Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) (NCAA Division III)
Overview: It's hard to think of even one, much less two, big games to start the season, yet it's happening for the two teams that finished in the top two spots of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in 2025.
First, the Bethel University Royals of Arden Hills, Minnesota, will travel to Naperville, Illinois, to face the North Central College Cardinals in a rare season-opening showdown between the preseason #1 and #2-ranked teams in the nation, according to d3football.com. It'll be a rematch of last year's NCAA Division III quarterfinal playoff game. In that contest, the Cardinals ended the Royals' season with a 35-21 loss on December 13, ending Bethel's season at 12-1 overall.
The other major opening weekend contest involving the MIAC on September 5 has the Saint John's University Johnnies of Collegeville, Minnesota, hosting the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles. SJU finished the 2025 season at 10-2 overall after losing to eventual national champion Wisconsin-River Falls in the third round of the D-III playoffs on December 3. The Johnnies enter this September 5 contest ranked #11 in the d3football.com preseason poll, while the Eagles, who ended the 2025 season at 8-3 overall after losing to North Central in the third round, come in at #10.
But the one contest that could decide the MIAC championship will take place less than a month after both Bethel and St. John's play their lone non-conference games, as the Johnnies will play host to the Royals on October 3. In their only meeting of 2025, the Royals handed the Johnnies a 17-10 loss on October 4. On the other hand, Bethel's win over St. John's helped the Royals win their second MIAC title in the last three seasons.
To make a long story short, Saturday, September 5th, 2026 can't arrive quickly enough for the entire MIAC, especially for Bethel and St. John's. The opening games for both squads could set the tone for the rest of the 2026 season.
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