By Keith McMillan
D3sports.com 

Since many teams are beginning or have begun conference play, now seems like a good time to go out on a limb and forecast a couple dozen conference champions. I did it last year, with the expected mixed results. Doing it this year after Week 3 instead of before the opener may tip the scales a bit in my favor, although accuracy isn’t what you guys are looking for, is it? You all want me to tell you your school is going to win the conference. 

Unfortunately, this demands a little objectiveness, which means I can’t pick Randolph-Macon to win the ODAC. But I can take a crack at naming the favorites and dark horse/spoilers in each conference, plus take a look at how last season’s picks panned out. If you’re new to the national scene, this should serve as a primer to give you an idea of what’s out there and who your favorite team could face should it end up in the playoffs.

American Southwest Conference
Favorite: Mary Hardin-Baylor
Darkhorse/spoiler: East Texas Baptist
ATN’s view: The Crusaders are top 10 material, and Hardin-Simmons is very good as well. Howard Payne won’t be an easy victory for either team. ETBU’s Tigers went 6-3 in the ASC last season, and have not lost a conference game to a team other than the aforementioned three since September 2001. They could be explosive enough to get over the hump against one of those teams this season, but beating all three is asking a lot. 
Last year: Favorite Hardin-Simmons. Dark horse: Mississippi College. How it played out: Mary Hardin-Baylor won it by going 10-0, but got stuck playing 10-0 Trinity (Texas) in the first round. The Choctaws went 4-6, including a 50-0 loss to Howard Payne, but were in most games.

Centennial Conference
Favorite: Muhlenberg
Darkhorse/spoiler: McDaniel
ATN’s view: For once, it’s not everyone chasing McDaniel. The Green Terror have lost two, and begin conference play at Muhlenberg. The 0-1 Mules, who due to the hurricane dodged a game against Christopher Newport, which beat McDaniel, returned the most talent. Running back Matt Bernardo, well over 3,000 yards rushing in his career, leads the way. The Mules host their toughest contenders. Hopkins has given up only 16 points through three games, but they travel to Allentown and Westminster late in the season. All seven conference teams could factor into the race. Though McDaniel’s down, it’s never a good idea to count a perennial champion out.
Last year: Favorite: McDaniel. Dark horse: Johns Hopkins. How it played out: The Blue Jays, Mules and Green Terror each went 1-1 against one another, and the Mules won a playoff game before exiting against semifinalist John Carroll.

College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin 
Favorite: Wheaton
Darkhorse/spoiler: Augustana
ATN’s view: Pollsters loved the Thunder, as they came in No. 2 to Mount Union in the preseason. Their wins so far have been lukewarm for a team ranked in the top five, but if they get through a conference slate with Millikin, Illinois Wesleyan and Augustana on it, they’ll deserve their rank. The Vikings, perennial champions, have dropped two games already – albeit to excellent out-of-conference competition. Augustana can hide behind Wheaton’s high expectations, then strike on the final week. 
Last year: Favorite: Augustana. Dark horse: Carthage. How it played out: Wheaton beat Augustana in the final week of the season to win the CCIW title. The Thunder struck Alma in the first round and played champion Mount Union closer than any other playoff team did in a 42-21 second-round loss. Carthage was 4-6.

Empire 8
Contenders: Ithaca, St. John Fisher, Hartwick 
ATN’s view: There are just five in the Empire 8 at the moment, and already Ithaca has defeated Hartwick and faces St. John Fisher this week. The Bombers are ranked second in the Upstate N.Y. poll behind independent Brockport State, which will join the ACFC next season. A pool B bid is likely if the Empire 8’s best team is impressive throughout the season.
Last year: No predictions. How it played out: No Empire 8 team made the playoffs. Ithaca finished 7-3, losing to rival Cortland State.

Freedom Football Conference
Favorite: Springfield
Darkhorse/spoiler: Western Connecticut
ATN’s view: In the final year before the Freedom’s members slink off to the UCAA, Empire 8 and NJAC and leave Plymouth State behind, there could be an exciting conference race. The Pride’s win over Kings Point keeps them as favorites, but the Colonials showed toughness in battling Rowan and won’t make it easy. With some help, Kings Point could get back in the race.
Last year: Favorite: Western Connecticut. Dark horse: Plymouth State. How it played out: Springfield beat Kings Point and Western Connecticut early, and more or less sealed the conference title by mid-October, then lost to Brockport in the first round. Plymouth State, co-champs the year before, went 0-10 and made Around the Nation look really silly.

Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Favorite: Hanover
Darkhorse/spoiler: Mt. St. Joseph
ATN’s view: The Panthers are back on top, and they have notched the HCAC’s most significant out-of-conference wins in the past, Saturday’s 39-20 loss to DePauw notwithstanding. The Lions started conference play 4-0 last season and could be ready to threaten, or at least ruin a contender’s day. Hanover’s toughest hurdle may again be Anderson.
Last year: Favorite: Anderson. Dark horse: Hanover. How it played out: The Panthers rebounded from a 5-5 year to win the conference, only to fall a point short of Wittenberg in a playoff opener. 

Illini-Badger Conference
Favorite: MacMurray
Darkhorse/spoiler: Lakeland
ATN’s view: The Highlanders are 19-1 in the past two regular seasons and are established as the conference team to beat. Concordia (Wis.) should be a challenge for MacMurray, but Lakeland played a respected common opponent (UW-Oshkosh) far tougher than the Falcons did. The Muskies lost by a field goal in four overtimes; Concordia lost 21-3.
Last year: Favorite: MacMurray. Dark horse: Benedictine. How it played out: The Highlanders went 10-0, then were dumped 42-7 by Wabash in the NCAA first round.

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Favorite: Wartburg
Darkhorse/spoiler: Simpson
ATN’s view: There are several contenders in this highly competitive conference, whose tri-champions each had an IIAC loss last season. Wartburg sports three preseason all-Americans and is ranked in the top 10. The two teams who shared the title last year, Central and Coe, have already lost IIAC games, to Buena Vista and Simpson, respectively. The Storm, a one-time conference power that went 10-0 in 1997, finished 6-4 last season and returned quarterback Mike Donnenwerth. The Storm could surprise in October games against Central and Wartburg, then coast.
Last year: Favorite: Central. Dark horse: Cornell. How it played out: Wartburg and Coe each won a first-round playoff game before getting blown out in the second round.

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Favorite: Hope
Darkhorse/spoiler: Adrian
ATN’s view: There’s finally an automatic bid available to the winner, and Hope and Alma should tussle to finish at the top. Both have scheduled aggressively and played respectably out-of-conference. Adrian’s 3-0 start includes decent victories against non-MIAA opponents, but the Bulldogs may not be ready to join the conference’s elite.
Last year: Favorite: Hope. Dark horse: Alma. How it played out: The Scots won nine straight and rolled into the playoffs, but Wheaton avenged a week two loss with a first-round playoff win.

Middle Atlantic Conference
Favorite: Lycoming
Darkhorse/spoiler: Susquehanna
ATN’s view: Lycoming looked ready to return to its perch as one of Pennsylvania’s dominant programs even before dispatching King’s and Wilkes, thought to be title contenders, in their first two games. Unless the Warriors stumble, only the Crusaders, who returned 17 starters, are in the hunt. If “Lyco” and “Suskie” lose before their Nov. 15 meeting however, the MAC race is wide open.
Last year: Favorite: King’s. Dark horse: Moravian. How it played out: The Monarchs blanked Salisbury in the opening round of the playoffs and nearly knocked off top-seeded Bridgewater (Va.). Moravian went 7-3, but Lycoming and Widener were bigger factors in the title chase.

Midwest Conference
Favorite: St. Norbert
Darkhorse/spoiler: none/everyone
ATN’s view: It looks like Lake Forest and St. Norbert will battle it out again. Illinois College is the only team other team still unbeaten in MWC play, but the Blue Boys have not faced a major test. It’ll be quite a surprise if the Nov. 8 Lake Forest-St. Norbert game doesn’t decide the title.
Last year: Favorite: St. Norbert. Dark horse: Monmouth How it played out: Lake Forest stunned us all by beating the Green Knights 17-0 in the season finale to finish 9-1 and make the playoffs. Wartburg beat the Foresters 45-0 in the first round. Monmouth lost their first five, then finished 5-5 by beating rival Knox.

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Favorite: St. John’s
Darkhorse/spoiler: Concordia-Moorhead
ATN’s view: In a conference where many only notice St. John’s, the Cobbers were 7-1 in MIAC play last season and were picked by conference coaches to finish second this year. But Saturday’s loss to contender Bethel leaves the Cobbers already trailing in the race and looking for help. Augsburg is the MIAC’s only unbeaten beyond Bethel and St. John’s, who clash Nov. 8
Last year: Favorite: St. John’s. Dark horse: St. Thomas. How it played out: The Johnnies won the conference and advanced to the national semifinals. 

New England Football Conference
Favorite: Mass-Dartmouth
Darkhorse/spoiler: Worcester State
ATN’s view: Mass-Dartmouth is off to a start which may prove last year was no fluke, but there are bound to be several contenders in what is now a 14-team league. Division champions meet in a title game which decides the playoff representative. Worcester State’s Lancers brought back 17 starters, led by tailback Greg Wood and quarterback Cean Oksanish, who is near 6,000 career yards and 60 TD passes. They should come out of the Bogan Division and could make the playoffs, while Curry and MIT should challenge the Corsairs in the Boyd.
Last year: Favorite: Westfield State. Dark horse: Bridgewater State. How it played out: Mass-Dartmouth blanked Westfield in the NEFC title game, and headed into the playoffs 11-0 before a 56-6 thumping at the hands of Muhlenberg.

New England Small College Athletic Conference
Favorite: Williams
Darkhorse/spoiler: Trinity (Conn.)
ATN’s view: There’s plenty to play for in the rivalry-filled 10-team NESCAC, though the playoffs are not an option. It’s hard to envision a scenario where Williams does not contend, and Amherst will make it interesting despite losing much from last year’s 6-2 squad. Trinity’s Bantams are more than a spoiler, and could become the favorite by beating the Ephs at home on Saturday.
Last year: Favorite: Williams. Dark horse: Tufts. How it played out: Tufts went from 6-2 to 3-5, and Williams missed a second consecutive 8-0 season when rival Amherst spoiled it, 45-35.

New Jersey Athletic Conference
Favorite: Rowan
Darkhorse/spoiler: New Jersey
ATN’s view: The conference is down to six members this season, as New Jersey City whacked its football program over the summer. Montclair State and Cortland (9-2 last season) should finish with winning records, but the Lions are most intriguing. TCNJ was an enigma last year, coming oh-so-close to beating Rowan, defeating national quarterfinalist Brockport and getting smacked by Montclair. The Lions have experience on the field and on the sideline, with 150-game winner Eric Hamilton at the helm.
Last year: Favorite: Rowan. Dark horse: Cortland State. How it played out: Cortland, TCNJ and Montclair were each 4-2 in NJAC play, while the 10-0 Profs received a first-round bye then got stunned by Brockport State 15-12.

North Coast Athletic Conference
Favorite: Wooster
Darkhorse/spoiler: Wabash
ATN’s view: Wooster moves into the favored role after Wabash’s loss to Kalamazoo, but three Ws (Wittenberg is the other) will make the title chase worth following. Oberlin is no longer the league pushover, and the team that took its place, Kenyon, is playing an independent schedule and avoids the NCAC’s heavy-hitters. Allegheny schedules strong opponents early and is usually competitive in the conference.
Last year: Favorite: Wittenberg. Dark horse: Wabash. How it played out: A dark horse actually came in! Wabash beat Wittenberg 46-43, then proved it was no fluke by doing it again in the playoffs.

Northwest Conference
Favorite: Linfield
Darkhorse/spoiler: Whitworth
ATN’s view: There are six NWC teams, four of which have been title contenders in recent seasons: Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, Willamette and Whitworth. Coaches and pollsters favor the Wildcats, and the Lutes won’t be ignored as coach Frosty Westering, who recently earned victory No. 300, coaches his last season. Willamette was pegged by coaches to finish second, Whitworth fourth. The Pirates returned 18 starters, but a quarterback has yet to emerge. If either Joe Gore or Joel Clark comes close to what Scott Biglin did at quarterback last season, expect the Pirates to at least play spoiler if not challenge again for the conference title
Last year: Favorite: Linfield. Dark horse: Willamette. How it played out: The Wildcats earned a No. 1 seed but lost to St. John’s 21-14 in the national quarterfinals.

Ohio Athletic Conference
Favorite: Mount Union
Darkhorse/spoiler: Capital
ATN’s view: There isn’t much to say. Baldwin-Wallace, John Carroll and Capital would be favored to win a few of these other conferences, but they have to go through Alliance to win the OAC, and it just doesn’t happen that way. Luckily, with Pool C around, getting into the playoffs is easier than winning the conference. 
Last year: Favorite: Mount Union. Dark horse: Baldwin-Wallace. How it played out: A few OAC teams gave the Purple Raiders a game, and yada, yada … a third straight national title for the Purple Dynasty.

Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Favorite: Bridgewater
Darkhorse/spoiler: Emory & Henry
ATN’s view: The dominant teams from five years ago are now the league’s bottom-feeders, and former doormats are contenders. There doesn’t look to be much beyond Hampden-Sydney in terms of teams with a chance to knock off the now-dominant Eagles. Lou Wacker has won 156 games with the Wasps and may have one more trick up his sleeve as a spoiler, but if the Tigers don’t get it done when they host Bridgewater on Oct. 4, go ahead and pencil the Eagles in for another playoff berth. In fact, use pen.
Last year: Favorite: Bridgewater. Dark horse: Hampden-Sydney. How it played out: The Tigers were 8-2, and Randolph-Macon was 6-4, but neither presented a challenge to Bridgewater. In fact, the Eagles didn’t play a close game between their Sept. 7 opener and their second-round playoff game with King’s on Nov. 30.

Presidents Athletic Conference
Favorite: Washington & Jefferson
Darkhorse/spoiler: Waynesburg
ATN’s view: The Presidents own this conference, and it’s going to take more than a new coach to instill some doubt. Westminster and Thiel are expected to challenge during an unusually balanced season. Waynesburg has the talent, especially on offense, to join the contenders, but a late missed extra point cost them dearly in a surprising 31-30 loss to Gettysburg on Saturday.
Last year: Favorite: Washington & Jefferson. Dark horse: Westminster (Pa.). How it played out: The Presidents played most conference opponents close, but they won all five PAC games and made the playoffs, losing to finalist Trinity (Texas) in the second round. The Titans challenged, going 4-1 in PAC play with a 29-21 loss to W&J.

Sourthern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Favorite: Redlands
Darkhorse/spoiler: Pomona-Pitzer
ATN’s view: SCIAC teams can't fly under the radar anymore after Claremont-Mudd-Scripps started last season with seven consecutive wins, Redlands nearly knocked off St. John's in last season's playoff opener and Pomona-Pitzer stunned 2002 finalist Trinty (Texas) this past weekend. The Bulldogs are defending champs, and have won five of the past seven conference titles, but got off to another rough start. Despite big losses to Williamette and Linfield, the Bulldogs, who won seven in a row last season, could get through the conference slate. They had holes to fill coming into the year, and have not been as efficient through the air or in forcing turnovers this time around. The Sagehens rejoined the conference after playing as an independent since 1996, and have promptly jumped to the top of the standings. They have winnable out-of-conference games and could be unbeaten until they close the season with back-to-back games against Redlands (who beat them 37-0 last season) and CMS. The SCIAC might not sort much out this time around until November, when the Sagehens, Stags and Bulldogs play each other. Keep an eye on Occidental, whose fifth-year quarterback Tyler PaoPao led a comeback from 21 down on Saturday. The Tigers lost all the tough games last season.
Last year: No picks. How it played out: Redlands won all five of its conference games and appeared in the conference's first playoff game since LaVerne in 1994. Redlands had St. John's on the ropes at in Collegeville before the Johnnies rallied. 

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Favorite: Trinity
Darkhorse/spoiler: Millsaps
ATN’s view: Like many South Region conferences, one team dominates the SCAC. Trinity has won or shared every league title since 1993, yet Saturday’s loss against Pomona-Pitzer makes us wonder about the Tigers. But Trinity has lost games midseason in the past and still won the league. DePauw should contend, and can take a big step toward a title with a win over Trinity this week. Millsaps has struggled, but the Majors have talent and could pull off a shocker or two late in new coach David Saunders’ first season. Rose-Hulman, under new coach Ted Karras, could do the same.
Last year: Favorite: Trinity. Dark horse: DePauw. How it played out: As DePauw went 7-3 and 5-1 in league play, the Tigers went all the way to the Stagg Bowl before losing.

Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association
Contenders: Hobart, Union, RPI 
ATN’s view: Currently a five-team conference, the UCAA features three traditional winners. It’s likely that the same three will challenge for Pool B consideration this season, unless they beat up on each other too badly.
Last year: No predictions. How it played out: Hobart was eliminated by John Carroll in the first round of the playoffs.

USA South Conference
Favorite: Christopher Newport
Darkhorse/spoiler: Ferrum
ATN’s view: The Dixie has a new name, but there’s little reason to believe it won’t have the same old champion. The Captains were conference titleists and playoff reps in the first two years of their existence, and show only signs of improvement. Aggressive out-of-conference scheduling must make some of their conference games feel like a breeze. The Panthers look like the best candidate to dethrone CNU. The teams meet Nov. 15.
Last year: Favorite: Christopher Newport. Dark horse: Shenandoah. How it played out: The Captains made the postseason at 6-4, and lost to Washington & Jefferson 24-10. Shenandoah and Ferrum were each 5-5.

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Favorites: UW-La Crosse, UW-Stout
Darkhorse/spoiler: UW-Eau Claire
ATN’s view: The well-balanced conference is 13-5 so far, with losses coming to No. 1 Mount Union, No. 2 St. John’s and three Division II teams. Defending champion La Crosse, Stout and Stevens Point are expected to contend, while Whitewater and Eau Claire should be factors. Hey, why not Oshkosh, Platteville and River Falls. They’ll all make it interesting.
Last year: ATN was too wimpy to predict a winner. How it played out: La Crosse beat Stout by a foot, then lost 21-18 to Coe in the first round of the playoffs.

NOTE: We did not review conferences with four teams or fewer, or independents.

Gagliardi watch
No, no, we’re not projecting the winner of the Division III Heisman Trophy, although that may not be a bad idea. As St. John’s head coach John Gagliardi approaches the all-time wins mark of 408, we thought we’d do more than just blitz you with a story before the big game, like many national media outlets will undoubtedly do. We asked you, the readers, to share your experiences with the man many in Collegeville, Minn., call John. 

Here’s our first story:

“I was fortunate enough to play for John from 1997-2000 and was a member of the starting defense that held the Mount Union offense to a mere 10 points in the Stagg Bowl in 2000. Unfortunately, that was more than we were able to put up that day in a 10-7 loss. 

There are many favorite stories about John, but the one that sticks out in my head the most is my recruiting trip to St. John’s. You see, John didn’t call me up when I was a senior in high school or drive hundreds of miles to see me play high school football like a number of Division III/II schools did when they tried to get me to come to visit/sign. I sought him out because I wanted to go to school where I could get a good education and play for a winning football team. 

I am originally from southern Minnesota and I had narrowed my choice of schools down to two: SJU and St. Thomas. So my parents and I drove up to Collegeville the night before and had a visit planned with the SJU football coaches the following morning and then in the afternoon had a recruiting visit planned with St. Thomas which was on our way back home. (St. Thomas had made numerous phone calls, visits, etc. John had not even called me, before I went up there).

When I arrived in John’s office the first thing you notice is that this guy has won a few ball games. There are pictures, trophies, plaques, and every other type of thing associated with being a winner in his office. I thought going in there, I would be quizzed on all of my high school accomplishments, high school record, bench, 40 time, etc., just like the other coaches were after. But our first 3 hours were spent talking about other things, not football. I grew up on a farm, so John and my parents talked about farming for a good hour. My father was a former road construction worker, so we talked about that for another hour. John went on and on and football never even got brought up. 

Finally, I knew that we needed to get going [to] drive to St. Thomas for the other recruiting visit, and I wanted to at least get some football talk in, so I asked, “So what’s it like playing ball at SJU?” John replied: “if you like running tires, hitting blocking sleds, running sprints, lifting for 3 hours a day, and losing football games, then, we don’t want you here. If you want to learn about life, graduate on time, and win football games, then this is your place.” He followed that up by saying, “I’m not using a blocking sled in practice until they let me use it in the game!” We went on talking about the program for another 20 minutes and I told him that I had to get going. He got it out of me that I was going down to see his arch-rivals down at St. Thomas, so he made an effort to get me to stay a little longer so I would be late to the appointment. 

It turned out it didn’t even matter. As we were driving down I-94 on our way to the Twin Cities, I turned to my dad and said, “Call St. Thomas and cancel our visit. There is no need for us to visit there, I’ve made my decision, I’m going to SJU.” 

The next day I got a call from John asking what I thought of St. John’s and how my trip to St. Thomas went. I said, “John, I never even made it down there, I cancelled the trip, and I’m going to St. John’s.” John thought it was so great that I cancelled a recruiting trip to St. Thomas on the same day because of the job he had done persuading me to attend. To this day, he still makes me tell everyone the story, when I come out to see a practice or call to see how everyone back in Collegeville is doing. 

But what was there to persuade? I graduated on time, played on championship football teams, and learned a ton of things that have helped me out in the “real” world. 

Today, when you walk into John’s office, there is a huge picture of our defense playing in the Stagg Bowl. Now I am a permanent part of that very same office that I walked into on that fateful day in 1997.

Congrats John! You are the best!

— Alex Wesley, Defensive Tackle

Two’s the charm?
D3football.com poll voters agree on No. 1. Who wouldn’t? But four teams got votes this week for the number two slot, led by St. John’s (19), and then Wheaton (3), UW-La Crosse (2), Linfield (1). As Mount Union has a (25) next to it each week, we thought it might be far more interesting to see where opinion lies on No. 2.

State trivia
Without counting, which state do you think is home to the most Division III football teams? I’ll guess Ohio, but New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois or Massachusetts might all be good choices. Tell us what you think. We’ll reveal the answer in a future column.

Stat of the week
Midwest Conference teams that kick off by visiting the Green Knights say good night. St. Norbert won for the 19th consecutive time in its first conference home game of the season, defeating Monmouth 38-15.

National game of the week
No. 20 Wooster at Case Western Reserve: No guarantee this is even the best game in town, as No. 18 John Carroll hosts Ohio Northern elsewhere in Cleveland on the same afternoon. The Spartans hook up with their former NCAC rival, as the Scots visit, and the winner takes home a fishing something-or-other called the Baird Brothers Trophy. Case Western quarterback Eli Grant, running back Brandon McDowell and Wooster running back Tony Sutton are among the nation’s most prolific gainers. Each team is averaging well over 400 yards per outing.

Honorable mentions: Hope at No. 3 Wheaton, No. 8 Bridgewater (Va.) at Christopher Newport, Ohio Northern at No. 18 John Carroll, DePauw at No. 22 Trinity (Texas), McDaniel at Muhlenberg.

Hindsight game of the week
Since Mount Union ruined our game-of-the-week pick by allowing Baldwin-Wallace a big fat zero, we relied on our honorable mentions, which provided us two Top-25 upsets (No. 15 Hanover and No. 25 Kings Point lost), and a one-point game in upstate New York. The Bombers blew up the Hawks’ homecoming by scoring a touchdown with two minutes left to win it. Pomona-Pitzer’s upset opened a lot of eyes, joining a body of evidence that says the SCIAC is no cream puff conference. Simpson knocked off Coe on a TD pass with 22 seconds left. Washington U. missed a 24-yard field goal against IWU in the waning minutes, while Union made its kick to beat WPI. But the big prize for win-of-the-week should go to UW-La Crosse, which jumped from No. 9 to No. 4 with a 28-24 win over South Dakota, who was ranked in Division II’s top 25. Also, UW-Platteville beat Division I-AA non-scholarship Drake by a point.
Hindsight honorable mentions: Ithaca 19, Hartwick 18; Buena Vista 16, Central 14; Simpson 20, Coe 13; Centre 32, Rhodes 31; Defiance 14, Grove City 9; Illinois Wesleyan 24, Washington U. 21; Union 19, WPI 16.

Your feedback
As always, Around the Nation is interested in your thoughts on certain subjects. When you write in, please include your full name, age, hometown and school you root for. 

1. We’re interested to hear why life is unique in your corner of the Division III world. Take a minute and share what’s great about your campus, your state, your team and the people you know.

2. How should teams schedule out-of-conference games? Should they schedule weak opponents to grow the team’s confidence, or measure themselves against the best in Division I-AA, II, III and NAIA? What are the pros and cons of scheduling strategies?

3. ATN is still looking for your fondest memories of longtime St. John’s coach John Gagliardi.

4. ATN is still looking for the most unique player names in Division III.

5. ATN wants to know what you think the spirit of Division III is, and what it should be.

Attention SIDs
Around the Nation is looking for new directories, media guides, record books and other helpful tools from both conference and school SIDs. The information is used when compiling Around the Nation, and is a great help for feature stories. SIDs can also add keith@d3football.com to football-only release lists or e-mail us the Web address of online guides, but please label correspondence as such in the subject line. Snail mail to Keith McMillan, 14010 Smoketown Rd., Woodbridge, Va., 22192.