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

Heidelberg

6-4 2025 final

Heidelberg is the OAC middle-class contender — a small German-heritage school that finished 6-4 in 2025 and is content with steady winning in one of D3's toughest leagues.

The Student Princes keep the faith.

Record

6-4

win% .600

Conference

5th of 10

Ohio · 5-3

Index Rating

54.2

D3 #90 of 240

Playoff Path

Win the league

Dead PeriodOffseasonPatientPost-loss — reckoning

The Long Wait·Offseason

Heidelberg is the OAC middle-class contender — a small German-heritage school that finished 6-4 in 2025 and is content with steady winning in one of D3's toughest leagues.

Title DroughtSince 1900 · 125 yrs

Heidelberg finished 6-4 in 2025 with a 5-3 OAC record under Head Coach Scott Donaldson, continuing the program's tradition of steady winning. Quarterback Ty Poorman and linebacker Trey Farris (All-OAC) anchored the team. The Stude…

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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

Heidelberg sits 5th in the Ohio Conference and 90th of 240 in the CFB Zeitgeist — outside the at-large picture — the path runs through the conference title.

Ohio · 2025

	Team	Conf	Overall	Index
1	John Carroll University	1-0	12-2	74.2
2	University of Mount Union	8-1	11-1	74.0
3	Ohio Northern	7-1	8-3	60.5
4	Baldwin Wallace	6-2	8-2	62.2
5	Heidelberg	5-3	6-4	54.2
6	Muskingum University	4-4	4-6	47.7
7	Marietta	3-5	5-5	51.8
8	Wilmington (OH)	1-7	3-7	43.2

54.2 CFB Zeitgeist#90 of 240 D351.7 strength of schedule

Win the Ohio 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 · 6-4

Signature win 69-13 over Otterbein; toughest day 6-38 against University of Mount Union.

—

The Student Princes keep the faith.

What moved it — offseason · last 30 days

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

Camp Fall camp ~40 days out

"Go Student Princes." — Heidelberg 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 4-8

Base 6-6

Ceiling 9-3

floor4-8Rebuild year. Below .500.

base6-6Mid-table finish.

ceiling9-3Conference 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 · Heidelberg · 2018-present

Average

61% home win rate vs 57% on the road. margin runs +1.3 better at home.

Home13-8Away11-8

Act III

Last Season Reviewed

2025 season · tap to expand

Recent Form · last 10 games

Mixed

Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.

Streak L1Last 5 · 3-2Last 10 · 6-4

Schedule Strength · Heidelberg · 2025

Balanced

Average opponent win rate 50% across 10 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.

Opp Win %0.504

Moment of the Year · Heidelberg · 2025

Won 65-27 vs Hiram College

Week 2 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.

Decisive Margin

From the Archive — Heidelberg

2024: Won 52-24 vs Muskingum University

In 2024, the program won 52-24 vs Muskingum University — a blowout home result that left the 28-point margin on the books.

Go Student Princes.