The 2026 NCAA D3 football season kicked off just one short week ago. As teams headed in to battle for the first time in the new season, there were a lot of things that could be taken away from the opening week of the season.
- Sign Up For FloCollege To Watch D3 Football All Season Long
- 5 Biggest Changes Coming To D2 Football In 2026
- West Alabama Beats Lenoir-Rhyne 34-23 Behind Five Takeaways
From a 70 plus point game to games that made all of the football fans hold their breath, the opening week of the new season has set the tone that this will be a rollercoaster.
So, with Week 2 quickly approaching during the weekend of Sept. 12, here are the top things to know about D3 football in this new week of play.
1.) The Opening Week Of The Season Started Out On A High Note
If you haven't been living under a rock, the opening week of the D3 season was one for the records books.
From blowouts, to tight games and every a weather cancelation, the D3 fans hearts have hopefully recovered as we head in to a new week of action.
One of the top storylines to discuss is the Howard Payne victory over Pacific (OR), 49-0. In a true D3 after dark matchup, these teams set off with one goal in mind for the 9 PM CT kickoff. That goal: play some great football and show people why the best games happen after dark.
Howard Payne's whopping 28 points in the opening half set the scene and the sky was only the limit for the Yellow Jackets.
Other top scores included Johns Hopkins taking down Ithaca, 30-21 and SUNY Maritime taking down Worcester State in an absolute nail-biter, 42-41.
In the FloCollege D3 Game of The Week in Week 1, Hardin-Simmons took down Chapman 44-24 to round out the opening week action.
2.) The D3 Football Rankings Shook Up Heading In To The New Week
Another week of football means more football ranking movements. North Central claims the top spot once again heading in to the second week of play and Johns Hopkins moves up to No. 4 in this weeks newwest list of rankings.
Trinity University (TX) also take a decent sized jump from No.12 to inside the Top-Ten. Trinity can thank it's Week 1 victory over Texas Lutheran for the jump.
Also headlining in the Top-Ten this week in the FloCollege rankings are Berry College who jumped from No.14 to No.7. A 50-20 victory over Huntingdon is precedent enough for a move that size.
Here is the full list of the D3 Top-25 as we head in to action in Week 2.
FloCollege Top 25 D3 Football Rankings
- North Central
- UW-River Falls
- Wheaton
- Johns Hopkins
- John Carroll
- UW-Platteville
- Berry
- St. John’s
- UW-Whitewater
- Trinity (Texas)
- Wartburg
- Susquehanna
- Mount Union
- Bethel
- Hardin-Simmons
- Christopher Newport
- Salisbury
- Coe
- Linfield
- Hope
- DePauw
- Mary Hardin-Baylor
- UW-La Crosse
- LaGrange
- Muhlenberg
D3 Football Rankings: Receiving Votes
Endicott, Cortland, Springfield, Franklin & Marshall, UW-Stout, Carroll (Wisconsin), Augustana (Illinois), UW-Stevens Point, Macalester and Luther.
3.) The Schedules Do Not Get Any Easier In Week 2
You heard it here first football fans, these D3 teams are going through the gauntlet in the opening weeks of the season and they are not letting up any time soon.
Highlighting the second week of action is Johns Hopkins taking on Randolph-Macon. Kickoff is set for 12 PM ET and will be live on FloCollege.
Another key matchup football fans should keep their eyes on is when Susquehanna takes on Bridgewater College (VA) and when Mount Union takes on Grove City.
These teams are keeping their eyes on the prize and with the season still being this early, the playoff picture is no where near set nor does it have any frontrunners.
It's all gas and no brakes in the land of D3 football and we are here for it.
Tune in to the D3 action live on FloCollege this weekend and stay tuned for all of the excitement to come.
College Football Broadcast Schedule On Sept. 12
- 11:45 AM ET, Indianapolis vs Davenport, Davenport University Farmer's Insurance Athletic Complex · Caledonia, MI
- 12:00 PM ET, Wayne State (MI) vs Hillsdale, Roche Sports Complex · Hillsdale, MI
- 12:00 PM ET, Elon vs Rhode Island, Centreville Bank Stadium · Pawtucket, RI
- 12:00 PM ET, Fairmont State vs Findlay, JC Donnell Memorial Stadium · Findlay, OH
- 12:00 PM ET, Monroe (New Rochelle) vs Pace, Pace Stadium · Pleasantville, NY
- 12:00 PM ET, Rowan vs Moravian, Rocco Calvo Field · Bethlehem, PA
- 12:00 PM ET, Saginaw Valley State vs Northwood, Hantz Stadium · Midland, MI
- 12:00 PM ET, VTSU-Castleton vs Norwich, Sabine Field · Northfield, VT
- 12:00 PM ET, SUNY Morrisville vs Rochester, Fauver Stadium · Rochester, NY
- 12:00 PM ET, University of New England vs MIT, Henry G. Steinbrenner '27 Stadium · Cambridge, MA
- 12:00 PM ET, Carnegie Mellon vs Catholic, Cardinal Stadium · Washington, DC
- 12:00 PM ET, University of New England vs WPI, Alumni Stadium · Worcester, MA
- 12:00 PM ET, Nichols vs Merchant Marine, Brooks Stadium · Kings Point, NY
- 12:00 PM ET, Susquehanna vs Bridgewater (VA), Jopson Field · Bridgewater, VA
- 12:30 PM ET, Sewanee vs Brevard, Ives-Lemel Family Field · Brevard, NC
- 1:00 PM ET, Christopher Newport vs WestConn, Westside Athletic Complex · Danbury, CT
- 1:00 PM ET, Pittsburg State vs West Alabama, Tiger Stadium · Livingston, AL
- 1:00 PM ET, Wingate vs Carson-Newman, Shuford Stadium · Salisbury, NC
- 1:00 PM ET, Catawba vs Mars Hill, Meares Stadium · Mars Hill, NC
- 1:00 PM ET, Tusculum vs Emory & Henry, Fred Selfe Stadium · Meadowview, VA
- 1:00 PM ET, Apprentice School vs NC Wesleyan, Bishop Stadium · Rocky Mount, NC
- 1:00 PM ET, TCNJ vs Wilkes, Schmidt Stadium · Edwardsville, PA
- 1:00 PM ET, Johns Hopkins vs Randolph-Macon, Frank Day Field · Ashland, VA
- 1:00 PM ET, Montclair State vs Lycoming, David Person Field · Williamsport, PA
- 1:00 PM ET, Monmouth (IL) vs Hampden-Sydney, Everett Stadium · Farmville, VA
- 1:00 PM ET, Hanover vs Maryville College, Cooper Athletic Center · Maryville, TN
- 1:30 PM ET, Grove City vs Mount Union, Kehres Stadium · Alliance, OH
- 1:30 PM ET, Bethany (WV) vs Baldwin Wallace, George Finnie Stadium · Berea, OH
- 1:30 PM ET, Wilmington vs Capital, Bernlohr Stadium · Bexley, OH
- 2:00 PM ET, Rhodes College vs Austin College, Apple Stadium · Sherman, TX
- 2:00 PM ET, Huntingdon vs Hendrix, Young-Wise Memorial Stadium · Conway, AR
- 2:00 PM ET, Greensboro vs Roanoke, Salem Football Field · Salem, VA
- 2:00 PM ET, Ohio Northern vs Marietta, Don Drumm Stadium · Marietta, OH
- 2:00 PM ET, Anderson (SC) vs UVA Wise, Carl Smith Stadium · Wise, VA
- 3:00 PM ET, Mary Hardin-Baylor vs Pacific Lutheran, Sparks Stadium · Puyallup, WA
- 4:00 PM ET, Bentley vs Saint Anselm, Grappone Stadium · Manchester, NH
- 4:00 PM ET, Eastern Oregon vs Whitworth, Pine Bowl · Spokane, WA
- 4:00 PM ET, Lewis-Clark Valley vs Puget Sound, Baker Stadium · Tacoma, WA
- 5:00 PM ET, Merrimack vs Maine, Alfond Stadium · Orono, ME
- 6:00 PM ET, Stonehill vs New Hampshire, Wildcat Stadium · Durham, NH
- 6:00 PM ET, William Jewell vs Kentucky Wesleyan, Steele Stadium · Owensboro, KY
- 6:00 PM ET, LaGrange vs Berry, Valhalla Stadium · Rome, GA
- 6:00 PM ET, Averett vs Southern Virginia, Knight Stadium · Buena Vista, VA
- 6:00 PM ET, Bryant vs Hampton, Armstrong Stadium · Hampton, VA
- 7:00 PM ET, Heidelberg vs Otterbein, Memorial Stadium · Westerville, OH
- 7:00 PM ET, Millsaps vs Centenary (LA), Gold Dome · Shreveport, LA
- 7:00 PM ET, Lenoir-Rhyne vs Newberry, Setzler Field · Newberry, SC
- 7:00 PM ET, Methodist vs Guilford, Armfield Athletic Center · Greensboro, NC
- 7:00 PM ET, Western New Mexico vs UT Permian Basin, Ratliff Stadium · Odessa, TX
- 7:00 PM ET, Geneva vs Shenandoah, Glo Fiber Field at Shentel Stadium · Winchester, VA
- 7:00 PM ET, Southwestern vs Texas Lutheran, Bulldog Stadium · Seguin, TX
- 7:00 PM ET, Clutch City Prep vs Howard Payne, Gordon Wood Stadium · Brownwood, TX
- 7:00 PM ET, Grand Valley State vs Ashland, Dwight Schar Athletic Complex · Ashland, OH
- 8:00 PM ET, Canyons vs Riverside City College, Riverside City College · Riverside, CA
- 8:00 PM ET, CETYS vs Whittier, Memorial Stadium · Whittier, CA
- 9:00 PM ET, Ferris State vs Central Washington, Tomlinson Stadium · Ellensburg, WA
- 9:00 PM ET, Fullerton College vs Saddleback College, Saddleback College Stadium · Mission Viejo, CA
- 10:00 PM ET, Lewis & Clark vs George Fox, Stoffer Family Stadium · Newberg, OR
- 10:00 PM ET, Willamette vs Pacific (OR), Hanson Stadium · Forest Grove, OR
Archived Footage On FloCollege
Video footage from all games will be archived and stored in a video library for FloCollege subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
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
Preseason positioning established the foundation for the inaugural rankings. As the season progresses, results, quality wins and overall performance will take on a greater role in determining each week’s Top 25.
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.
Join The College Football Conversation
- Follow us on Twitter @FloCollegeFB
- Follow us on Instagram @FloCollegeFootball
- Follow us on TikTok @FloCollegeFootball
- Watch us on YouTube
- Like us on Facebook