FARMINGTON, Minn. -- The 2026 college football season begins this weekend, and all ten Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) programs will be in action.
Extreme heat has moved several kickoff times, resulting in a full Saturday of MIACtion, with three games now set to begin at 10 a.m., and the last kickoff of the day set for 7:00 p.m.
A rare 1-versus-2 matchup will open the new year, as No. 1 North Central will welcome No. 2 Bethel on Saturday morning in Naperville, Illinois. Another must-see matchup will take place in Collegeville later in the afternoon, where No. 11 Saint John's will host No. 10 UW-La Crosse. Carleton is also set to square off with a nationally-ranked opponent to start the season, as the Knights will hit the road to take on No. 12 UW-Whitewater on Saturday.
Gustavus, Hamline, and Macalester will all take the field early, with the Gusties hosting Central, and the Pipers and Scots headed to Crown and Martin Luther, respectively, at 10 a.m. Bethel and North Central will kickoff at 11 a.m., followed by Concordia at Nebraska Wesleyan at noon. Carleton and UW-Whitewater will join UW-La Crosse and Saint John's, as well as Wisconsin Lutheran and St. Scholastica with 1:00 p.m. kickoffs, while Augsburg will take on UW-Stevens Point at 6:00 p.m., and St. Olaf and Loras will wrap up the day with a 7:00 p.m. kick.
Stat Pack
The final 2025 MIAC Football Stat Pack can be viewed here.
In the Polls
Bethel is ranked No. 2 and Saint John's is No. 11 in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll and D3football.com Top 25 Poll to start the season. The Royals were No. 3 and the Johnnies were No. 9 in the Lindy's Preseason Top 10, released in June.
Offseason Headlines
- Bethel senior wide receiver Albert Rundell (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) was named the Division III Bobby Bell College Impact Player of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation in April. Rundell led all levels of college football last year with 1,597 receiving yards.
- Recent Carleton graduate Jack Curtis (Charlotte, N.C. / Ardrey Kell) was honored with the Minnesota Football Honors Courage Award in April. Curtis, who was diagnosed with late-Stage 2 unfavorable Hodgkin's lymphoma in the summer of 2025, spent every other Monday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for biweekly chemotherapy treatments last season. Despite missing most of the Knights' practices, Curtis threw for 3,120 yards with 29 touchdowns, setting single-season program records for completions, completion percentage, and passing yards. Curtis participated in the United Football League's Washington, D.C. showcase in August.
- Hamline named Bob Davies its new head coach last December. The former Monmouth University quarterback previously served as the offensive coordinator at Franklin Pierce (2019), Carleton (2020-23), Marist (2024), and Gustavus (2025).
- Former Saint John's offensive lineman Ben Bartch (Dayton, Ore. / Blanchet Catholic) signed with the Detroit Lions as an unrestricted free agent in March. A fourth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, Bartch has played in 55 NFL games with 24 career starts heading into the 2026 season.
- Recently graduated Saint John's defensive lineman Zach Frank (Lino Lakes, Minn. / Centennial) was named the Chi Alpha Sigma 2025-26 National Male Athlete of the Year by the National College Athlete Honor Society in August.
- Saint John's alumnus Trent Kirchner (Fulda, Minn. / Fulda) was named Assistant General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings in June after 16 seasons and two Super Bowl victories with the Seattle Seahawks.
National Notables
- Bethel senior quarterback Cooper Drews (Princeton, Minn. / Princeton) was voted to the D3football.com Preseason All-America Third Team. Drews passed for 3,310 yards and 43 touchdowns last season.
- Bethel senior wide receiver Albert Rundell (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) was voted to the D3football.com Preseason All-America First Team. Rundell caught 122 passes for 1,597 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.
- Bethel senior center Jaegar Ash (Milaca, Minn. / Milaca) is a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Ash was also voted to the D3football.com Preseason All-America Second Team.
- Bethel senior defensive tackle Phil Conant (St. Francis, Minn. / St. Francis) was voted to the D3football.com Preseason All-America First Team. Conant logged 10 sacks and 22 tackles for loss last season.
- Gustavus senior defensive lineman Max Olson (Trimont, Minn. / Martin County West) has been nominated for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
- Saint John's senior quarterback Trey Feeney (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) has been nominated for the William V. Campbell Trophy. He passed for 3,352 yards and 40 touchdowns last season.
- Saint John's senior wide receiver Sam Nolan (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) is a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
- Saint John's senior offensive lineman Michael Bougie (South St. Paul, Minn. / Cretin-Derham Hall) was voted to the D3football.com Preseason All-America First Team.
- St. Olaf senior running back Bryon Sauvy (St. Michael, Minn. / STMA) has been nominated for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
Record Watch
Bethel senior quarterback Cooper Drews (Princeton, Minn. / Princeton) enters 2026 as the career completion percentage leader in MIAC games, with a clip of 72.2 percent over two seasons in Arden Hills. Drews, who currently ranks seventh all-time among MIAC passers with 86 passing touchdowns in overall games, is also poised to crack the top 10 in at least three other passing categories this season. He is narrowly outside the conference's top 10 leaderboard by 1,364 total passing yards, 179 total passing attempts, and 46 total passing completions.
Around the MIAC
- Augsburg senior linebacker RJ Chakolis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Hopkins) racked up 102 tackles in his first season as an Auggie in 2025. Chakolis had at least five tackles in all 10 games and posted double-digit takedowns in five contests, including a 17-tackle (12 solo), two-sack performance at Macalester.
- Bethel senior wide receiver Albert Rundell (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) had a combined nine receiving touchdowns in his last two regular-season contests last season, erupting for 21 catches for 214 yards and five scores against Carleton before scoring touchdowns on four of his seven receptions at St. Scholastica.
- Carleton senior wide receiver Jaxon Watson (Salem, Ore. / South Salem) caught five of his six touchdown receptions last season in the final three weeks of the year. Watson snagged two touchdown grabs against Augsburg, one against Bethel, and two against Concordia to end the campaign on a three-game streak.
- Concordia junior running back Mason Hughes (Glendale, Ariz. / Pinnacle) recorded 378 of his 957 rushing yards last season in the final two games of the year. Hughes had 26 carries apiece in one-score, road victories over Macalester (17-14) and Carleton (31-24) last November, collecting 148 yards against the Scots and a career-best 230 yards and two scores versus the Knights.
- Gustavus junior quarterback Dylan Blount (St. Clair, Minn. / St. Clair) finished the 2025 season with a pair of 300-yard passing performances. Blount completed 80.6 percent of his passes for 305 yards and three scores at Augsburg before throwing for a career-best 347 yards and three touchdowns against Macalester.
- Hamline junior defensive back Isaiah Watson (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) saw action in all three phases of the game for the Pipers in 2025, recording 14 tackles and a fumble recovery, 10 punts and four kick returns on special teams, and hauling in a 31-yard touchdown reception in his lone catch on offense. A three-time track & field All-American, Watson has already made headlines in 2026 by winning both the indoor and outdoor MIAC triple jump championships and being named the MIAC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in May.
- Macalester sophomore running back Brennan Litchford (Milwaukee, Wis. / Ronald Reagan) received honorable mention All-MIAC distinction after leading the Scots in rushing with 581 yards and six scores as a first-year back in 2025. Litchford was one of four first-year players to receive MIAC Football postseason honors last year.
- Saint John's senior quarterback Trey Feeney (Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead) finished the 2025 campaign with at least five touchdown passes in three of his last four games, including a six-touchdown, 387-yard performance against Monmouth College to open the NCAA Playoffs.
- St. Olaf senior running back Bryon Sauvy (St. Michael, Minn. / STMA) carried the ball 17 times for 231 yards in less than three quarters of action before suffering a season-ending injury in the third quarter of the Oles' 44-41 win over St. Scholastica last October. Sauvy accounted for nearly 60 percent of St. Olaf's 390 rushing yards on the day -- the program's highest single-game total in at least three decades.
- St. Scholastica junior running back Jevon Williams (Willmar, Minn. / Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) rushed for 227 in each of the first two games of 2025, finishing the season with 806 yards and nine rushing scores, despite missing the final three games of the season.
Up Next
Week 1 | Saturday, September 5, 2026
| Time |
AWAY |
HOME |
Stadium |
Location |
STATS |
STREAM |
| 10:00 AM |
Hamline |
at Crown |
Old National Bank Stadium |
St. Bonifacius, Minn. |
Sidearm |
UMAC Sports Network |
| 10:00 AM |
Macalester |
at Martin Luther |
MLC Football Bowl |
New Ulm, Minn. |
Sidearm |
UMAC Sports Network |
| 10:00 AM |
Central |
at Gustavus |
Hollingsworth Field |
St. Peter, Minn. |
Sidearm |
MIAC Sports Network |
| 11:00 AM |
No. 2 Bethel |
at No. 1 North Central (Ill.) |
Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium |
Naperville, Ill. |
Sidearm |
CCIW Network |
| 12:00 PM |
Concordia |
at Nebraska Wesleyan |
Abel Stadium |
Lincoln, Neb. |
Sidearm |
American Rivers Sports Network |
| 1:00 PM |
No. 10 UW-La Crosse |
at No. 11 Saint John's |
Clemens Stadium |
Collegeville, Minn. |
Sidearm |
MIAC Sports Network |
| 1:00 PM |
Carleton |
at No. 12 UW-Whitewater |
Warhawk Stadium |
Whitewater, Wis. |
Sidearm |
WIAC Network |
| 1:00 PM |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
at St. Scholastica |
Walt Hunting Stadium |
Duluth, Minn. |
Sidearm |
MIAC Sports Network |
| 6:00 PM |
Augsburg |
at UW-Stevens Point |
Community Stadium at Goerke Park |
Stevens Point, Wis. |
Sidearm |
WIAC Network |
| 7:00 PM |
St. Olaf |
at Loras |
Rock Bowl |
Dubuque, Iowa |
Sidearm |
Duhawk Broadcast Network |
Rows shaded blue indicate a nationally-ranked matchup.
Returning Leaders
*2025 overall statistics
Passing
| # |
Player, School |
Stats |
| 1 |
Trey Feeney, Saint John's |
3,352 YDS, 40 TD |
| 2 |
Cooper Drews, Bethel |
3,310 YDS, 43 TD |
| 3 |
Dylan Blount, Gustavus |
2,176 YDS, 23 TD |
Rushing
| # |
Player, School |
Stats |
| 1 |
Taye Manns, Bethel |
994 YDS, 14 TD |
| 2 |
Mason Hughes, Concordia |
958 YDS, 7 TD |
| 3 |
David Geebli, Bethel |
893 YDS, 7 TD |
Receiving
| # |
Player, School |
Stats |
| 1 |
Albert Rundell, Bethel |
1,597 YDS, 22 TD |
| 2 |
Paxton Boyd, Macalester |
719 YDS, 6 TD |
| 3 |
Jaxon Watson, Carleton |
658 YDS, 6 TD |
Defense
| # |
Player, School |
Stats |
| 1 |
Aiden McMahon, Saint John's |
105 TKL |
| 2 |
Phil Conant, Bethel |
10 SACK |
| 3 |
Nick Colyer, Bethel / Kyle Mages, Concordia |
4 INT |