Highest National Ranking Since 2005

MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/26/15)—Concordia's five-game winning streak continues to move them in the national rankings. The Cobbers are now ranked 14th in the latest D3football.com poll while stepping into the Top 20 in the American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) rankings for the first time this season.

Concordia's No.14 position in the D3football.com poll is the highest they have been ranked since the 2005 season when they finished the year as the eighth ranked team in the country.

The Cobbers are now ranked 17th in the AFCA poll which marks the third time in the last four years that CC has been ranked in the top 20 in the coaches' poll.

Concordia is currently 7-1 in all games this season and 5-1 in conference play. The Cobbers have rattled off five straight victories after losing a last-second drama-filled game against nationally-ranked St. John's on Sept. 19. The five-win stretch includes a 23-21 win over national-ranked Bethel on Oct. 3.

The Cobbers are headed into a Top 2 MIAC showdown on Saturday. Concordia will host No.6-ranked St. Thomas on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. The Tommies were ranked sixth in both the D3football.com and AFCA polls this week.

Concordia heads into Saturday's game ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA in third-down conversion percentage, fourth-down conversion percentage and passing yards per completion. The Cobbers are ninth in the nation in third-down conversion rate, converting on 53.0% of their third down attempts. CC is second on fourth down opportunities. Concordia has made 16 of their 18 attempts on fourth down this year. The Cobber offense is averaging 16.2 passing yards per completion which has them in the No.10 spot in all of Division III.

The Cobbers are 6-0 this season when they score on the first drive of the game and are outscoring their opponents 82-28 in the first quarter of games. CC has only trailed on two occasions after the end of the first quarter this season.        

D3football.com Top 25 (Week 8)
1. Mount Union (19)
2. Linfield (6)      
3. Mary Hardin-Baylor    
4. Wesley            
5. UW-Oshkosh                
6. St. Thomas    
7. UW-Whitewater          
8. Wheaton (Ill.)              
9. Wabash          
10. Johns Hopkins            
11. Thomas More            
12. St. John's      
13. Hardin-Simmons       
14. Concordia-Moorhead             
15. Illinois Wesleyan      
16. UW-Platteville            
17. John Carroll
18. Salisbury      
19. North Central (Ill.)    
20. Cortland State            
21. Wartburg      
22. Washington and Lee                
23. Case Western Reserve          
24. Delaware Valley        
25. Texas Lutheran         

Others receiving votes: Rowan 51; Whitworth 51; Franklin 33; Washington and Jefferson 32;  St. Lawrence 31; Dubuque 25; Albright 25; Berry 22; Hampden-Sydney 16; Framingham State 10; Western New England 10; Gustavus Adolphus 8; Guilford 6; Ohio Northern 6; Amherst 5; DePauw 5; Olivet 5; Huntingdon 2; Monmouth 2.