(Kansas City, MO) The NAIA released the 2022-23 NAIA Football FirstDown PlayBook Top 25 Poll on Monday afternoon and the Cardinals are ranked 6th. This recognition comes on the heels of the Cardinals' fifth straight appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series, making it to the quarterfinals last season. Concordia won their second consecutive MSFA Mideast Conference title in the fall of 2021 as well. The Cardinals were ranked 6th in the postseason poll following the team's season ending defeat to NAIA runner-up Grand View. This marks their fifth consecutive season being ranked in the preseason poll and Concordia's seventh season cracking the top 25.
The poll released by the NAIA office on Monday afternoon saw the Cardinals gather 327 total votes. Last year, the Cardinals started ranked 6th, appeared in every poll, and climbed as high as 5th in mid-October. This is the 51st time in Cardinal football history that the program has received recognition in the poll and their 50th consecutive appearance in the poll dating back to September of 2017.
Fellow MSFA members to receive recognition in the poll include Marian University (5), Saint Xavier (11), Indiana Wesleyan (14), and St. Francis (IL) (25).
The Cardinals have received recognition from outside the NAIA as well, with College Football America Yearbook releasing their rankings late last week. Concordia landed at the sixth spot within the NAIA and Casey Rauch was named to the NAIA preseason Starting Lineup at the punter position.
Joshua Schumacher will begin his 6th year as the Cardinals head coach when the team travels to NCAA FCS Stetson on September 3rd.
