WACO, TEX.– The last time Christopher Newport appeared in the AFCA Division III Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl, it was on September 26, 2016, at No. 25. Almost nine years later, the Captains are back after beating then-No. 14 Susquehanna, 41-27. CNU matched a program record with their eighth straight victory and beat a ranked opponent for the first time, you guessed it, since 2016. Christopher Newport jumps into the poll at No. 24 while Susquehanna falls out of the top 25.
There was very little movement in the top 10 this week as five teams were on a bye. North Central continues their dominance at No. 1, beating Washington (Mo.), 44-14. Same goes for No. 2 Mount Union, who downed Baldwin Wallace, 42-23. Johns Hopkins and St. John’s (Minn.) remain at 3 and 4 with the only change in the top 10 coming at No. 5. UW-La Crosse flip-flops with Salisbury despite La Crosse being idle and Salisbury beating Catholic with ease, 55-6.
Change will come to the poll next week as there are five top 25 matchups that include four top 10 teams. Two of the biggest will be No. 4 St. John’s (Minn.) traveling to No. 11 Bethel (Minn.) for the top spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while the other is a top 10 battle in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as No. 5 UW-La Crosse travels to No. 10 UW-Whitewater.
2025 AFCA Division III Coaches’ Poll – September 29, 2025
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 4 | Next Game |
| 1 | North Central (51) | 3-0 | 1275 | 1 | D. Washington (Mo.), 44-14 | Oct. 4 vs. No. 15 Wheaton |
| 2 | Mount Union | 3-0 | 1224 | 2 | D. Baldwin Wallace, 42-23 | Oct. 4 vs. Otterbein |
| 3 | Johns Hopkins | 3-0 | 1153 | 3 | Idle | Oct. 3 vs. Dickinson |
| 4 | St. John’s (Minn.) | 3-0 | 1072 | 4 | D. Augsburg, 63-0 | Oct. 4 at No. 11 Bethel (Minn.) |
| 5 | UW-La Crosse | 2-0 | 1033 | 6 | Idle | Oct. 4 at No. 10 UW-Whitewater |
| 6 | Salisbury | 3-0 | 999 | 5 | D. Catholic, 55-6 | Oct. 4 vs. TCNJ |
| 7 | Hardin-Simmons | 3-0 | 928 | 7 | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. Howard Payne |
| 8 | UW-Platteville | 3-0 | 906 | 8 | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. UW-Stevens Point |
| 9 | Wartburg | 4-0 | 863 | 9 | D. Coe, 17-7 | Oct. 4 at Luther |
| 10 | UW-Whitewater | 3-0 | 817 | 10 | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. No. 5 UW-La Crosse |
| 11 | Bethel (Minn.) | 3-0 | 773 | 11 | D. Hamline, 62-12 | Oct. 4 vs. No. 4 St. John’s (Minn.) |
| 12 | UW-River Falls | 3-0 | 759 | 12 | Idle | Oct. 4 at No. 17 UW-Oshkosh |
| 13 | DePauw | 4-0 | 665 | 13 | D. Wittenberg, 28-0 | Oct. 4 vs. Oberlin |
| 14 | Trinity (Tex.) | 3-0 | 550 | 16t | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. Southwestern (Tex.) |
| 15 | Wheaton | 2-1 | 521 | 16t | D. Carroll (Wis.), 61-13 | Oct. 4 at No. 1 North Central |
| 16 | Carnegie Mellon | 2-1 | 438 | 20 | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. McDaniel |
| 17 | UW-Oshkosh | 2-1 | 429 | 21 | Idle | Oct. 4 vs. No. 12 UW-River Falls |
| 18 | Central (Iowa) | 4-0 | 384 | 23 | D. Dubuque, 35-16 | Oct. 4 at Loras |
| 19 | John Carroll | 3-1 | 369 | 22 | D. Kenyon, 52-0 | Oct. 4 vs. No. 25 Wabash |
| 20 | Cortland | 3-1 | 238 | 24 | D. Morrisville, 48-3 | Oct. 4 vs. Utica |
| 21 | Hampden-Sydney | 4-0 | 234 | 25 | D. Guilford, 69-14 | Oct. 4 vs. Washington & Lee |
| 22 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 1-2 | 174 | 18 | Lost to Mars Hill, 21-7 | Oct. 4 at East Texas Baptist |
| 23 | Hope | 3-1 | 168 | 15 | Lost to Alma, 29-26 OT | Oct. 4 at Trine |
| 24 | Christopher Newport | 3-0 | 121 | NR | D. No. 14 Susquehanna, 41-27 | Oct. 4 at Rowan |
| 25 | Wabash | 4-0 | 92 | NR | D. Denison, 36-0 | Oct. 4 at No. 19 John Carroll |
Dropped Out: Susquehanna (14), Grove City (19)
Others Receiving Votes: Muhlenberg, 67; Linfield, 46; Randolph-Macon, 44; Berry, 38; Susquehanna, 35; Alma, 30; Ursinus, 28; Baldwin Wallace, 23; UW-Stevens Point, 13; Brockport, 10; Maryville, 10; Marietta, 9; Salve Regina, 8; Washington (Mo.), 8; Coe, 5; Calvin, 4; Washington & Jefferson, 4; Grove City, 3; Utica, 3; Stevenson, 1; University of New England, 1.
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