The North Central College football team enters the 2015 season as the No. 11-ranked NCAA Division III program in the nation, according to the annual preseason Top 25 poll conducted by D3football.com.
The Cardinals, who were ranked 15th in the final D3football.com poll of the 2014 campaign, received 324 points in the initial voting in the poll, which will be released weekly throughout the season.
The defending national champion, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, received 18 of the 25 first-place votes and a total of 614 points to claim the No. 1 spot in the poll. Last season’s national runner-up, the University of Mount Union (Ohio), is second with 603 points and six first-place votes, while Linfield College (Oregon) received 535 points and one first-place vote. The top five is rounded out by the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) and Wesley College (Delaware). North Central will host Wesley in non-conference action on Sept. 26.
North Central is one of two College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) teams ranked in the top 25, joining seventh-ranked Wheaton College. The Cardinals host Wheaton for the 68th annual Battle for the Little Brass Bell during Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 24. On Sept. 19, North Central will travel to take on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, which received votes but fell outside the top 25.
The Cardinals are coming off an 8-2 finish in 2014 and are entering their first season under new head coach Jeff Thorne. North Central is ranked seventh in the Lindy’s Sports Annuals Preseason Top 25 while sitting 17th in the Preseason Top 25 released by The Sporting News.
North Central opens the 2015 season on Saturday, Sept. 12, hosting Trine University (Indiana) at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
