WACO, Texas -- The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has released its Division III Coaches Preseason Poll, with Wartburg College football ranked No. 9 heading into the 2026 season.
The Knights' 2026 regular-season schedule features five opponents that received preseason recognition in the AFCA poll: No. 1 North Central College, No. 7 UW-River Falls, No. 22 Coe College, and receiving votes Monmouth College and Central College.
No. 9 Wartburg opens the 2026 season on the road against receiving votes Monmouth at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at April Zorn Memorial Stadium in Monmouth, Illinois.
2026 AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll – August 24, 2026
Rank    School (1st votes)         *Rec.         Pts.    *Prev.    Season Opener                                 Head Coach
1. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â North Central (50) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14-1 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1322 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Sept. 5 vs. No. 2 Bethel (Minn.) Â Â Â Â Brad Spencer
2.        Bethel (Minn.)             12-1         1228        5            Sept. 5 at No. 1 North Central        Mike McElroy
3.         Mount Union                11-1         1202        6          Sept. 5 at No. 5 Wheaton            Geoff Dartt
4.         Johns Hopkins            12-2         1162         4         Sept. 5 vs. Ithaca                         Dan Wodicka
5.         Wheaton                        11-3         1030        7            Sept. 5 vs. No. 3 Mount Union        Jesse Scott
6.         UW-Platteville             9-3           1025 1      1           Sept. 5 vs. Aurora                         Ryan Munz
7.         UW-River Falls (3)     14-1        961        1        Sept. 3 vs. Southern Virginia        Jake Wissing
8.         John Carroll                   12-2     930        3           Sept. 5 at Carnegie Mellon               Brian Polian
9.         Wartburg                     10-1         904       14        Sept. 5 at Monmouth (Ill.)                 Chris Winter
10.       UW-La Crosse               8-3           836         10          Sept. 5 at No. 11 St. John's (Minn.) Michael Zweifel
11.       St. John's (Minn.)          10-2           835        8        Sept. 5 vs. No. 10 UW-La Crosse     Gary Fasching
12.    UW-Whitewater           8-3            666         20        Sept. 5 vs. Carleton                         Jace Rindahl
13.    DePauw                  10-2            627         13        Sept. 5 at Rose-Hulman                    Brett Dietz
14.    Trinity (Tex.)                 10-2            617         16       Sept. 5 vs. Texas Lutheran            Jerheme Urban
15.    Berry                             11-2           567           9        Sept. 5 at Huntingdon                       Tony Kunczewski
16.       Hardin-Simmons          9-2             563         19        Sept. 5 vs. Chapman                         Jesse Burleson
17.    Salisbury                     10-2            482         12        Sept. 12 vs. McDaniel                        Sherman Wood
18.    Christopher Newport 10-1             382         18        Sept. 5 vs. Newport News                 Paul Crowley
19.    Hope                           9-2            351         17        Sept. 5 at Denison                             Peter Stuursma
20.    Mary Hardin-Baylor     7-3         305         NR       Sept. 4 at Rowan                                 Larry Harmon
21.    Susquehanna             11-3             272         15        Sept. 5 at Union (N.Y.)                       Chris Pincince
22.    Coe                            9-3              177         NR        Sept. 5 vs. Cornell (Iowa)                   Tyler Staker
23.    Randolph-Macon        9-2            137         21        Sept. 4 at Dickinson                            Pedro Arruza
24.    Endicott                    9-2               119         24        Sept. 5 vs. Eastern (Pa.)                    Paul McGonagle
25.       Cortland                  8-3            112         NR        Sept. 5 at Grove City                         Tom Blumenauer
*– Record and ranking in final AFCA Division III Poll of 2025
Others Receiving Votes: UW-Oshkosh, 53; Linfield, 47; Alma, 40; Franklin & Marshall, 33; Monmouth (Ill.), 28; Washington & Jefferson, 28; Central (Iowa), 22; Chapman, 22; LaGrange, 20; Springfield, 20; Whitworth, 16; Eastern (Pa.), 11; Grove City, 9; Hampden-Sydney, 7; Augustana (Ill.), 6; Baldwin-Wallace, 6; Concordia (Wis.), 6; UW-Stout, 6; Wabash, 6; Adrian, 4; Hanover, 4; Calvin, 3; Muhlenberg, 3; Washington (Mo.), 3; Carnegie Mellon, 2; Illinois Wesleyan, 2; Union (N.Y.), 2; Utica (N.Y.), 2; Lake Forest, 1; Rowan, 1.
