UW-River Falls Takes Down Second Straight Ranked Opponent
September 21, 2026
UW-River Falls beat their second straight ranked opponent, this time in then-No. 10 Wartburg, 31-14. The Falcons offense took an early 14-0 lead while their defense didn’t allow Wartburg to score in the second half. The win earned UW-River Falls a few more first-place votes this week which moved them up to No. 3 in this week’s AFCA Division III Coaches Poll, presented by GoRout Gridiron. The Knights fell to No. 18 with the loss.
North Central remains No. 1 followed by conference foe Wheaton at No. 2. UW-Platteville drops to No. 4 this week with St. John’s (Minn.) rounding out the top 5. John Carroll still sits at No. 6, but the rest of the top 25 is different thanks to Heidelberg’s monumental upset of then-No. 8 Mount Union, 37-34. This was the Purple Raiders first conference loss since 2016 and Heidelberg’s first win over Mount Union since 1988. The Purple Raiders fell to No. 23, their lowest ranking in the AFCA poll since it began in 1999.
No. 13 Susquehanna beat then-No. 15 Johns Hopkins, 49-23, dropping the Blue Jays out of the AFCA poll for the first time since 2019. Then No. 20 Linfield was also upset by Chapman, 24-21, dropping them out of the poll as well, making room for No. 24 Utica and No. 25 Franklin & Marshall. This is Utica’s first appearance in the AFCA Top 25 since October 2, 2023.
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. Week 3 Next Game
1 North Central (46) 3-0 1316 1 D. North Park, 45-10 Oct. 3 vs. Augustana (Ill.)
2 Wheaton 3-0 1242 2 D. Millikin, 82-10 Sept. 26 at Illinois Wesleyan
3 UW-River Falls (7) 3-0 1216 4 D. No. 10 Wartburg, 31-14 Oct. 3 at No. 7 UW-Whitewater
4 UW-Platteville 3-0 1183 3 D. Springfield, 37-14 Oct. 3 at UW-Stout
5 St. John’s (Minn.) 2-0 1104 5 D. Hamline, 77-0 Sept. 26 at Augsburg
6 John Carroll 3-0 1053 6 D. Kenyon, 56-7 Sept. 26 vs. Wittenberg
7 UW-Whitewater 2-0 959 9 Idle Sept. 26 at Keystone
8 Bethel (Minn.) 1-1 947 7 D. Gustavus Adolphus, 49-7 Sept. 26 vs. Hamline
9 Trinity (Tex.) 3-0 883 11 D. Pacific Lutheran, 24-6 Oct. 3 vs. No. 11 Berry
10 Hardin-Simmons 2-0 846 12 Idle Oct. 3 vs. Fort Lauderdale
11 Berry 3-0 761 13 D. Carnegie Mellon, 16-10 Oct. 3 at No. 9 Trinity (Tex.)
12 Salisbury 2-0 719 14 D. Washington & Lee, 43-13 Sept. 26 vs. Catholic
13 Susquehanna 3-0 624 19 D. No. 15 Johns Hopkins, 49-23 Sept. 26 vs. No. 14 Christopher Newport
14 Christopher Newport 2-0 618 16 Idle Sept. 26 at No. 13 Susquehanna
15 Hope 3-0 593 18 D. Hanover, 27-10 Sept. 26 vs. Albion
16 Endicott 3-0 517 22 D. No. 17 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 28-27 Sept. 26 vs. Husson
17 Cortland 3-0 427 21 D. Hartwick, 55-3 Sept. 26 vs. Morrisville
18 Wartburg 1-2 412 10 Lost to No. 4 UW-River Falls, 31-14 Oct. 3 at Nebraska Wesleyan
19 WashU 3-0 322 23t D. Wittenberg, 31-24 Sept. 26 at Oberlin
20 UW-La Crosse 1-2 249 23t D. Wayne St. (Mich.), 47-13 Oct. 3 at UW-Oshkosh
21 Mary Hardin-Baylor 2-1 209 17 Lost to No. 22 Endicott, 28-27 Oct. 3 vs. Keystone
22 DePauw 2-1 150 25 D. Ohio Wesleyan, 56-21 Sept. 26 at Kenyon
23 Mount Union 1-2 148 8 Lost to Heidelberg, 37-34 Oct. 3 at Muskingum
24 Utica 3-0 141 NR D. Hobart, 36-29 Sept. 26 at Alfred St.
25 Franklin & Marshall 3-0 88 NR D. Catholic, 31-17 Oct. 3 vs. Gettysburg
Dropped Out: Johns Hopkins (15), Linfield (20)
Others Receiving Votes: Randolph-Macon, 82; Johns Hopkins, 69; Wabash, 58; Heidelberg, 55; Calvin, 34; Springfield, 28; Mount St. Joseph, 27; UW-Oshkosh, 23; Illinois Wesleyan, 21; Chapman, 19; Lake Forest, 18; Linfield, 18; Baldwin-Wallace, 14; Muhlenberg, 8; Hampden-Sydney, 6; UW-Stout, 5; Ursinus, 4; Dickinson, 3; Trinity (Conn.), 3; Augustana (Ill.), 1; LaGrange, 1; Wesleyan, 1.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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UW-River Falls beat their second straight ranked opponent, this time in then-No. 10 Wartburg, 31-14. The Falcons offense took an early 14-0 lead while their defense didn’t allow Wartburg to score in the second half. The win earned UW-River Falls a few more first-place votes this week which moved them up to No. 3 in this week’s AFCA Division III Coaches Poll, presented by GoRout Gridiron. The Knights fell to No. 18 with the loss.
North Central remains No. 1 followed by conference foe Wheaton at No. 2. UW-Platteville drops to No. 4 this week with St. John’s (Minn.) rounding out the top 5. John Carroll still sits at No. 6, but the rest of the top 25 is different thanks to Heidelberg’s monumental upset of then-No. 8 Mount Union, 37-34. This was the Purple Raiders first conference loss since 2016 and Heidelberg’s first win over Mount Union since 1988. The Purple Raiders fell to No. 23, their lowest ranking in the AFCA poll since it began in 1999.
No. 13 Susquehanna beat then-No. 15 Johns Hopkins, 49-23, dropping the Blue Jays out of the AFCA poll for the first time since 2019. Then No. 20 Linfield was also upset by Chapman, 24-21, dropping them out of the poll as well, making room for No. 24 Utica and No. 25 Franklin & Marshall. This is Utica’s first appearance in the AFCA Top 25 since October 2, 2023.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 3 | Next Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Central (46) | 3-0 | 1316 | 1 | D. North Park, 45-10 | Oct. 3 vs. Augustana (Ill.) | |
| 2 | Wheaton | 3-0 | 1242 | 2 | D. Millikin, 82-10 | Sept. 26 at Illinois Wesleyan | |
| 3 | UW-River Falls (7) | 3-0 | 1216 | 4 | D. No. 10 Wartburg, 31-14 | Oct. 3 at No. 7 UW-Whitewater | |
| 4 | UW-Platteville | 3-0 | 1183 | 3 | D. Springfield, 37-14 | Oct. 3 at UW-Stout | |
| 5 | St. John’s (Minn.) | 2-0 | 1104 | 5 | D. Hamline, 77-0 | Sept. 26 at Augsburg | |
| 6 | John Carroll | 3-0 | 1053 | 6 | D. Kenyon, 56-7 | Sept. 26 vs. Wittenberg | |
| 7 | UW-Whitewater | 2-0 | 959 | 9 | Idle | Sept. 26 at Keystone | |
| 8 | Bethel (Minn.) | 1-1 | 947 | 7 | D. Gustavus Adolphus, 49-7 | Sept. 26 vs. Hamline | |
| 9 | Trinity (Tex.) | 3-0 | 883 | 11 | D. Pacific Lutheran, 24-6 | Oct. 3 vs. No. 11 Berry | |
| 10 | Hardin-Simmons | 2-0 | 846 | 12 | Idle | Oct. 3 vs. Fort Lauderdale | |
| 11 | Berry | 3-0 | 761 | 13 | D. Carnegie Mellon, 16-10 | Oct. 3 at No. 9 Trinity (Tex.) | |
| 12 | Salisbury | 2-0 | 719 | 14 | D. Washington & Lee, 43-13 | Sept. 26 vs. Catholic | |
| 13 | Susquehanna | 3-0 | 624 | 19 | D. No. 15 Johns Hopkins, 49-23 | Sept. 26 vs. No. 14 Christopher Newport | |
| 14 | Christopher Newport | 2-0 | 618 | 16 | Idle | Sept. 26 at No. 13 Susquehanna | |
| 15 | Hope | 3-0 | 593 | 18 | D. Hanover, 27-10 | Sept. 26 vs. Albion | |
| 16 | Endicott | 3-0 | 517 | 22 | D. No. 17 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 28-27 | Sept. 26 vs. Husson | |
| 17 | Cortland | 3-0 | 427 | 21 | D. Hartwick, 55-3 | Sept. 26 vs. Morrisville | |
| 18 | Wartburg | 1-2 | 412 | 10 | Lost to No. 4 UW-River Falls, 31-14 | Oct. 3 at Nebraska Wesleyan | |
| 19 | WashU | 3-0 | 322 | 23t | D. Wittenberg, 31-24 | Sept. 26 at Oberlin | |
| 20 | UW-La Crosse | 1-2 | 249 | 23t | D. Wayne St. (Mich.), 47-13 | Oct. 3 at UW-Oshkosh | |
| 21 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 2-1 | 209 | 17 | Lost to No. 22 Endicott, 28-27 | Oct. 3 vs. Keystone | |
| 22 | DePauw | 2-1 | 150 | 25 | D. Ohio Wesleyan, 56-21 | Sept. 26 at Kenyon | |
| 23 | Mount Union | 1-2 | 148 | 8 | Lost to Heidelberg, 37-34 | Oct. 3 at Muskingum | |
| 24 | Utica | 3-0 | 141 | NR | D. Hobart, 36-29 | Sept. 26 at Alfred St. | |
| 25 | Franklin & Marshall | 3-0 | 88 | NR | D. Catholic, 31-17 | Oct. 3 vs. Gettysburg | |
Dropped Out: Johns Hopkins (15), Linfield (20)
Others Receiving Votes: Randolph-Macon, 82; Johns Hopkins, 69; Wabash, 58; Heidelberg, 55; Calvin, 34; Springfield, 28; Mount St. Joseph, 27; UW-Oshkosh, 23; Illinois Wesleyan, 21; Chapman, 19; Lake Forest, 18; Linfield, 18; Baldwin-Wallace, 14; Muhlenberg, 8; Hampden-Sydney, 6; UW-Stout, 5; Ursinus, 4; Dickinson, 3; Trinity (Conn.), 3; Augustana (Ill.), 1; LaGrange, 1; Wesleyan, 1.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
