MIAA preseason poll has Hope back as underdog, just behind Alma despite historic season

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After claiming the MIAA title and the program's first ever NCAA playoff victory, the Hope College football team is back to being an underdog, even if just on paper.

The Flying Dutchmen were selected by the conference coaches to finish second behind Alma College in the MIAA preseason poll. Both teams split the first-place votes with four apiece, but Hope finished with 11 total points, one behind the Scots.

The Flying Dutchmen are ranked 20th in the 2025 American Football Coaches Association and D3football.com preseason polls.

Hope kicks off the season on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Loras College (Iowa). The Flying Dutchmen's home opener is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, vs. Mount St. Joseph University (Ohio) at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium.

Hope's MIAA title defense starts on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. vs. Alma at home.

The Flying Dutchmen return three All-MIAA selections, including All-MIAA first team and D3football All-Region Third Team cornerback Austin Harvey (Rockford).

Two All-MIAA second-team honorees also return for Hope: H-back Seth Luhmann (Rochester Hills) and defensive lineman Caleb Paarlberg (Caledonia).

Coach Peter Stuursma has guided the Flying Dutchmen to a 65-18 overall record (.783) and a 43-8 mark in MIAA play (.843) in eight seasons.

In 2024, Hope claimed the MIAA championship with a 7-0 record and finished 11-1 overall. The Flying Dutchmen outscored MIAA opponents by a 299-70 margin en route to a 10-0 regular season, the first in program history.

In the NCAA Division III playoffs, Hope defeated Aurora University (Illinois) in the second round -- the program's first postseason victory -- before falling to eventual national champion North Central College (Illinois) in the third round.

Contact sports editor Dan D'Addona at Dan.D'Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.