2026 SJU Football Schedule
 
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University head football coach Gary Fasching '81 announced a home-and-home series with Wisconsin-La Crosse on Monday, Feb. 9.

The Johnnies host the Eagles in the 2026 season opener on Sept. 5, then visit La Crosse for the return game on Sept. 2, 2028. SJU is still searching for a non-conference opponent for 2027, 2029 and beyond.

"We are excited to bring in a team like UW-La Crosse to start our 2026 football season," Fasching said. "UW-La Crosse is a perennial NCAA playoff team that will present a huge challenge for our football program. As we have done in the past with bringing in teams like Whitewater, Wartburg and Trinity, La Crosse will be a great test to see how our team stacks up against a top-10 team in the country. We needed a home game for week one in both 2026 and 2027, so we will travel to La Crosse in 2028."

La Crosse finished 8-3 (5-2 WIAC) and made its fifth-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance in 2025, advancing to the third round. The Eagles were ranked as high No. 13 in the final D3football.com poll. 
    
SJU is 6-1 all-time against La Crosse and 36-16 against current members of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).

The last four meetings all occurred in the NCAA playoffs, including a 24-13 win in the postseason's second round on Nov. 30, 2024, in Collegeville. The last time the two programs met during the regular season was Sept. 9, 1972 (a 21-0 win in La Crosse) and the lone regular-season game between them in Collegeville was the series' first, a 34-20 SJU victory on Sept. 6, 1969.
  
The Johnnies' 2026 schedule follows the same order as 2025 with the locations flipped. SJU opens MIAC play Sept. 19 by hosting Hamline and closes the month on Sept. 26 at Augsburg. The Johnnies welcome Bethel to Collegeville Oct. 3 for Family Weekend and visit Macalester Oct. 10. 

SJU faces Concordia for Homecoming Oct. 17 before the first of its two trips to Northfield Oct. 24 at Carleton. The final regular-season game at home is Halloween vs. Gustavus Adolphus. The Johnnies close the MIAC ledger with trips to St. Scholastica (Nov. 7) and St. Olaf (Nov. 14). 
 
The full schedule is as follows:
 
SJU's 2026 Football Schedule
Sept. 5 – vs. UW-La Crosse, 1 p.m.
Sept. 19 – vs. Hamline, 1 p.m.
Sept. 26 – at Augsburg, 1 p.m.
Oct. 3 – vs. Bethel, 1 p.m. (Family Weekend)
Oct. 10 – at Macalester, 1 p.m.
Oct. 17 – vs. Concordia, 1 p.m. (Homecoming)
Oct. 24 – at Carleton, 1 p.m.
Oct. 31 – vs. Gustavus Adolphus, 1 p.m.
Nov. 7 – at St. Scholastica, 1 p.m.
Nov. 14 – at St. Olaf, 1 p.m.
 
SJU finished second to Wisconsin-Whitewater in total attendance (45,688), for the third-consecutive season, and third in per-game average (6,527) last fall in NCAA Division III. The Johnnies' cumulative total was greater than two Football Bowl Subdivision teams (Ball State and Sam Houston State); 93 Football Championship Subdivision teams and all but four of the 162 Division II programs.
 
The Johnnies (10-2, 8-1 MIAC) recorded their 27th 10-win season, made their 34th postseason appearance (30th in Division III) this fall and ended the season ranked as high as No. 8 in the final AFCA poll.
 

2025 NCAA Division III Football Attendance Leaders
No.	School	Gms.	Total	Avg.
1.	UW-Whitewater	6	50,705	8,451
2.	Hampden-Sydney (Va.)	5	34,507	6,901
3.	Saint John's	7	45,688	6,527
4.	Maryville (Tenn.)	4	24,038	6,010
5.	Baldwin Wallace (Ohio)	5	27,479	5,496
6.	Roanoke (Va.)	5	25,218	5,044
7.	Geneva (Pa.)	5	23,995	4,799
8.	Wartburg (Iowa)	6	26,040	4,340
9.	UW-Eau Claire	5	20,610	4,122
10.	Tufts (Mass.)	4	16,261	4,065

 

2025 SJU vs. FCS/Division II Schools in Upper Midwest
No.	School	NCAA	Gms.	Total	Avg.
1.	South Dakota State	FCS	8	127,321	15,915
2.	North Dakota State	FCS	7	106,749	15,250
3.	North Dakota	FCS	6	69,616	11,603
4.	Northern Iowa	FCS	6	56,225	9,371
5.	South Dakota	FCS	7	48,104	6,872
6.	Saint John's	III	7	45,688	6,527
7.	Northern State (S.D.)	II	6	30,913	5,152
8.	MSU-Mankato	II	6	28,508	4,751
9.	Concordia	III	5	18,392	3,678
10.	Sioux Falls	II	5	17,995	3,599

 

2025 MIAC Football Attendance Leaders
No.	School	Gms.	Total	Avg.
1.	Saint John's	7	45,688	6,527
2.	Concordia	5	18,392	3,678
3.	Bethel	7	19,362	2,766
4.	Carleton	5	10,497	2,099
5.	Gustavus Adolphus	5	7,885	1,577
6.	Augsburg	5	4,700	940
7.	St. Olaf	5	4,325	865
8.	Macalester	4	2,766	692
9.	Hamline	5	2,116	423
10.	St. Scholastica	5	801	160