North Central leads CCIW football preseason coaches’ poll for fifth straight year

North Central College has been named the favorite to win the 2025 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) football championship, according to the league’s preseason coaches’ poll released Monday. The Cardinals, who have won four consecutive CCIW titles and are the defending national champions, received all but one first-place vote and totaled 81 points in the poll.

The full results placed Wheaton College second with 73 points and one first-place vote. Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) was ranked third with 65 points, followed by Illinois Wesleyan in fourth with 53 points. Carroll took fifth place at 48 points, Augustana was sixth with 43 points, North Park seventh with 34 points, Carthage eighth at 26 points, Millikin ninth at 14 points, and Elmhurst rounded out the poll in tenth place with 13 points.

North Central’s dominance continues from last season when they won the Stagg Bowl and claimed their third national title since 2019. The team has not lost a conference game since that year and is currently on a streak of 42 straight CCIW victories. The Cardinals were also ranked first nationally in a recent D3football.com preseason poll.

“Monday’s announcement marked the fourth consecutive season the Cardinals have been the preseason league favorite,” according to the league office.

North Central will begin its season on Saturday, September 13 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Naperville.

Wheaton enters this season ranked seventeenth nationally by D3football.com after finishing last year with a record of nine wins and two losses. The Thunder defeated Wisconsin-Stout in last year’s Culver’s Isthmus Bowl. Their opener will be against Mount Union on September 6.

WashU holds third place in both this year’s poll and five of its six seasons as a member of the CCIW.

Eight teams from the conference will start their seasons during Division III’s opening week. Carroll will play Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Thursday, September 4. Conference play begins on Saturday, September 20.