PELLA — The Central College football team continued its ascent in the American Football Coaches Association rankings, coming in at No. 16 in the latest poll released Monday.
           
The Dutch also moved up to No. 18 in the D3fotball.com poll. They overtook Wheaton College (Ill.) in both lists after a 45-27 road win at Loras College Saturday. The AFCA also pushed them in front of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
           
Central is on a bye week before returning to action at home against Nebraska Wesleyan University on October 18.
 
2025 AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll – October 6, 2025
 

Rank	School (1st votes)	Rec.	Pts.	Prev.
1	North Central (51)	4-0	1275	1
2	Mount Union	4-0	1224	2
3	Johns Hopkins	4-0	1160	3
4	UW-La Crosse	3-0	1109	5
5	Salisbury	4-0	1021	6
6	Hardin-Simmons	4-0	973	7
7	UW-Platteville	4-0	970	8
8	Bethel (Minn.)	4-0	950	11
9	Wartburg	5-0	880	9
10	DePauw	5-0	754	13
11	St. John's (Minn.)	3-1	686	4
12	UW-Whitewater	3-1	685	10
13	Trinity (Tex.)	4-0	655	14
14	UW-Oshkosh	3-1	643	17
15	Carnegie Mellon	3-1	523	16
16	Central (Iowa)	5-0	497	18
17	UW-River Falls	3-1	448	12
18	John Carroll	4-1	446	19
19	Cortland	4-1	318	20
20	Hope	4-1	242	23
21	Christopher Newport	4-0	230	24
22	Mary Hardin-Baylor	2-2	207	22
23	Muhlenberg	4-0	157	NR
24	Wheaton	2-2	143	15
25	Randolph-Macon	4-1	69	NR

Dropped Out: Hampden-Sydney (21), Wabash (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Linfield, 48; Maryville, 43; Berry, 40; Hampden-Sydney, 22; Wabash, 22; Baldwin Wallace, 19; Alma, 17; Stevenson, 13; Lewis & Clark, 12; Adrian, 9; Washington (Mo.), 9; Western Connecticut, 9; Plymouth St., 8; U.S. Merchant Marine, 6; Cal Lutheran, 4; Ursinus, 4; UW-Stout, 4; Coe, 3; Southern Virginia, 3; Calvin, 2; Endicott, 2; Rensselaer, 2; Springfield, 2; Susquehanna, 2; UW-Eau Claire, 2; Ithaca, 1; UW-Stevens Point, 1; Wesleyan, 1.

D3football.com Top 25, 2025 Week 5
Through games of Saturday, Oct. 6

Rank	School (No. 1 votes)	W-L	Points	Prev.
1	North Central (Ill.) (23)	4-0	623	1
2	Mount Union (2)	4-0	599	2
3	Johns Hopkins	4-0	577	3
4	UW-La Crosse	3-0	531	5
5	Salisbury	4-0	495	6
6	UW-Platteville	4-0	484	7
7	Bethel	4-0	467	12
8	Wartburg	5-0	458	8
9	Hardin-Simmons	4-0	433	10
10	UW-Whitewater	3-1	380	9
11	UW-Oshkosh	3-1	355	15
12	DePauw	5-0	354	13
13	St. John's	3-1	347	4
14	UW-River Falls	3-1	283	11
15	John Carroll	4-1	248	16
16	Trinity (Texas)	4-0	229	18
17	Carnegie Mellon	3-1	213	17
18	Central	5-0	198	19
19	Wheaton (Ill.)	2-2	137	14
20	Hope	4-1	131	20
21	Christopher Newport	4-0	130	23
22	Mary Hardin-Baylor	2-2	110	21
23	Cortland	4-1	95	22
24	Linfield	2-1	43	--
25	Muhlenberg	4-0	34	--

Dropped out: No. 24 Hampden-Sydney; No. 25 Susquehanna.
Others receiving votes: Berry 32; Randolph-Macon 29; Maryville (Tenn.) 21; Adrian 19; Lewis & Clark 15; Susquehanna 15; Baldwin Wallace 14; Wabash 9; Monmouth 4; Ithaca 4; Alma 4; Hampden-Sydney 3; Washington & Jefferson 2.