PELLA— Returning to the rankings for the first time since 2022, the Central College football team is No. 25 in this week's American Football Coaches Association top-25 rankings.
The Dutch are coming off a 10-0 win against previously No. 20 Randolph-Macon College (Va.) Saturday in Pella. Since the start of the poll in 1999, Central has now been ranked in 100 editions.
North Central College (Ill.) is a unanimous choice of No. 1
American Rivers foe Wartburg College is No. 10 and Coe College is receiving votes.
Central travels to Decorah for its American Rivers Conference opener at Luther College Saturday at 1 p.m.
2025 AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll – September 15, 2025
| Rank |
School (1st votes) |
Rec. |
Pts. |
Prev. |
| 1 |
North Central (52) |
1-0 |
1300 |
1 |
| 2 |
Mount Union |
2-0 |
1248 |
2 |
| 3 |
Johns Hopkins |
2-0 |
1173 |
3 |
| 4 |
St. John's (Minn.) |
1-0 |
1103 |
4 |
| 5 |
Susquehanna |
2-0 |
1065 |
5 |
| 6 |
Salisbury |
2-0 |
968 |
7 |
| 7 |
Hardin-Simmons |
2-0 |
959 |
6 |
| 8 |
UW-La Crosse |
1-0 |
921 |
9 |
| 9 |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
1-0 |
891 |
8 |
| 10 |
UW-Platteville |
2-0 |
822 |
11 |
| 11 |
Wartburg |
2-0 |
810 |
10 |
| 12 |
Bethel (Minn.) |
1-0 |
731 |
12 |
| 13 |
UW-River Falls |
2-0 |
662 |
14 |
| 14 |
DePauw |
2-0 |
651 |
13 |
| 15 |
Hope |
2-0 |
558 |
17 |
| 16 |
UW-Whitewater |
2-0 |
536 |
19 |
| 17 |
Grove City |
1-1 |
302 |
15 |
| 18 |
Wheaton |
0-1 |
270 |
22 |
| 19 |
Trinity (Tex.) |
2-0 |
249 |
NR |
| 20 |
Carnegie Mellon |
1-1 |
248 |
16 |
| 21 |
UW-Oshkosh |
1-1 |
230 |
18 |
| 22 |
Berry |
2-0 |
205 |
NR |
| 23 |
John Carroll |
1-1 |
155 |
21 |
| 24 |
Cortland |
1-1 |
154 |
23 |
| 25 |
Central (Iowa) |
2-0 |
128 |
NR |
Dropped Out: Randolph-Macon (20), Linfield (24), Springfield (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Brockport, 99; Linfield, 96; Springfield, 72; Utica, 71; Hampden-Sydney, 44; Baldwin Wallace, 32; Randolph-Macon, 25; Washington (Mo.), 24; Christopher Newport, 19; Coe, 18; Whitworth, 13; Alma, 12; Wabash, 10; Salve Regina, 9; Chapman, 4; Illinois College, 3; Muhlenberg, 3; Ursinus, 3; Wesleyan, 2; Western New England, 1; Calvin, 1.
