By Keith McMillan
D3sports.com

Conference title races and the playoff picture are supposed to be coming into focus now. But Saturday dealt our safe assumptions the biggest blow in years. A Mount Union regular-season loss?

Their incredible streak couldn’t last forever, and John Carroll coach Regis Scafe told Around the Nation a few weeks ago that Ohio Northern could match up with Mount Union. But what no one expected was a possible three-way tie between the Purple Raiders, Polar Bears and Blue Streaks.

Yet that’s the reality in the Ohio Athletic Conference, where for years we could count on an early clinch. And the possible three-way tie, as well as tiebreakers that vary by conference, is alive and well in the Liberty League, Empire 8, USA South, MIAC, MIAA and PAC, among other places. The Heartland, ACFC and IIAC each have three title contenders, even if a three-way tie isn’t going to happen.

Most of those conferences had a strong favorite, and perhaps a second contender. And on the flip side, the conferences we usually expect to come down to the last weekend are nearly decided, as No. 2 UW-Whitewater can knock off its closest competitor this weekend, Delaware Valley has pretty much clinched the MAC and North Central will visit Augustana to settle the CCIW next week.

Even Johns Hopkins, a loser in a five-way Centennial Conference tie last season, appears to have its title and accompanying playoff berth on lock.

The most drama remains where we least expected it. But Mount Union’s loss neither knocked it from the postseason picture nor destroyed its OAC title chances. In fact, a three-way tie may not need a tiebreaker if Ohio Northern’s appeal isn’t granted and it is ineligible for the postseason. Then Mount Union’s 70-0 win over JCU would give them the automatic qualifier.

Perhaps, the Blue Streaks’ 50-25 win over Ohio Northern on Oct. 1 — the Polar Bears’ first big test after the news of a playoff ban broke 11 days earlier — will be part of a three-way tie discussion, as will ONU’s 21-14 win at Mount Union. Or maybe Capital and Otterbein spoil the fun before we get to kick our feet up and enjoy it.

In any case, the season’s final three weeks will provide us with plenty to watch. Will Millkin, Elmhurst and North Park take advantage of chances to make the CCIW race interesting, as King’s did by dumping Widener from the MAC mix on Saturday? And if the OAC remains a nail-biter, we’ll have to figure out what would happen if Ohio Northern held the three-way tiebreaker advantage, but couldn’t participate in the postseason.

Here’s Around the Nation’s take on the last eight conferences, plus independents, in our three-part look at title chases, playoff berth races and the suspense involved. We started at the end of the alphabet, and we’ll finish this week in the As.

INDEPENDENTS
Suspense rating: 1
Contenders: Huntingdon, Rockford, Northwestern (Minn.)
Probable playoff spots: Zero, with a chance at one in Pool B
Key results in the books: Lakeland 27, Northwestern 15, Sept. 3; St. John’s 57, Northwestern 7, Sept. 10; Trinity (Texas) 15, Huntingdon 10, Oct. 8
Key games approaching: None
ATN’s analysis: At 5-1, 7-1 and 7-2, respectively, only one of the contenders listed above is a playoff possibility, and even that’s slim. They just haven’t beaten anyone significant. I love what Northwestern brought to Division III with its two-games-in-one-day accomplishment earlier this month, and how it was handled. But scores in the early-season losses, even to teams that will probably win their conferences, don’t look good, plus Northwestern isn't eligible for the postseason. But the real crushing numbers are 12-38 and .240, the current record and winning percentage of the seven teams the Eagles have beaten. Rockford, which has no signature wins and a loss to Westminster (Mo.) -- which is 5-3 -- has an opponents record of 10-40 (.200). Huntingdon’s five wins, over opponents that are 10-24 (.294), aren’t much better, but their playoff chance rests with the subjective judgement of the playoff committee. They took a 10-6 lead into the fourth quarter at Trinity before losing by five. The Tigers will likely finish 9-0 and bump the Hawks strength of schedule up some, but a one-loss Washington & Jefferson or two-loss Salisbury team is a better fit for a bid.

IOWA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (IIAC)
Suspense rating: 5
Contenders: No. 21 Central, No. 25 Coe, Wartburg
Probable playoff spots: One in Pool A; a Pool C very possible
Key results in the books: Coe 17, Central 14, Sept. 17; Wartburg 17, Coe 14, Oct. 15
Key game approaching: Central at Wartburg, Nov. 5
ATN’s analysis: It looks like a three-way tie scenario, but actually, Wartburg is in the driver’s seat right now. It lost at Luther, but not to either of the contenders. A win over Central would essentially give them the title and Pool A playoff bid, which it took with an 8-2 record last season. A loss would be the Knights’ third, and second in the IIAC, virtually eliminating them from the title and playoff chases. Central, with its 25-24 overtime win remaining Augustana’s only defeat, are in great shape for a Pool C bid if the Vikings win the CCIW. A Central win over Wartburg puts the Pool A bid in Coe’s pocket. Both of the Kohawks’ 17-14 results came in road games, and they don’t have an opponent with a winning record in their final three games. Interestingly, the same three contenders each went 8-1 in IIAC play during 2002, but a loss to Augustana knocked Central out of the postseason picture. Wartburg and Coe each won first-round games before bowing to Linfield and St. John’s.
ATN’s predicted champion: After consulting another D3 football mind, we agree that our heads say Wartburg over Central, but our guts say the Dutch, considering their 4-1 record in games decided by a score or less. That would likely make Coe the champ, and Central a Pool C team. I know, way to waffle on that one.

ILLINI-BADGER FOOTBALL CONFERENCE (IBFC)
Suspense rating: 5
Contenders: Concordia (Wis.), Aurora, Lakeland 
Probable playoff spots: One in Pool A
Key results in the books: Concordia (Wis.) 26, Aurora 21, Oct. 1; Lakeland 17, Concordia 14, Oct. 15.
Key game approaching: Aurora at Lakeland, Oct. 29
ATN’s analysis: The drama is high as the Spartans can force a three-way logjam by beating the Muskies on Saturday. Aurora took the playoff spot in last season’s three-way tie with a plus-16 point differential in games with the other two. At minus-5 currently, a seven-point Aurora win would tie them with Concordia at plus-2. Eight would push the tiebreaker in the Spartans favor, while Lakeland could protect itself with a close loss. We’re assuming that the three contenders handle business in their IBFC finale on Nov. 5, and we’re assuming that there’s only one bid to play for. With Lakeland’s 20-16 loss at Carthage the only time one of the contenders stayed within double digits of a non-conference playoff hopeful (Monmouth, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater and Alma each beat an IBFC leader handily), Pool C is unlikely.
ATN’s predicted champion: We had Lakeland in the Preseason Preview, the Muskies are plus-3 and they’re playing Aurora at home. 

HEARTLAND COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (HCAC)
Suspense rating: 2
Contenders: Mt. St. Joseph, Defiance, Anderson, Bluffton
Probable playoff spots: One in Pool A
Key results in the books: Hanover 41, Mt. St. Joseph 35 (OT), Oct. 1; Defiance 28, Hanover 14, Oct. 15; Bluffton 33, Hanover 19, Oct. 22; Mt. St. Joseph 40, Defiance 19, Oct. 22.
Key games approaching: Mt. St. Joseph at Bluffton, Oct. 29; Mt. St. Joseph at Anderson, Nov. 5
ATN’s analysis: Hanover’s overtime stunner against the Lions put the Panthers in control of the HCAC race, but it didn’t last. Defiance and Bluffton beat Hanover in successive weeks, re-opening the race to four teams with one conference loss. Hanover and Franklin, picked by coaches to finish behind Mt. St. Joseph, have been relegated to spoilers hoping for help. But the suspense here isn’t what one might expect when only one team is really out of it. Behind the 6-1 Lions are a glut of near-.500 teams which can’t be happy about MSJ getting back out in front so quickly.
ATN’s predicted champion: The Lions take the Pool A bid, just with a loss this time.

EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE (E8)
Suspense rating: 3
Contenders: No. 16 Ithaca, No. 14 St. John Fisher, Alfred
Probable playoff spots: One each in Pools A and C
Key result in the books: Ithaca 41, St. John Fisher 35 (OT), Sept. 24
Key games approaching: Alfred at Ithaca, Nov. 5; Alfred at St. John Fisher, Nov. 12.
ATN’s analysis: It’s hard to say if the Saxons are a team on the brink, or just one that knows how to set up a schedule. Alfred was 7-1 last season before it lost consecutive home games to the Bombers and Cardinals. This year, to win the Empire 8 or make it a three-way race, it’ll have to take a game on the road. Despite the non-conference upset loss at Lycoming, Ithaca still controls its playoff fate. But rival Cortland State may at least dent the Bombers’ seeding. Meanwhile, St. John Fisher will pull for an Alfred upset to create a winner-takes-all game in Week 11. The Pool C prospects of E8 teams are cloudy, but two losses is not a death sentence with a 32-team field. Alfred’s loss to Washington & Lee would look much less harmless if the Generals beat Bridgewater on Saturday, and take control of the ODAC. Even without a win over a great team, it would be difficult to exclude the Cardinals from Pool C at 9-1 with an overtime loss to a Pool A team.
ATN’s predicted champion: We can’t go with Alfred until we see it on the field in Week 10 and 11, so ATN has to say Ithaca in A and Fisher joins the fray.

COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN (CCIW)
Suspense rating: 3
Contender(s): North Central, Augustana
Probable playoff spots: One each in Pools A and C
Key results in the books: North Central 35, Wheaton 26, Oct. 1; Augustana 7, Carthage 0, Oct. 8; North Central 43, Carthage 24, Oct. 15
Key games approaching: North Central at Augustana, Nov. 5
ATN’s analysis: The conference that had six 3-0 starts has cleared up with more than half of the CCIW games in the books. Wheaton’s loss to North Central was understandable, but Illinois Wesleyan’s 23-14 stunner on Saturday knocked the Thunder out of the picture, leaving the 7-0, 4-0 Cardinals and 6-1, 4-0 Vikings as serious contenders. Elmhurst’s 5-0 start came against teams that are 9-27 (.250) right now. The Bluejays, 2-2 in CCIW play, are technically still in the playoff hunt, but consecutive wins at Millikin, Augustana and against Carthage will be tough to pull off. Wheaton and Carthage have the same 5-2, 2-2 record as Elmhurst, but one will lose when they meet this week. North Central has 4-3 Millkin, Augustana and North Park left. The Vikings play Elmhurst, North Central and Wheaton. If Augie wins out and North Central is 9-1, both will make the postseason; the same could happen if the Vikings beat the Cardinals, a virtual playoff lock, and lose to Wheaton. With a two-game lead in conference play, both teams have some wiggle room. Augustana could still falter, and the league’s competitiveness could make it this year’s WIAC, where teams usually beat up on each other until none has a Pool C shot.
ATN’s predicted champion: Augustana in Pool A and North Central in C is our pick, though vice versa is plenty logical.

CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE (CC)
Suspense rating: 1
Contender: Johns Hopkins
Probable playoff spots: One in Pool A
Key results in the books: All, including McDaniel’s 25-22 loss to Dickinson in triple overtime Oct. 15.
Key games approaching: None
ATN’s analysis: A smothering defense allowing just 6.3 points per game, coupled with McDaniel’s stumbles, have given Johns Hopkins a two-game CC lead it will not relinquish. The other six conference teams have two Centennial losses each, and the Blue Jays need a win over either Ursinus or McDaniel to clinch. The Green Terror looked like a contender early, when they came back to beat Bridgewater (Va.) and started 4-0. Since, they’ve put up a pair of three-point losses and dropped at 34-10 stunner at Randolph-Macon on Saturday. No one else in the conference has a winning record or a playoff prayer.
ATN’s predicted champion: Johns Hopkins.

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE (ASC)
Suspense rating: 2
Contenders: No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor, No. 10 Hardin-Simmons
Probable playoff spots: One in Pool A, probably in Pool C
Key results in the books: Mary Hardin-Baylor 38, Hardin-Simmons 7, Oct. 22; Howard Payne 24, Mary Hardin-Baylor 20, Oct. 8.
Key games approaching: None
ATN’s analysis: By taking care of business against the rival Cowboys on Saturday, the Crusaders all but secured a chance to make another Stagg Bowl run. East Texas Baptist and McMurry are on the schedule, but the latter won’t be a challenge. Further, the slip-up against Howard Payne probably prompted UMHB to shape up, lest they follow up their best year in history with a dud. However, unless Hardin-Simmons loses again, it will finish a half-game ahead of UMHB in the conference race and will win the automatic bid. (Mary Hardin-Baylor’s game with Louisiana College was cancelled because of Hurricane Rita.) Consider the Crudsaders on their way in Pool C, while Pool A-bound Hardin-Simmons could very well be seeded lower and be an unlucky draw for some poor champion of a South Region conference. East Texas Baptist, Texas Lutheran and Howard Payne fill out the top half of a strong conference, and 5-2 McMurry would be fortunate to finish above .500 as they finish with HSU, UMHB and ETBU.
ATN’s predicted champion: Hardin-Simmons, with Mary Hardin-Baylor perhaps hosting a home game.

ATLANTIC CENTRAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE (ACFC)
Suspense rating: 3
Contender(s): No. 17 Salisbury, Wesley, Brockport State
Probable playoff spots: One to two in Pool B/C
Key results in the books: Salisbury 35, Brockport State 30, Sept. 10; Brockport State 47, Wesley 0, Oct. 22.
Key games approaching: Salisbury at Wesley, Oct. 29.
ATN’s analysis: Saturday turned this back into a three-horse race. Brockport State has to hope its domination of Wesley didn’t demoralize the Wolverines too much. They need a Wesley win over Salisbury this weekend to keep three-way tie hopes alive. Brockport State has played just about anyone who is everyone in the East, and they might not be eliminated from the playoff picture completely after a 2-4 start. They’d need to win at Rowan and twice more on the road to have a chance, but with six road games and a schedule that includes a 6-0 team (Rowan), two 7-1 teams (Wesley and St. John Fisher), two 6-1 teams (Ithaca and Salisbury) and a 5-2 team (Cortland State), they just might grade out better than some other teams pursuing the 32nd bid. Wesley blew a chance to clinch the title with a win over Salisbury, but is still a strong playoff contender because of a season-opening win over likely SCAC co-champion DePauw. The Sea Gulls are averaging 48.3 points per game and beat Methodist, Brockport and Christopher Newport before stumbling against Montclair State. They still have key games against Widener and Frostburg State, but can help themselves quite a bit this week.
ATN’s predicted champion: Salisbury can clinch on Saturday, and is in decent position for a playoff berth even if it splits its next two games.

East winds shifting
For football at least, we’ll no longer refer to an 11-team MAC. At least not after 2007, when Moravian and Juniata join the Centennial and Susquehanna bolts for the Liberty League.

The moves are sure to ruffle some feathers in Pennsylvania, where the Centennial and MAC think of themselves quite differently. But strictly between the white lines, this could benefit all three leagues.

First, the MAC is losing two current cellar-dwellers and an upper middle-of-the-pack team (a 4-3 Greyhounds team, plus a pair that are 1-11 in conference play this season). That means in years when there are two exceptional teams the MAC should have better access to a second NCAA bid. Fewer easy wins on the schedule may seem bad at first, but strength of schedule is a major factor in both Top 25 voting and playoff selection.

Also, by going from 11 teams to eight, the MAC can lose the partial round-robin schedule which forced one team each year to play 10 conference opponents but count nine as counference games. Yet the game that did not count would for the opponent. An eight-team league means seven MAC games and the opportunity to schedule as many as three non-conference games, which could open up opportunities for NJAC, PAC, ACFC and Empire 8 teams trying to fill their schedules.

Moravian’s move also makes its rivalry game with Muhlenberg a Centennial Conference contest.

The Liberty League, which loses Coast Guard to the NEFC after this season, can keep its eight-team rotation and expand its geographical reach. Susquehanna had some great years in the late 80s and early 90s, and remained a consistent six- and seven-game winner for much of the decade. But since 2000, the Crusaders have had three four-win seasons and a .500 year. Susquehanna used to challenge for the Commonwealth title when the MAC was split into divisions, and perhaps can begin to think title again in the top-heavy Liberty League.

The Centennial goes to nine members, and adding Juniata and Moravian makes sense geographically. I would not be surprised if the old ‘aligning yourself with similarly profiled schools’ reason came into play. This doesn’t particularly bolster the CC’s strength for football, but it doesn’t hurt it either. And it does group schools that will be recruiting similar athletes and playing each other in other spots anyway.

Best of all, it gives each league the strength to withstand a departure and maintain its automatic qualifier.

Pool A watch
Even though we took a stab at a third of the conference races above, let’s take a quick look at how the 21 automatic qualifiers will be distributed, based on what we know now. From there, we’ll take a look at the other two pools that complete the playoff field below. If you don’t know how the Division III playoffs work, use a new window to check out the primer on our FAQ.

Around the Nation currently believes these teams will secure AQs:
WIAC: UW-Whitewater (UW-Oshkosh is still in the hunt, with Eau Claire and perhaps La Crosse)
USAC: Ferrum (Christopher Newport and Methodist are still in the mix)
SCIAC: Occidental 
SCAC: Trinity (DePauw loses tiebreaker on overall losses)
ODAC: Bridgewater (Washington & Lee still alive)
OAC: Mount Union (Ohio Northern if eligible; John Carroll in mix)
NJAC: Rowan
NEFC: Curry/Fitchburg title game winner
NCAC: Wabash 
MWC: Monmouth 
MIAC: St. John’s 
MIAA: Alma/Albion/Hope (none have yet played each other)
MAC: Delaware Valley
Liberty: Union (Hobart, RPI in the mix)
IIAC: Central (Coe, Wartburg in the mix)
IBFC: Lakeland
HCAC: Mount St. Joseph
Empire 8: Ithaca (St. John Fisher, Alfred in the mix)
CCIW: Augustana (North Central)
Centennial: Johns Hopkins
ASC: Mary Hardin-Baylor

Pool B watch
Teams from the UAA, PAC, NWC, ACFC and Independents play in leagues without automatic playoff berths for their champions, but at least four of the 32 spots will go to these teams. Here’s who ATN currently likes for those four spots:

Linfield
Thiel
Salisbury/Wesley winner
Washington & Jefferson
Whitworth (out of division loss)

Obviously, we’ll have to find a way to settle things between Whitworth and W&J, or send the other to Pool C.

Other teams to watch: Salisbury/Wesley loser, Huntingdon

Pool C watch
We consider Pool C strictly those teams who are runners up in AQ conferences. However, to be clear, Pool C also includes teams from Pool B conferences whose teams will be evaluated equally for the remaining seven playoff invitations.

Hardin-Simmons
Mount Union/John Carroll (We’ll reserve judgement on ONU)
North Central-Augustana loser
Concordia-Moorhead/St. Olaf loser, if St. John’s wins Saturday
Trinity/DePauw (DePauw must beat Wabash)
Liberty League runner-up, if Hobart/RPI/Union finish with one loss
Cortland State (must beat Ithaca)
Wilkes
UW-Oshkosh
Bridgewater, if Washington & Lee wins ODAC
UW-Stout
Remaining Pool B teams

Plus, keep an eye on Alma, UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse, who each have an out-of-division loss that likely won’t weigh into the selection criteria.

Rivalry watch
Briefly, we should acknowledge a few of our longer series. Cornell and Coe get ready to meet for the 114th time, and Occidental and Pomona-Pitzer will face off for the 106th time. The latter is not necessarily a big rivalry, but there’s a long history between the two.

As far as rivalries coming up, of course the NESCAC is full of them. But Trinity (Conn.) and Amherst, the No. 1 and 2 defenses in the nation right now, might end up being better than either of their rivalry games (with Wesleyan and Williams, respectively).

Cortland State-Ithaca and DePauw-Wabash should have playoff implications, and Union-RPI might as well.

Five games to watch
There are no matchups of ranked teams this week, but plenty of games that matter. And with many of the power teams playing on their home field, the potential for another weekend of landscape-shaking upsets is evident. From the top:

UW-Oshkosh at No. 2 UW-Whitewater: A win wouldn’t officially clinch the WIAC for the Warhawks, but with a win over UW-Eau Claire already, it would push the Blugolds to the brink with a game against Oshkosh next week. If you’re wondering why you had no idea the Titans were 6-1, it’s because their WIAC schedule is terribly backloaded. After this trip to Whitewater, the Titans host Eau Claire and finish the season at La Crosse.

St. Olaf at No. 3 St. John’s: The Oles have outscored opponents by an average of 45-17 in an unbeaten start. But they also face two road games that will make or break their season (Concordia-Moorhead is next). A win would be the clincher for the Johnnies, who beat the Cobbers 20-16. The 2003 national champions have built their undefeated start on a defensive foundation. The Johnnies have given up more than 16 points just once, when UW-Eau Claire three blocked punts helped the Blugolds make a 35-7 game interesting, at 35-28.

Brockport State at No. 4 Rowan: After the Golden Eagles’ third late-fall shutout of a playoff-worthy team in four seasons, another non-conference challenge looms. The Profs are still be without quarterback Mike Orihel, but they didn’t miss a beat last week against Kean. Brockport is probably the last roadblock before an unbeaten year and top playoff seed in the East for Rowan.

No. 17 Salisbury at Wesley: The ACFC title and a Pool B berth are probably on the line, while the loser will be left to claw its way toward the playoff bubble with a pair of defeats. Salisbury brings a diesel-powered rushing attack, and the Wolverines are hoping to revive theirs after the 47-0 loss to Brockport. The playoff dominoes fall where they may after this one. The imp

Hope at Albion: The Britons could have chopped their schedule into three. They started 1-3, dropping heartbreakers at Millikin and in overtime against Adrian. Then in the past three games, against lesser competition, Albion outscored opponents 158-7. Hope started 1-4 and figured to be a goner, but as one of three teams with a 3-1 MIAA record, the Flying Dutchmen can set up an all-on-the-line Nov. 12 showdown with Alma.

Also keep an eye on: King’s at No. 8 Delaware Valley, Capital at No. 11 Ohio Northern, Thomas More at No. 18 Thiel, No. 20 Bridgewater at Washington & Lee, , UW-Stout at No. 24 UW-La Crosse, Cornell at No. 25 Coe, Albright at Wilkes, Carthage at Wheaton, Otterbein at John Carroll, Howard Payne at Texas Lutheran, Redlands at Cal Lutheran

Who are those guys?
Frostburg State’s 45-9 win over Seton Hill pulled Division III ahead of the NAIA, marking the first time we’ve taken a lead over another classification this season. Pacific Lutheran’s win over Sourthern Oregon added another to the NAIA total. Salisbury’s win over St. Peter’s and TCNJ toppling La Salle also brought us even with Division I-AA, though most of the games are against non-scholarship programs not unlike those in Division III.

Our counts ignore the mixed-classification UMAC, but apparently include the Newport News Academy.

For more, Ralph Turner is tracking our performance on our message board, Post Patterns. Here’s who’s next:

Against Division I-AA: 2-0 in Week 8, 7-7 in 2005.
This week’s opponent: Kean at La Salle

Against Division II: 0-1 in Week 8, 5-10 in 2005.
This week’s opponent: None

Against NAIA: 1-0 in Week 8, 16-14 in 2005.
This week’s opponents: Newport News at Southern Virginia, Southwest Assemblies of God at Huntingdon

Streak watch
Last week we touched on a pair of long streaks by purple powers, and many of Mount Union’s promptly fell (although they still haven’t lost a road game in ages).

But Mount Union is still in the mix behind Linfield’s 50 consecutive winning seasons. The Purple Raiders clinched their 27th winning season in a row, which checks in tied for fifth with Augustana, also 6-1. Another team with that record, Ithaca, has secured its 34th winning season in a row.

The Bombers could move from fourth to second on the list, as Pacific Lutheran (36 in a row) needs to beat Willamette, Menlo and Whitworth to finish 5-4. At 3-4, with Mount Union, Marietta and John Carroll left, Baldwin-Wallace’s streak of 38 seasons with more wins than losses is in serious danger. The Yellow Jackets had been second in college football to Linfield in that statistic since Nebraska went 7-7 in 2002 after 40 seasons with a winning record, and Central went 5-5 in 2003 after a second-best 42 years in a row.

If we used Carnegie Mellon’s method of counting non-losing seasons, therefore making a .500 year eligible, each of those streaks is still going. The Tartans, after 27 winning seasons in a row, went 5-5 in 2002. Carnegie Mellon was 6-4 the past two years, but at 3-4 this season, would need to win out just to get there. But even at .500, Central considers its streak alive. But if we counted those, we’d have to throw in a long Wittenberg streak as well that was interrupted by a 5-5 year in 1991.

Here are the streaky statistics ATN tracks every week:

->Heidelberg (23 consecutive losses, last win against Marietta on Oct. 4, 2003, 0-7 in 2005)
->Concordia (Ill.) (18 consecutive losses, last win against Eureka Nov. 8, 2003, 0-8 in 2005)
->Macalester (12 consecutive losses, last win against Knox Oct. 2, 2004, 0-7 in 2005)
->Menlo (12 consecutive losses, last win against Whittier Oct. 2, 2004, 0-7 in 2005)
->Massachusetts Maritime (12 consecutive losses, last win against Framingham State Oct. 2, 2004, 0-7 in 2005)
->Austin (11 consecutive losses, last win against Mississippi Oct. 16, 2004, 0-7 in 2005)

The nation’s longest winning streaks:
->Trinity, Conn. (27 consecutive wins, last loss against Williams, Sept. 28, 2002, 5-0 in 2005)
->Linfield (19 consecutive wins, last loss against St. John’s, Dec. 6, 2003, 6-0 in 2005)
->Monmouth (15 consecutive wins, last loss against St. Norbert, Sept. 18, 2004, 7-0 in 2005)
->Johns Hopkins (11 consecutive wins, last loss against Muhlenberg, Oct. 23, 2004, 7-0 in 2005)

As we track the winless and undefeated, we’ll include the NESCAC for the first time.

Winless teams in 2005: There were 15 here last week and 13 this time around. Allegheny won for the first time this week. 

Unbeaten teams in 2005: Fourteen, down from 32 teams two weeks ago.

Mark my words (or eat ’em) 
I didn’t think assembling a 26-35 ballot overflow this week would be too hard. All the losses should net a significantly smaller group … but if enough lose, does that bring them all back into focus?

Before we get into that, just some thoughts about the coming weekend:

->The eat my words segment: Curry is quietly in control of the NEFC again. I whiffed on Endicott.

->The ODAC is up off the mat. Washington and Lee beats Hampden-Sydney one week and loses to Guiford the next. Catholic, Randolph-Macon and the Generals are helping tilt the ODAC upright. Catholic has the nation’s No. 21 offense though defense needs work and the running game has no chance because of offensive line issues. Randolph-Macon opened up a 34-3 lead against a McDaniel team that was ranked earlier in the season. This weekend should be interesting, as Bridgewater had developed a small rivalry in the late 90s with Washington and Lee, and now the two get a crack at a title.

->Carthage has given up 86 points: 43 to North Central, and 43 to its other six opponents. I could see the Redmen holding an erratic Wheaton passing offense down, but can’t imagine a third Thunder loss before the Augustana game.

->With a couple of good defenses, I think the NESCAC might come down to Trinity at Amherst. 

->I’d like to hear more about UMAC Dome Day, and hear about how it happens. We’ll have a photographer there for all five games tomorrow, and maybe when he recovers from 15 hours of football we’ll find out.

->Then No. 2-Mount Union’s loss to Ohio Northern, on the same day that Mary Hardin-Baylor beat No. 3 Hardin-Simmons sent the top half of the polls into a frenzy.

->There are now 5-7 programs you have to think about ranking right behind Linfield. Strangely, Occidental still can’t get any love. They were one of few teams to lead the Wildcats last season, and they outlasted some more highly touted teams.

Anyway, after finishing my ballot, here’s what’s left over, in a semi-organized order: Capital, UW-Oshkosh, Hobart, Union, Johns Hopkins, Ferrum, Bridgewater (Va.), Wilkes, Trinity (Conn.), Monmouth, RPI, Wartburg and Carthage. That was all.

Feedback
I’m getting to the point of sharing some of it on the message board, but I am enjoying your feedback. It had stopped coming in for a while there.

There are a couple of older questions still open to your response at the bottom of last week’s column, including feedback on rivalries and your trophy-game stories. Here are a few new things we’re asking about. 

->What are the strangest geographical non-matchups you’re aware of? Did you think Wittenberg should play Ohio Northern or Wooster play Mount Union? Do you ever wonder why Rochester and Brockport don’t play?

Let us know which games simply must be played, from sheer proximity.

->Your thoughts on the best Division III team ever. One of Bob Reade’s Augustana teams? Jim Butterfield’s Ithaca powerhouses, the 1997 Mount Union team or Billy “White Shoes “ Johnson and Widener. Sure, we’ll let you play if your school is D3 now, but wasn’t at the time it fielded the particular team.

->Each weekend, our blog hosts the buildup to the weekend’s games and immediate reaction to the results. Your feedback is welcome there, and while you’re at the Daily Dose, vote for Brett Elliott for Heisman.

->I’ll be active on the Around the Nation thread this week, but am also following some of the best reading, including playoff thread discussions, and I stayed awake the whole time.

If you can help us with any of those, or have some other beef to air, there are three ways to contact Around the Nation: Use our feedback form, send e-mail to keith@d3football.com, or follow the Around the Nation thread on the new Post Patterns message board.

Attention SIDs
As always, Around the Nation requests media guides and any other aids in helping us cover your school or conference this season. We are also interested in seeing game tapes from schools we aren’t able to see in person this season. 

Please do not add us to your regular release lists, but instead use our news release links to have your information posted on our front page and your team’s page. Thank you.