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Quincy Newsom with Grant Myers blocking
Jose Figueroa

Football Picked First in NCAC Preseason Coaches Poll

| By: JCUSID

The Blue Streaks narrowly finished atop the poll by two points

CLEVELAND – Following a thrilling first season in the North Coast Athletic Conference, this year should be a thriller, too.

John Carroll Football fired up an 8-0 record in 2025 to win the NCAC crown, though several games were close. The NCAC preseason coaches' poll reflects that.

The Blue Streaks are narrowly in first place with 95 points and 6 first-place votes. DePauw is right behind JCU in second with 93 points and 4 first-place votes.

Both JCU and DePauw are ranked in the D3football.com Top 25, as the Streaks stand #9 and the Tigers sit at #13. The teams met last year in Greencastle, Indiana with JCU escaping with a 31-27 thrilling victory. A rematch is set for October 31 in Indiana. 

A season ago, the Blue Streaks reached the NCAA National Semifinal, ending with a 12-2 record. JCU's conference crown marked its first since 2016.

The NCAC welcomes a new football-only member in 2026. Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) joins the conference after finishing 8-3 last year, missing out on the playoffs but earning an invitation to the Culver's Isthmus Bowl. JCU will head to St. Louis on October 3. Both the Bears and Wabash Little Giants garnered votes in the D3football.com preseason poll.
2026 North Coast Athletic Conference
Football Coaches' Poll
Place Institution (1st Place Votes) Total Points
1 John Carroll (6) 95
2 DePauw (4) 93
3 Wabash 76
4 WashU 68
5 Denison 57
6 Wittenberg 51
7 Ohio Wesleyan 38
8 Wooster 36
9 Kenyon 22
10 Oberlin 14
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