Well football fans, your wait is finally over! The 2026 NCAA D3 football season is finally upon us!
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With the season kicking off on Sept. 3, one of the biggest matchups of the D3 opening weekend will take place on Sept. 5 and 12:00 PM CT.
The Chapman University Panthers will take on the No. 22-ranked Hardin-Simmons Cowboys, in Abilene, Texas.
The American Southwest will hosts the Southern California Intercollegiate Association, and this pre-season clash is sure to have fans talking.
With all the action streaming on FloCollege, here are the Top-Three reasons fans should watch this clash.
1.) Both Teams Are Slated First In Their Preseason Polls
Both the Cowboys and the Panthers are slated to finish at the top of their conference standings according to their respective pre-season polls, ASC and SCIAC.
Hardin Simmons won the ASC in 2025 with a 9-2 record. Chapman won the SCIAC in 2025 with a 9-3 overall record and a perfect 8-0 conference record.
These teams are true D3 powerhouses as they rack up the accolades in the pre-season honors and will make another push for the post season.
2.) The Returning Players Are Stacked
The returning players on these two squads are stacked.
Hardin Simmons returns 12 off of their 2025 roster. Key players including: Kaiden Roden, a senior defensive linebacker and Pedro Altamirano, a senior kicker, highlight the list of veterans.
Roden was named the ASC Preseason defensive player of the year while Altamirano was named the ASC special teams player of the year.
For the Panthers, eight All- SCIAC team returners will highlight the roster in the 2026 campaign. Running back Fischer Huss highlights the offense for the Panthers, while senior linebacker Andrew Buck will highlight the defensive campaign for Chapman.
3.) Both Squads Play Top Teams In Their Non-Conference Schedule
While the opening weeks of the D3 season will see teams try and pick up some east schedule wins, the Cowboys and the Panthers are giving it their all in the opening weeks of the schedule.
No. 22-ranked Hardin Simmons opens the season with Chapman and then travels to take on the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse on Sept. 12. The ASC conference season will begin for the Cowboys on Oct. 10.
The Panthers will open the season in Abilene, Texas and then return home to host Linfield in the home-opener for Chapman.
The SCIAC conference schedule begins play on Sept. 26.
These teams non-conference schedule could set them up nicely for a post-season berth, or could hurt their seasons.
All will be told in these early weeks.
Kickoff from Abilene, Texas is set for 12:00 PM CT on Sept. 5. Fans can tune in to all of the D3 action all season long on FloCollege.
D3 Football Rankings 2026: Preseason Top 25
- North Central
- Mount Union
- Bethel (Minn.)
- UW-River Falls
- Johns Hopkins
- UW-Whitewater
- Cortland
- John Carroll
- Wheaton (Ill.)
- Saint John's (Minn.)
- UW-La Crosse
- Trinity (Texas)
- UW-Platteville
- Berry
- Wartburg
- DePauw
- Salisbury
- Susquehanna
- Christopher Newport
- Hope
- Monmouth (Ill.)
- Hardin-Simmons
- Endicott
- Coe
- Randolph-Macon
Also receiving votes:
UW-Stout, UW-Stevens Point, Augustana (Ill.), Carroll (Wis.), Ohio Northern, Muskingum, Dubuque, Carthage, Luther, Macalester.
How The FloCollege D3 Football Rankings Are Determined
The FloCollege Division III football rankings are driven by objective data, with an emphasis on winning, strength of schedule and quality victories.
Ranking factors include:
- Wins
- Strength of Schedule
- Quality Wins
- Total Margin of Victory
- Away Wins
- Current Streak
D3 Football Week 1 Schedule On FloCollege
Here's every Division III football game happening on FloCollege this week.
Thursday, Sep 3
- 2026 Virginia University-Lynchburg vs Roanoke
- 2026 Westminster (Pa.) vs Marietta
- 2026 Gettysburg vs Juniata
Friday, Sep 4
- 2026 Belhaven vs Millsaps
- 2026 Shenandoah vs Methodist
- 2026 Western New England vs Springfield
- 2026 Case Western Reserve vs Rochester
- 2026 St. Lawrence vs Norwich
Saturday, Sep 5
- 2026 Howard Payne vs Pacific (OR)
- 2026 Muhlenberg vs Moravian
- 2026 University of New England vs Coast Guard
- 2026 Calvin vs Otterbein
- 2026 Wittenberg vs Washington and Lee
- 2026 Worcester State vs Massachusetts Maritime
- 2026 Westfield State vs VTSU-Castleton
- 2026 Maryville College vs Heidelberg
- 2026 Chapman vs No. 22 Hardin-Simmons
- 2026 Willamette vs Pomona-Pitzer
- 2026 Northwestern-St. Paul vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
- 2026 Bethany (WV) vs Sewanee
- 2026 Utah Islanders vs Whitworth
- 2026 Lewis & Clark vs Puget Sound
- 2026 Cal Lutheran vs Pacific Lutheran
- 2026 Guilford vs Greensboro
- 2026 NC Wesleyan vs Averett
- 2026 Westgate Christian vs Centenary (LA)
- 2026 McMurry vs Southwestern
- 2026 Austin College vs Schreiner
How To Watch D3 Football In 2026
Hundreds of Division 3 football games will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.
Game replays, highlights and breaking news will also be available on both platforms.
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