Dakota Wesleyan opens at No. 25 Dakota State in 80th rivalry meeting
DWU will chase its first road win in the series since 2015 against a Dakota State team carrying a preseason national ranking into the opener.
AUG 29, 2026
Dakota Wesleyan will open its season at No. 25 Dakota State in the 80th meeting of the rivalry, looking for its first road win over the Trojans since 2015.
The series still belongs narrowly to DWU at 41-37-1, but the recent venue trend is clear: the home team has won each of the last four meetings. Dakota State was the most recent road winner, taking a 6-0 decision at Dakota Wesleyan in 2021. The Trojans also lead the Chamber of Commerce trophy series 6-2.
This will be the 11th straight season the programs have met in an August opener. Dakota State is 9-2 in those season-opening games, giving DWU a chance to change both its road history in the series and the recent pattern of these early matchups.
The preseason expectations favor Dakota State. The Trojans are No. 25 nationally, their first preseason ranking since 2018, and were picked second in the Frontier Conference East Division. Dakota Wesleyan was picked ninth in the GPAC preseason poll.
Both teams enter after sharply different finishes to 2025. DWU closed with a 24-7 loss to Hastings, while Dakota State finished with a 50-3 home win over Montana State-Northern. For the Tigers, the immediate task is straightforward: win the turnover and field-position fight well enough to put a ranked rival under pressure on its own field.