The WashU Bears were ranked No. 22 in this week’s D3Football.com Top 25 national poll. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
Fresh off its sensational 37-27 win over then-No. 15 DePauw last Saturday, the Washington University football team vaulted into the NCAA Division III Top 25 rankings, heading into Week 3 of the season.
The Bears, who earned the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2018, were ranked No. 22 in the country by D3Football.com in its newest poll, which was released late Sunday night.
The last time WashU was ranked was in October 2023, when the Bears were slotted the No. 25 best team in the country.
NCAA Division III Football Top 25 Poll
| Rank | School (No. 1 votes) | W-L | Points | Prev. |
| 1. | North Central (Ill.) (25) | 2-0 | 625 | 1 |
| 2. | Wheaton (Ill.) | 2-0 | 584 | 2 |
| 3. | UW-Platteville | 2-0 | 532 | 4 |
| 4. | UW-River Falls | 2-0 | 512 | 6 |
| 5. | St. John’s | 1-0 | 473 | 8 |
| 6. | Wartburg | 1-1 | 464 | 9 |
| 7. | Bethel | 0-1 | 456 | 5 |
| 8. | Mount Union | 1-1 | 431 | 7 |
| 9. | UW-Whitewater | 2-0 | 425 | 11 |
| 10. | John Carroll | 2-0 | 423 | 10 |
| 11.. | Hardin-Simmons | 2-0 | 390 | 14 |
| 12. | Trinity (Texas) | 2-0 | 327 | 13 |
| 13. | Johns Hopkins | 1-1 | 315 | 3 |
| 14. | Salisbury | 1-0 | 248 | 17 |
| 15. | Berry | 2-0 | 235 | 16 |
| 16. | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 2-0 | 224 | 19 |
| 17. | Hope | 2-0 | 223 | 18 |
| 18. | Christopher Newport | 2-0 | 183 | 20 |
| 19. | Linfield | 1-0 | 161 | 22 |
| 20. | Endicott | 2-0 | 132 | 25 |
| 21. | UW-La Crosse | 0-2 | 128 | 12 |
| 22. | WashU | 2-0 | 127 | NR |
| 23. | Cortland | 2-0 | 117 | 24 |
| 24. | Susquehanna | 2-0 | 115 | 23 |
| 25. | Randolph-Macon | 1-1 | 52 | NR |
Dropped out: No. 15 DePauw; No. 21 Coe.
Others receiving votes: Utica 50; Franklin & Marshall 50; DePauw 23; Wabash 19; Coe 16; Trinity (Conn.) 15; Wesleyan (Conn.) 10; Springfield 7; Hanover 6; Ithaca 5; Muhlenberg 5; Wis.-Stout 4; Rowan 4; Adrian 3; Lake Forest 3; Baldwin Wallace 2; Grove City 1.
WashU (2-0) will look to prove itself worthy of that ranking and possibly move even higher up the poll, this Saturday, when it travels to Springfield, Ohio, to take on Wittenberg University. The Tigers are 0-2, but will be hosting their 2026 home opener.
Kickoff on Saturday is set for noon, and the game will be streamed live on the North Coast Network.
WashU’s next home game will be on Saturday, October 3, when the Bears host John Carroll University.
2026 WASHU BEARS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2026 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Rhodes College | Memphis, Tenn. / Crain Field | W, 73-0 (1-0) |
| September 12, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | #15 DePauw University* | Francis Olympic Field | W, 37-27 (2-0) |
| September 19, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Wittenberg University* | Springfield, Ohio / Edwards-Maurer Field | |
| September 26, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Oberlin College* | Oberlin, Ohio / Dick Bailey Field | |
| October 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | John Carroll University* | Francis Olympic Field | |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Kenyon College* | Gambier, Ohio / McBride Field | |
| October 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Wabash College* | Crawfordsville, Ind. / Little Giant Stadium | |
| October 31, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Denison University* | Francis Olympic Field | |
| November 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Ohio Wesleyan University* | Delaware, Ohio / Selby Stadium | |
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | The College of Wooster* | Francis Olympic Field |