June 22, 2026 · Dead Period · Heritage Window · 2026 Outlook

Macalester College

3-7 2025 final

Macalester is a historic MIAC institution playing at small-school scale—a liberal-arts commitment to football as part of a broader educational mission, not the mission itself.

The Scots bide their time.

Record

3-7

win% .300

Conference

9th of 10

Minnesota · 2-7

Index Rating

42.8

D3 #178 of 240

Playoff Path

Win the league

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — diagnostic

The Long Wait·Offseason

Macalester is a historic MIAC institution playing at small-school scale—a liberal-arts commitment to football as part of a broader educational mission, not the mission itself.

Title DroughtSince 1990 · 35 yrs

Macalester went 3-7 (2-7 MIAC) in 2025, representing a down year in a program that operates without championship aspirations but with steady commitment to competitive football. The Scots play in the heartland of the MIAC, without…

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Offseason

69 days

until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC

Act I

The 2026 Outlook

DIVISION III · THE PATH TO THE STAGG BOWL

Macalester College sits 9th in the Minnesota Conference and 178th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.

Minnesota · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	Bethel (MN)	9-0	12-1	73.6
2	Saint John's (MN)	8-1	10-2	66.0
3	Concordia Moorhead	6-3	7-3	58.6
4	Carleton	6-3	6-4	55.4
5	Gustavus Adolphus	5-4	5-5	52.3
6	Augsburg	4-5	4-6	49.3
7	St. Olaf	3-6	4-6	46.4
9	Macalester	2-7	3-7	42.8

42.8 CFB Zeitgeist#178 of 240 D351.7 strength of schedule

Win the Minnesota Conference for the automatic berth into the 40-team NCAA Division III bracket. Miss it and the path is an at-large bid, selected by NPI — the metric the CFB Index mirrors. Six wins survive the bracket to the Stagg Bowl.

Source: CFB Zeitgeist — conference records + NPI-style rating from 2025 games · the field is 40 teams, NPI-selected

THE 2025 SEASON · 3-7

Signature win 29-0 over Hamline University; toughest day 0-70 against Saint John's (MN).

—

The Scots bide their time.

What moved it — offseason · last 30 days

June Dead-period quiet — official-visit + heritage window —

Camp Fall camp ~40 days out

"Go Scots." — Macalester College fanbase · recurring line

0 mentions · awaiting signal

Winning record—

The baseline for a successful season.

Conference title—

The primary goal and national bracket path.

32-team bracket qualifierLocked—

One of 32 national tournament entries.

Stagg BowlLocked—

The Division III national championship game.

Floor 1-11

Base 3-9

Ceiling 6-6

floor1-11Rebuild year. Below .500.

base3-9Mid-table finish.

ceiling6-6Conference title race. Bracket qualifier in range.

Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.

Act II

Who We Are

Home-Field Advantage · Macalester College · 2018-present

Elite

31% home win rate vs 20% on the road. margin runs +14.3 better at home.

Home6-13Away4-16

Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Cold

One of five. The film room is busy this week.

Streak L2Last 5 · 1-4Last 10 · 3-7

Schedule Strength · Macalester College · 2025

Balanced

Average opponent win rate 49% across 10 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.

Opp Win %0.496

Moment of the Year · Macalester College · 2025

Won 29-0 vs Hamline University

Week 6 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.

Decisive Margin

Postseason History

Recent postseason (2023): 1-0

Most recent: 2023 — win 40-20 (home). Last 5 postseason: 1-0.

2023

From the Archive — Macalester College

2024: Lost 0-29 vs St. Olaf

In 2024, the program lost 0-29 vs St. Olaf — a stinging home result, 29 points either way.

Go Scots.