BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- A trio of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football teams will begin the 2022 season in the national spotlight, as D3football.com released its annual Preseason Top 25 Poll earlier this week.

Defending MIAC champion Saint John's is ranked No. 5 in the nation to start the year, while conference runner-up Bethel is No. 13. Gustavus also received six points in the preseason balloting. Mary Hardin-Baylor will begin the year at No. 1 in the poll, followed by North Central at No. 2, Mount Union at No. 3, and UW-Whitewater at No. 4.

The 2022 football season officially begins on Thursday, September 1 when Concordia travels to North Dakota for a non-conference matchup with Valley City State. Eight more MIAC programs will be in action on Saturday, September 3. 

The MIAC slate of the fall schedule will begin on Saturday, September 24. This will be the second year of divisional play in the conference. The MIAC champion and automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs will be determined on Saturday, November 12 when the top team from the Northwoods Division hosts the top team from the Skyline Division with the conference title on the line.