Trine University
1-1Michigan · Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium · 5,000
LastL 35–45 at Illinois Wesleyan · Sat Sep 12
Nextat Bluffton · Sat Sep 19 · 12:30 pm ET · Alumni Field (OH) · series 1-0
Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2
Game Week
4d 16h
until kickoff · at Bluffton · Sat Sep 19 · 12:30 pm ET
The Thunder of Angola, Indiana — the program once known as Tri-State University until a 2008 donor renaming — now one of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's strongest Division III sides.
A rebranded small school in rural northeast Indiana climbed into MIAA contention, and the national Division III conversation still acts like Trine doesn't exist.
The season in chapters
What it is like to watch them2025 · 5-5 · last season
✓ measured from 10 games · ranks are among Michigan teams the same season
Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025
Trine University has won two of its last five.
Cooling. 5-5 over the last 10, and lost the last one.
Next Sep 19
vs Bluffton · away
Outcome band · Trine University · 2026
Outcome band · Trine University · 2026Trine University's most likely season is 1-11 — mid-table finish. The floor is 0-12; the ceiling is 4-8.
No season-path projection for this program yet, so this is last season's record with a two-win swing down and a three-win swing up, over a 12-game frame.
More in this tab
Game day
The Thunder of Angola, Indiana — the program once known as Tri-State University until a 2008 donor renaming — now one of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association's strongest Division III sides.
Playoff path
Trine University sits 5th in the Michigan Conference and 136th of 229 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hope | 0-0 | 2-0 | 68.9 |
| 2 | Adrian | 0-0 | 2-0 | 68.8 |
| 3 | Olivet | 0-0 | 2-0 | 61.6 |
| 4 | Calvin | 0-0 | 2-0 | 61.1 |
| 5 | Trine | 0-0 | 1-1 | 46.5 |
| 6 | Albion | 0-0 | 0-2 | 39.8 |
| 7 | Alma | 0-0 | 0-2 | 36.3 |
| 8 | Kalamazoo | 0-0 | 0-2 | 27.7 |
Win the Michigan 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.
Recruiting buzz
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.