIN Baby” by the Statesmen once again. BTW if Coach Benavides slicked his hair back and got some Al Davis glasses he could be mistaken for Mr. Just Win Baby 😁
In Academic Probation Territory this week.
Waldorf C-: Coach Calloway got hired late in the cycle with a complete rebuild so victories are going be hard to come by in 26, but progress and fight for 4 quarters is a step forward in Tree Town.
Mt. Mercy C-: New Student in town in their first game showed some flashes. Got to see them live and giving a score on a test the first day in class is unfair, but the Stangs look like they will become a strong football program quickly.
Clarke C-: Coach Zuck got hired late in April which is very late to build a team, but he has started to rebuild a foundation for a FB program only 6 seasons old. The Pride showed some progress from week one starting and is starting to close the score gap in Dubuque.
Briar Cliff C-: The spread was -13.5 so this game was right on expectations. The Chargers have been close in both games with a furious 4th quarter comeback but gave up a late score. Close so far but no cigar yet in Sioux City.
Drake D+ (FCS): The Bulldogs went to the Grizzly pen in Missoula where many FBS teams would get run out of the stadium if they dared to play in Montana. Since this was an FCS Game you could place a bet and Drake Covered the 35.5 line (Ghost and Jordan cashed that cover thank you), but Drake is the top program in FCS Non-Scholarship’s Pioneer League (PFL) so they hold themselves to a high standard. The Bulldogs will find their way…just have to run some great test scores once PFL League play starts.
Upper Iowa D+ (DII): The Peacocks lost a frustrating close game (+2 with a push) with a key turnover in the 3rd and couldn’t quiet pull off the upset. The Peacocks are top DII students so we expect they will use the fuel to study hard and get ready for next week’s long bus trip to Northern Michigan.
Morningside D: Losing to a top 25 team at home is not something a Top 10 Morningside Football accepts. Losing to the team up the road in Orange City (the team up north as Morningside fans like to say) stings. The Mustangs will be back, but this week they are very unhappy with this week’s test results.
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