You can tell Division 3 Football is right around the corner when the team at D3Football.com releases their first preseason poll which they did on July 23rd.

That site and team provide in my opinion the best overall national coverage for D3 Football (there are 241 teams competing nationally in D3 football in 2025).

The D3football.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis. The full poll is available at D3football.com Top 25, 2025 preseason – D3football

The first Top 25 poll has the Wartburg Knights from Waverly, Iowa, ranked at #9 and the Coe College Kohawks from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, receiving 17 votes (#34). It is fun to see two A-R-C teams receiving votes as the standing of the A-R-C continues to climb. For many years, the A-R-C was a single bid conference. In 2023, the last year before the expansion of the Playoffs, Coe earned one of the only 4 at large bids as Wartburg was the automatic bid league champion.

2023 was the last year of 28 automatic qualifiers that won their conference championship and only four at large bids. It was rare that any of those four bids ever went to anyone not in the UW- conference in Wisconsin, or the teams in Mt. Unions conference. In 2024, the field went from 32 to 48, and now there are roughly 20 at-large bids.

The expansion of the playoffs and the growing power of the A-R-C in national standing make 2 bids for the A-R-C in the playoffs not just a possibility, but close to an expectation.

In looking at the D3 Football Poll – Wartburg’s high rank and Coe in the receiving votes category indicate that the goal for the A-R-C is to be a two-bid league every year (one of the top 4-8 D3 Conferences in the country). P.S. Central was so close last year losing very close games to Wartburg and Coe for their only two losses, that I think the Dutch were overlooked by not receiving votes.

That two-bid expectation will be greatly helped in 2025 with how the league performs in the non-conference schedule.

A-R-C Big Non-Conference Games to Watch

#1 Wartburg travels to Wisconsin to play the UW-Stout Blue Devils in Week #2 who were 6-4 in 2024. The roughly 4 hour trip to Menomonie from Waverly will be a real challenge. The Blue Devils play in arguably the toughest D3 Conference in the country, beat Whitewater last year and were an eyelash from winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in 2024.

The WIAC has been a powerhouse for 30 plus years with UW – Whitewater (#24) and UW – LaCrosse (#11) winning the National title – Whitewater had won it many times. Other UW Schools like Oshkosh have recently played in the title game. UW Platteville (#15) and River Falls (#19) are ranked this year and very strong programs. Stout received votes and would roughly be #29 if the poll went that high. That’s #5 teams ranked in the top #30. No other conference is close.

I’ve been at Blue Devil field and the fans are right on top of you, and they will be ready and have a big crowd. Oh, and UW -Stout returns possibly one of the top QB’s in the country in Adam Moen.

P.S. Wartburg has a strong week one home game against Monmouth from the Midwest Conference who has averaged over 8 wins the past 12 years. They did not get any votes in the preseason poll, but it is a solid winning program.

#2 Coe College goes up the Mississippi to play UW-River Falls in Week #2 – River Falls (#19) has been right there in the WIAC since 2021. They have put up 9 wins, 7 wins, 7 wins, and 7 wins the past 4 years and have been agonizingly close to the playoffs. Now with 48 teams, those 7-8 win years will all but guarantee a playoff berth. I’ve also been at Falcon Field in River Falls, Wisconsin, and it is a very tough place to play. The Kohawks will have their hands full, and it will be a real test.

#3 Central hosts Randolph Macon Week 2 in Pella, Iowa – The Yellow Jackets (#21) are coming cross country from Ashland, Virginia. And yes….they can play as the Yellow Jackets are one of four programs to reach the Round of 16 in each of the past three seasons along with Mount Union, North Central and Wartburg. That will be a great game in Pella.

#4&5 The University of Dubuque play the aforementioned UW-Stout Blue Devils on the road in week one and then play at home in week against UW-Platteville in Week #2. The team from Platteville (#15) is just 21 miles up the road on Highway 151 and has been a perennial playoff team for many years. They will be showing up with a strong football team…and plenty of fans.

#6 Loras Plays Hope College in Dubuque, Iowa in Week One – The Flying Dutchmen (#20) from Holland Michigan sail into town after winning a playoff game in 2024. That is a tough team that will be coming to the Rock Bowl.

If the A-R-C big three Coe, Wartburg, and Central win 2 out of 3 that should bode well for having the chance to have two teams in the playoffs. If the Dubuque Spartans win 1 of the two very tough games that would be a big boost to them and the A-R-C. If the DuHawks were to pull off a shocker in the Rock Bowl that would be icing on the A-R-C cake.

The non-conference in the A-R-C used to be a get ready for the conference season and although it mattered to get the playoffs you had to win the conference title. Now, if the league does well in the non-conference games the A-R-C team that finishes second has a great chance of getting an at-large bid.

As always, we appreciate your comments and support.