Wartburg College
10-1 2025 final D3 TOP 25 #12Wartburg is the ARC power that broke through its own ceiling under Chris Winter — four consecutive conference titles, two national semifinal runs, and a program permanently redrawn by the belief that the Knights belong in November.
The Knights polish their armor.
Wartburg is the ARC power that broke through its own ceiling under Chris Winter — four consecutive conference titles, two national semifinal runs, and a program permanently redrawn by the belief that the Knights belong in November.
Wartburg went 10–1 (8–0 ARC) in 2025, winning its fourth consecutive American Rivers Conference championship under Chris Winter. With a 53–8 all-time record and two national semifinal appearances in four seasons, Winter has redraw…
Offseason
69 days
until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC
The 2026 Outlook
Wartburg College sits 1st in the American Rivers Conference and 8th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — in the projected field with a seedable rating.
| Team | Conf | Overall | Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wartburg | 8-0 | 10-1 | 71.1 |
| 2 | Coe College | 7-1 | 9-3 | 66.3 |
| 3 | Central College | 6-2 | 8-2 | 63.5 |
| 4 | Simpson College (IA) | 5-3 | 6-4 | 55.8 |
| 5 | Dubuque | 4-4 | 4-6 | 47.6 |
| 6 | Loras College | 3-5 | 3-7 | 44.5 |
| 7 | Buena Vista | 2-6 | 3-7 | 42.0 |
| 8 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 1-7 | 1-9 | 36.2 |
Win the American Rivers 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.
Signature win 63-20 over Buena Vista; toughest day 24-28 against Wheaton.
The Pulse on Wartburg College
What moved it — offseason · last 30 days
Aspiration Ladder
Brief Part III §33.4 · Wartburg College
The baseline for a successful season.
The primary goal and national bracket path.
One of 32 national tournament entries.
The Division III national championship game.
Wartburg College · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Who We Are
Home-Field Advantage · Wartburg College · 2018-present
Above-Average
92% home win rate vs 86% on the road. margin runs +6.1 better at home.
Act IIILast Season Reviewed
2025 season · tap to expand
Recent Form · last 10 games
Warming
Four of five. The board favors this trend.
Schedule Strength · Wartburg College · 2025
Balanced
Average opponent win rate 49% across 11 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.
Moment of the Year · Wartburg College · 2025
Won 21-7 vs Monmouth (IL)
Week 2 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.
Postseason History
Recent postseason (2023): 3-1
Most recent: 2023 — loss 34-27 (away). Last 5 postseason: 3-1.
From the Archive — Wartburg College
2024: Won 10-6 at Central College
In 2024, the program won 10-6 at Central College — a tight road result that left the 4-point margin on the books.
Knights claim the day.