DIII CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

Minnesota

#51 overall#9 in DIIIRR50 -13.7Upper strength -11.910 teamsTop 25 teams 0

VERDICT BEGINS · 2026

After St. Thomas

The MIAC is a conference of Minnesota liberal arts colleges that produces DIII football at a level disproportionate to its small-college enrollment. St. John's University in Collegeville has appeared in the DIII national championship game eleven times, winning once in 2003. Concordia-Moorhead, Gustavus Adolphus, and Bethel all compete in a conference that was reshaped when St. Thomas — the MIAC's largest school — moved to Division I FCS in 2022. What remains is a deeper, more competitive conference without a single dominant program.

Division III10 teamsRace: DIII BracketLeader: Bethel (MN)

Minnesota · 2026 Season

Three Things to Watch

The Historical Standard

St. John's: Eleven Championship Game Appearances

St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota has appeared in the DIII national championship game eleven times — the most appearances in DIII history. John Gagliardi built one of college football's most unusual programs: no tackling in practice, no whistles, no blocking sleds, no film study for opponents — and 489 wins over six decades. His successors have maintained the program's competitive presence without replicating his innovations. St. John's in 2026 competes in a MIAC that is genuinely open for the first time in a generation.

The New ContenderConcordia-Moorhead's Resurgence

Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota has won MIAC titles and appeared in the DIII bracket with a program built on the Red River Valley's football culture. Their recruiting covers the Fargo-Moorhead metro and the upper Midwest corridor, developing players who chose a Lutheran liberal arts education over scholarship programs at other levels. With St. Thomas gone, Concordia enters 2026 as one of the MIAC's most complete programs outside of St. John's.

Wild CardGustavus Adolphus: The St. Peter Program

Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota competes in the MIAC with a program that draws from the southern Minnesota corridor and the Twin Cities exurbs. Their Gusties have won MIAC titles and made DIII bracket appearances, and the departure of St. Thomas opens conference contention in a way that benefits programs with depth and coaching continuity. Gustavus enters 2026 as a legitimate MIAC title contender for the first time in a decade.

Conference Standings · Minnesota · 2026

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1Concordia (MN)1–02–0-12.3
2Saint John's (MN)0–01–0-10.5
3Gustavus Adolphus0–01–0-12.9
4Macalester0–01–0-15.2
5Hamline0–01–0-16.4
6Bethel (MN)0–00–1-10.2
7Carleton0–00–1-13.5
8Augsburg0–00–1-14.4
9St. Scholastica0–00–1-15.4
10St. Olaf0–10–2-14.8

Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.

Projected Standings · Minnesota · 2026

Win Projection

Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.

# Team W–L PWR AVG ≥9≥8≥7≥6≥5≥4≥3≥2≥1
Favorites
1Bethel (MN)5–4+3.35.3162146728997✓✓
2Saint John's (MN)5–4+3.15.215184167879699✓
Challengers
3Concordia (MN)5–4+1.24.83133359829599✓
4Gustavus Adolphus5–4+0.74.62102753779298✓
5Carleton4–5+0.14.5292549749198✓
The Field
6St. Olaf4–5-1.34.3172044698897✓
7Augsburg4–5-0.84.3162043698897✓
8Macalester4–5-1.64.2161941678797✓
Rebuilding
9St. Scholastica4–5-1.94.0151637638596✓
10Hamline4–5-2.83.914143461839699

Conference Power · Division III

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1Wisconsin
-12.1
1–2Wisconsin Whitewater
2American Southwest
-12.3
—Hardin Simmons
3USA South
-13.3
—LaGrange
4Old Dominion
-13.4
—Randolph Macon
5Southern Athletic
-13.6
—Berry
6Centennial
-13.6
—Johns Hopkins
7American Rivers
-13.6
2–1Wartburg
8Northwest
-13.6
—Whitworth
9MinnesotaYou are here
-13.7
—Bethel (MN)
10Presidents'
-13.7
—Saint Francis
11Commonwealth Coast
-13.7
—Endicott
12North Coast
-13.7
—DePauw
13CCIW
-13.7
0–1North Central College
14NEWMAC
-13.8
—Springfield
15Michigan
-13.8
—Hope
16So. Cal.
-13.8
—Whittier
17Ohio
-13.8
—John Carroll
18Liberty League
-13.9
—Ithaca
19Empire 8
-14.1
—SUNY Cortland
20Landmark Conference
-14.1
—Susquehanna
21Southern Collegiate Athletic
-14.2
—Texas Lutheran
22New Jersey
-14.2
—Salisbury
23Heartland
-14.2
—Hanover
24Mid Atlantic
-14.2
—Delaware Valley
25NACC
-14.2
0–1Aurora
26NESCAC
-14.3
—Trinity (CT)
27MSCAC
-14.4
—Plymouth State
28Midwest
-14.5
—Monmouth (IL)
29Upper Midwest
-14.6
2–0Northwestern (MN)

Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = Minnesota's record vs. that conference across all games this season.

The MIAC is a conference of Minnesota liberal arts colleges that produces DIII football at a level disproportionate to its small-college enrollment. St. John's University in Collegeville has appeared in the DIII national championship game eleven times, winning once in 2003. Concordia-Moorhead, Gustavus Adolphus, and Bethel all compete in a conference that was reshaped when St. Thomas — the MIAC's largest school — moved to Division I FCS in 2022. What remains is a deeper, more competitive conference without a single dominant program.

Conference Snapshot

RR50-13.7
Upper Strength-11.9
Median Power-14.0
Resume Pulse44.0
Avg ATS--
Wins vs Market+0.00
Top-to-Middle Gap3.7
Combined Record6-6

`RR50`, `Upper Strength`, and `Median Power` are shown on the same public power scale as the rest of the site: points on a neutral field versus the average all-level NCAA team. Very small affiliations are gently regressed toward their subdivision baseline so a one-team outlier does not hijack the entire conference board.

Minnesota Team Board

The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.

Rank Team Record Power Resume ATS Wins vs Market Recent Form
#437 Bethel (MN) 0-1 -10.2 3 -- +0.00 0-1 over the last 1 (L1)
#439 Saint John's (MN) 1-0 -10.5 68 -- +0.00 1-0 over the last 1 (W1)
#473 Concordia (MN) 2-0 -12.3 88 -- +0.00 2-0 over the last 2 (W1 W2)
#489 Gustavus Adolphus 1-0 -12.9 87 -- +0.00 1-0 over the last 1 (W1)
#516 Carleton 0-1 -13.5 1 -- +0.00 0-1 over the last 1 (L1)
#573 Augsburg 0-1 -14.4 20 -- +0.00 0-1 over the last 1 (L1)
#596 St. Olaf 0-2 -14.8 4 -- +0.00 0-2 over the last 2 (L1 L2)
#616 Macalester 1-0 -15.2 82 -- +0.00 1-0 over the last 1 (W1)
#625 St. Scholastica 0-1 -15.4 6 -- +0.00 0-1 over the last 1 (L1)
#656 Hamline 1-0 -16.4 81 -- +0.00 1-0 over the last 1 (W1)