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

Norwich University

1-9 2025 final

Norwich is the Cadets program — the oldest private military college in America (1819) and birthplace of ROTC, rebuilding from 0-10 with the mission of proving that military discipline and football excellence belong together.

The Cadets bide their time.

Record
1-9
win% .100
Conference
8th of 8
NEWMAC · 0-7
Index Rating
33.5
D3 #223 of 240
Playoff Path
Win the league
Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — diagnostic
The Long Wait·Offseason

Norwich is the Cadets program — the oldest private military college in America (1819) and birthplace of ROTC, rebuilding from 0-10 with the mission of proving that military discipline and football excellence belong together.

Standard GapA 200+ year old military institution whose football program is rebuildin…

Norwich University fielded the Cadets in 2025 under Bill Russell's second year of rebuilding after the catastrophic 0-10 season in 2024. Russell was hired in November 2023 with a mandate to restore a program built on military disc…

low signal
Read the full program story ↓

Offseason

69 days

until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC

Act I

The 2026 Outlook

DIVISION III · THE PATH TO THE STAGG BOWL

Norwich University sits 8th in the NEWMAC and 223rd of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.

NEWMAC · 2025
TeamConfOverallIndex
1Springfield7-09-362.7
2Merchant Marine Academy5-28-262.6
3Coast Guard5-27-358.9
4MIT4-36-353.6
5Salve Regina3-46-454.2
6SUNY Maritime3-45-649.4
7Worcester Polytechnic Institute1-62-840.8
8Norwich0-71-933.5
33.5 CFB Zeitgeist#223 of 240 D349.5 strength of schedule

Win the NEWMAC 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 · 1-9
L 3-19 at St. Lawrence · Wk 2-16St. LawrL 8-30 at Castleton · Wk 3-22CastletoW 63-0 vs Maine Maritime · Wk 4+63Maine MaL 0-49 vs Merchant Marine Academy · Wk 5-49MerchantL 7-14 vs Worcester Polytechnic Institute · Wk 6-7WorcesteL 0-42 at SUNY Maritime · Wk 8-42SUNY MarL 28-59 at Coast Guard · Wk 9-31Coast GuL 6-48 vs Springfield · Wk 10-42SpringfiL 10-38 vs Salve Regina · Wk 11-28Salve ReL 14-48 at MIT · Wk 12-34MIT

Signature win 63-0 over Maine Maritime; toughest day 0-49 against Merchant Marine Academy.

The Pulse on Norwich University

Quiet · dead period heritage · signal ramps back in camp
The Cadets 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 Cadets." — Norwich University fanbase · recurring line
0 mentions · awaiting signal

Aspiration Ladder

Brief Part III §33.4 · Norwich University

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.

Norwich University · Next-Season Outcome Band

Floor / Base / Ceiling

floor0-12Rebuild year. Below .500.
base1-11Mid-table finish.
ceiling4-8Conference 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 · Norwich University · 2018-present

Above-Average

20% home win rate vs 5% on the road. margin runs +5.5 better at home.

Home4-16Away1-19
Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Hibernating

Zero of five. Reset territory.

Streak L7Last 5 · 0-5Last 10 · 1-9

Schedule Strength · Norwich University · 2025

Balanced

Average opponent win rate 47% across 10 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.

Opp Win %0.477

Moment of the Year · Norwich University · 2025

Won 63-0 vs Maine Maritime

Week 4 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.

Decisive Margin

From the Archive — Norwich University

2024: Lost 13-17 vs Coast Guard

In 2024, the program lost 13-17 vs Coast Guard — a close home result, 4 points either way.

Go Cadets.