The Ohio Wesleyan football team was predicted to finish in sixth place and DePauw was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference championship in voting by the league coaches.

DePauw, which won the 2024 NCAC championship with an 8-0 conference record, collected 5 of the 9 first-place votes cast by the coaches and compiled a total of 75 points.  Wabash placed second in the poll with 64 points, John Carroll received 3 first-place votes and finished third with 63 points, Denison was fourth in the poll with 53 points, and Wittenberg received the final first-place vote and finished fifth with 50 points.

Ohio Wesleyan, which finished sixth in the 2024 NCAC standings with a 3-5 mark, was sixth with 34 points, followed by Kenyon (29), Wooster (23), and Oberlin (14).