June 22, 2026 · Dead Period · Heritage Window · 2026 Outlook

Gustavus Adolphus College

5-5 2025 final

Gustavus is a program climbing back after decades at the margins—the 2023 MIAC championship game appearance proved it can compete at the top, and 2026 is about proving that wasn't a fluke.

The Gusties bide their time.

Record

5-5

win% .500

Conference

5th of 10

Minnesota · 5-4

Index Rating

52.3

D3 #106 of 240

Playoff Path

Win the league

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-win — basking

The Long Wait·Offseason

Gustavus is a program climbing back after decades at the margins—the 2023 MIAC championship game appearance proved it can compete at the top, and 2026 is about proving that wasn't a fluke.

Title DroughtSince 1987 · 38 yrs

Gustavus went 5-5 (5-4 MIAC) in 2025, a down year that raised questions about whether the 2023 breakthrough was sustainable. Peter Haugen (17th year) faced the pressure of a fanbase that had tasted elite-level competition and wasn…

low signal

Read the full program story ↓

Offseason

69 days

until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC

Act I

The 2026 Outlook

DIVISION III · THE PATH TO THE STAGG BOWL

Gustavus Adolphus College sits 5th in the Minnesota Conference and 106th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.

Minnesota · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	Bethel (MN)	9-0	12-1	73.6
2	Saint John's (MN)	8-1	10-2	66.0
3	Concordia Moorhead	6-3	7-3	58.6
4	Carleton	6-3	6-4	55.4
5	Gustavus Adolphus	5-4	5-5	52.3
6	Augsburg	4-5	4-6	49.3
7	St. Olaf	3-6	4-6	46.4
8	St. Scholastica	2-7	3-7	43.5

52.3 CFB Zeitgeist#106 of 240 D353.3 strength of schedule

Win the Minnesota Conference for the automatic berth into the 40-team NCAA Division III bracket. Miss it and the path is an at-large bid, selected by NPI — the metric the CFB Index mirrors. Six wins survive the bracket to the Stagg Bowl.

Source: CFB Zeitgeist — conference records + NPI-style rating from 2025 games · the field is 40 teams, NPI-selected

THE 2025 SEASON · 5-5

Signature win 63-9 over Hamline University; toughest day 7-41 against Bethel (MN).

—

The Gusties bide their time.

What moved it — offseason · last 30 days

June Dead-period quiet — official-visit + heritage window —

Camp Fall camp ~40 days out

"Go Gusties." — Gustavus Adolphus College fanbase · recurring line

0 mentions · awaiting signal

Winning record—

The baseline for a successful season.

Conference title—

The primary goal and national bracket path.

32-team bracket qualifierLocked—

One of 32 national tournament entries.

Stagg BowlLocked—

The Division III national championship game.

Floor 3-9

Base 5-7

Ceiling 8-4

floor3-9Rebuild year. Below .500.

base5-7Mid-table finish.

ceiling8-4Conference title race. Bracket qualifier in range.

Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.

Act II

Who We Are

Home-Field Advantage · Gustavus Adolphus College · 2018-present

Soft

52% home win rate vs 60% on the road. margin runs -1.4 weaker at home.

Home10-9Away12-8

Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Warming

Four of five. The board favors this trend.

Streak W2Last 5 · 4-1Last 10 · 5-5

Schedule Strength · Gustavus Adolphus College · 2025

Balanced

Average opponent win rate 52% across 10 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.

Opp Win %0.528

Moment of the Year · Gustavus Adolphus College · 2025

Won 35-21 at St. Olaf

Week 7 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.

Decisive Margin

Postseason History

Recent postseason (2023): 0-1

Most recent: 2023 — loss 31-7 (away). Last 5 postseason: 0-1.

2023

From the Archive — Gustavus Adolphus College

2024: Won 28-0 at Augsburg

In 2024, the program won 28-0 at Augsburg — a blowout road result that left the 28-point margin on the books.

Go Gusties.