After posting a comeback win against a nationally ranked opponent, the Muhlenberg football team came back to the top 25.

The Mules (6-1), who rallied from 16 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat then-16th-ranked Carnegie Mellon, are ranked 24th in Division III by D3football.com and 25th by the American Football Coaches Association.

Muhlenberg appeared in the top 25 for one week earlier this season, coming in 23rd in the AFCA poll and 25th in the D3football.com poll after starting out 4-0.

Muhlenberg has received votes in one national poll or both at some point every season since 2015 and has appeared in the top 25 every season since 2018.

The Mules play another nationally ranked opponent at home this week when they host Johns Hopkins - third in both polls - on Saturday. The Blue Jays, who advanced to the Division III semifinals last year, are the two-time defending Centennial Conference champions and have won 18 consecutive CC games. 

The last time the teams faced each other when both were nationally ranked was in 2021, when the 22nd-ranked Mules outlasted the 11th-ranked Blue Jays, 21-6, in a night game at Scotty Wood Stadium. 

In the National Power Index (NPI) rankings, which are used to determine selections to the NCAA Tournament, Muhlenberg is 13th in Division III. That puts the Mules in strong contention to earn one of the 13 at-large bids to the national tournament; they are currently fourth among teams that aren't the highest-ranked in their conference.