2024 North Central Cardinals football team

The 2024 North Central Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented North Central College of Naperville, Illinois, as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 2024 NCAA Division III football season. In their second year under head coach Brad Spencer, the Cardinals compiled a 15–0 record (9–0 in conference games), won the CCIW championship, and were ranked No. 1 in Division III at the end of the regular season.

2024 North Central Cardinals football
NCAA Division III national champion CCIW champion
Stagg Bowl, W 41–25 vs. Mount Union
Conference	College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Record	15–0 (9–0 CCIW)
Head coach	Brad Spencer (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Eric Stuedemann (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Shane Dierking (6th season)
Home stadium	Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium
Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 North Central (IL) $^		9	–	0					15	–	0
No. 20 Wheaton (IL)		8	–	1					9	–	2
Washington University		7	–	2					8	–	2
Illinois Wesleyan		5	–	4					5	–	5
Carroll (WI)		4	–	5					5	–	5
North Park		4	–	5					5	–	5
Augustana (IL)		3	–	6					4	–	6
Elmhurst		3	–	6					3	–	7
Carthage		2	–	7					2	–	8
Millikin		0	–	9					0	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from D3Football.com

The team advanced to the Division III playoffs where they defeated Whitworth in the second round, Hope in the third round, and Springfield in the national quarterfinal.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	at Aurora*	Spartan Athletic Park Montgomery, IL	W 48–21	3,743
September 21	at Carthage	Art Keller Field Kenosha, WI	W 63–0	1,553
September 28	Washington University	Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 49–9	4,000
October 5	at Wheaton (IL)	McCully Stadium Wheaton, IL	W 55–27	5,337
October 12	at Millikin	Frank M. Lindsay Field Decatur, IL	W 70–14	475
October 19	North Park	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 69–0	4,500
October 26	at Augustana (IL)	Lindberg Stadium Rock Island, IL	W 49–10	875
November 2	Carroll (WI)	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 56–3	3,500
November 9	Elmhurst	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 70–7	2,000
November 16	at Illinois Wesleyan	Tucci Stadium Bloomington, IL	W 42–20	2,238	[1]
November 30	Whitworth*	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III Second Round)	W 42–17	761	[2]
December 7	Hope*	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III Third Round)	W 41–21	1,491	[3]
December 14	Springfield*	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III Quarterfinal)	W 27–3	942
December 21	Susquehanna*	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III Semifinal)	W 66–0	1,206
January 5, 2025	Mount Union*	Shell Energy Stadium Houston, TX (Stagg Bowl)	W 41–25	1,938
*Non-conference game

^[4]

References

1. "Cardinals Overpower Titans for Tenth Win". North Central Cardinals. November 16, 2024.
2. Geoffrey Clark (November 30, 2024). "North Central pounces on Whitworth, ending Pirates' season with 42-17 rout in Division III playoffs". The Spokesman-Review.
3. Mike McGraw (December 7, 2024). "North Central beats Hope, gets help in Division III playoff bracket". Daily Herald.
4. "2024 Football Schedule". North Central College. Retrieved December 9, 2024.