FARMINGTON, Minn. – Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football teams have reported to camp in preparation for the 2026 season.
Bethel enters the season as the reigning MIAC champion after finishing with a perfect 9-0 record in league games and advancing to the NCAA Division III Championship quarterfinals last fall. The Royals begin their defense of the title ranked No. 2 in the D3football.com Preseason Top 25 – the highest preseason ranking in program history – while 2025 MIAC runner-up Saint John's checks in at No. 11.
Both programs will open the 2026 season with high-profile non-conference contests. The No. 2-ranked Royals will head to Naperville, Illinois, in Week 1 for a matchup with perennial powerhouse North Central College, the preseason national No. 1 and the team that ended Bethel's 2025 season in the NCAA quarterfinals. The No. 11-ranked Johnnies have a critical opening weekend ahead of them as well, hosting No. 10 UW-La Crosse in Collegeville, Minnesota, while Carleton - fresh off its fifth straight season with a .500 record or better - will also start the new year against a nationally-ranked foe when the Knights travel to Whitewater, Wisconsin, for a meeting with the No. 13 Warhawks of UW-Whitewater.
The 2026 season officially kicks off with ten non-league games on Saturday, September 5. Eight of the ten MIAC squads will take their bye in Week 2, except for St. Olaf and Concordia, who will square off under the lights in Moorhead on Saturday, September 12. The rest of the conference schedule will get underway the following weekend. Each MIAC team will play nine conference contests between September 12 and November 14, with the Oles and Johnnies slated to close out the regular season at TCO Stadium - headquarters of the Minnesota Vikings - in Eagan, Minnesota.
The team with the best record in conference play at the end of the season will be crowned MIAC champion and receive the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Football Playoffs. After the automatic qualifiers have been awarded to conference champions across Division III, the remaining NCAA Playoff qualifiers will be selected "at-large" via the NCAA Power Index (NPI). The Football NPI will calculate winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away results, quality wins, and overtime to rank teams for postseason consideration.
The 2026 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs will run from Saturday, November 21, 2026, through Saturday, January 9, 2027. The Stagg Bowl national championship game on January 9 will be played at Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia.
2025 FINAL STANDINGS
Bethel (9-0, 12-1)*%
Saint John's (8-1, 10-2)%
Carleton (6-3, 6-4)
Concordia (6-3, 7-3)
Gustavus (5-4, 5-5)
Augsburg (4-5, 4-6)
St. Olaf (3-6, 4-6)
Macalester (2-7, 3-7)
St. Scholastica (2-7, 3-7)
Hamline (0-9, 1-9)
*MIAC Champion
%NCAA Playoff Participant
RULE CHANGES
The NCAA Football Rules Committee approved several playing-rule changes for the 2026 season, including an experimental revision to targeting fouls that will eliminate the carryover disqualification for targeting fouls in the second half of games. The penalty for offensive pass interference is also being adjusted from 15 yards down to 10 yards. A numbering exception for scrimmage kick formations, as well as a fair catch kick allowance, have also been added to the rulebook, and coach-to-player helmet communication has officially made its way to Division III football.
Within the MIAC, teams may also begin utilizing in-game video review during home non-conference contests in 2026. This permissive legislation allows institutions the opportunity to experience and evaluate replay protocols before hosting NCAA Tournament events in sports that require in-game video review during the postseason.
MIAC SPORTS NETWORK
The MIAC Sports Network powered by Hudl returns as the streaming home of all MIAC-hosted games, events, and championships. The MIAC Sports Network is available on the web (https://miacsportsnetwork.com/) along with streaming apps for television and mobile devices, including Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku (TV), iOS, Android (mobile), and Amazon Fire Tablet. The app can be found and installed free of charge by searching for the MIAC Sports Network.
AWARD WATCH
The 2026 MIAC Football All-Conference honors will be voted on by MIAC coaches at the conclusion of the regular season. In addition to a 60-player All-MIAC squad, coaches will also vote on individual awards for the MIAC Offensive, Defensive, Rookie, and Coach of the Year.
Throughout the regular season, the MIAC will recognize top individual performances with the MIAC Football Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Players of the Week awards. Athlete of the Week awards for football will begin on Tuesday, September 8, and be announced weekly through the end of the regular season.
FOR THE RECORD
The online MIAC Football Record Book features historical standings, all-time award winners, record information, and more. The information included in the record book is based on available data and research for additional historical documents is ongoing.
QUICK HITS
D3football.com Preseason Top 25: No. 2 Bethel, No. 11 Saint John's
D3football.com Preseason All-America: Bethel WR Albert Rundell (1T), Saint John's OL Michael Bougie (1T), Bethel DL Phil Conant (1T), Bethel OL Jaegar Ash (2T), Bethel QB Cooper Drews (3T)
First Non-Conference Game Date: Saturday, September 5
First Conference Game Date: Saturday, September 12
Season Links: Standings | Schedule | News | Statistics | Athletes of the Week | Record Book