WACO, Texas – The defending PSAC champion Kutztown football team will begin the 2025 regular season ranked No. 7 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II national poll.
 
The Golden Bears finished last season with an 11-1 overall record and won their second straight PSAC championship, third in the last four seasons and fourth overall in program history. They earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Championships for the second consecutive season and fifth in the last six, winning 11 games in-a-row to begin the season.
 
Kutztown was ranked fifth in the final AFCA poll at the end of last season.
 
Defending national champion Ferris State leads the preseason poll with 30 first place votes. Harding is second, followed by Grand Valley State and Slippery Rock in fourth with one first place vote. Central Oklahoma rounds out the top five in the preseason rankings. The rest of the top 10 includes No. 6 Colorado State-Pueblo, KU, West Florida at No. 8, Pittsburg State and Western Colorado 10th.
 
Slippery Rock and Kutztown are the only representatives from the PSAC and Super Region One in the top 10. The only other PSAC team listed in the preseason top 25 is California (Pa.), which will enter the season ranked No. 15. Indiana (Pa.) and East Stroudsburg both are receiving votes. Other teams from Super Region One in the poll include Charleston at No. 14 and Virginia Union at No. 19.
 
Kutztown's season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 4, with a non-conference home game against Assumption at 7 p.m., from Andre Reed Stadium.