KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Marian football team earned a top-25 spot in the NAIA Football Preseason Poll, as the Knights were tabbed as the No. 23 team in the NAIA Monday afternoon. Grand View (Iowa) will begin the 2025 football season atop the 2025 NAIA Coaches' Poll, as a unanimous No. 1, looking to defend its 14-0 national championship from 2024. 

The year begins Thursday, with the newly-minted 23rd ranked Knights taking on 15th ranked UIndy in the first game of the NAIA season. Joining Grand View in the NAIA top-five are Keiser, Morningside, Benedictine, and Montana Western.

The Knights were one of five teams in the MSFA to receive a mention in the Top-25 poll, with Marian being the top-ranked team in the MSFA Midwest League. Indiana Wesleyan, the reigning MSFA Mideast Champion, enters the 2025 season ranked No. 6 in the NAIA Top-25. St. Francis (Ind.) is the only other team ranked 1-25, with the Cougars coming in at No. 24. Both Taylor and St. Francis (Ill.) are receiving votes in the first poll of the season. 

Marian's kickoff in the Monumental Matchup is set for 6:05 p.m. on Thursday evening, with the Knights and Greyhounds clashing for the first time since 2016. 

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