It has been a pleasure to write about Division III football and
the Midwest region for five years now. I've seen the rise and fall
and then the fall and rise of teams and the amazing consistency of
other programs. It's been a fun ride and I'm expecting nothing less
from this year's campaign as well.
This is the place where I am supposed to pick the top 10 games in
the Midwest, but ended up finding the top date in the Midwest --
Oct. 2. There are several key matchups all falling on the same
date.
Franklin at Mount St. Joseph: Since 2004,
Franklin and Mount St. Joseph have dominated the Heartland
Collegiate Athletic Conference. This game will play an important
role of determining who will represent the conference in the
playoffs. Franklin, which had to replace some key elements of its
team from last year, did quite well for itself going 7-3. The Lions
did even better, running the table in the HCAC after coming off a
5-5 season in 2008. This should be another fun contest.
St. Norbert at No. 17 Monmouth: Monmouth will get
a chance to defend its title again against its arch rival in the
Midwest Conference. For a long time, it was St. Norbert's world and
every other MWC team just lived in it. Behind quarterback Alex
Tanney (yes, he's finally a senior), Monmouth is nationally ranked
and has a chance to three-peat the MWC title. The Green Knights
would love nothing more than to beat the Fighting Scots on the road
after Monmouth opened up a 52-24 can of whip-butt on them in
2009.
Concordia (Ill.) at Benedictine: Coaches will
tell you that revenge is never a good motivation factor for a
football team and each season and each team is separate onto
itself. That's what they're supposed to say. In reality, the
Cougars probably have this date already marked on their calendar.
It was Benedictine that ruined Concordia's run at the Northern
Athletic Conference championship on the last game of the regular
season, giving the title to Lakeland. If nothing else, Concordia
would enjoy evening the score against its suburban Chicago
rival.
Illinois Wesleyan at Wheaton: Illinois Wesleyan,
the Rodney Dangerfields of the College Conference of Illinois and
Wisconsin, plays the perennial power Wheaton. Illinois Wesleyan
captured a share of the conference championship after going
unranked most of the year. Again, Wheaton is picked to finish ahead
of Illinois Wesleyan in the CCIW standings. If the Titans expect to
defend its share of the title, they will have to beat Wheaton on
the road, never an easy test for Thunder opponents. This game will
make the conference picture a little clearer.
Now that Oct. 2 has been highlighted and the date of dates in the
Midwest, let's look at six other games that will have an impact in
this part of the country.
Sept. 4: Franklin at Carthage: This is your
classic resume game. It's tough to make the playoffs as an at-large
team and teams in that position needs all the help they can get.
Franklin can help its cause with a victory over traditionally tough
Carthage of the CCIW. Carthage, though, is 14-1 over the past five
years in non-conference regular season games. This will be a tall
order for the Grizzlies but one they need to have right out of the
gate.
Sept. 11: No. 7 Central at Augustana: This is
classic resume game No. 2. Augustana is a favored to make another
strong run at the CCIW title. While this non-conference title won't
help the Vikings in that quest, it could certainly add to
Augustana's position if they can make a strong run in the CCIW and
then show a victory over a Central team that's consistently in the
Top 25.
Oct. 9: No. 14 North Central at Augustana: It
won't be an easy road for the Cardinals to get another share of the
CCIW title. They must beat the predicted No. 2 and No. 3 teams in
the conference -- Wheaton and Augustana -- on the road. That first
test comes here and the Cardinals can be flying high after this
contest or the race and be thrown into tizzy. All eyes in the
conference will be focused on this one.
Oct. 9: No. 17 Monmouth at Ripon: This could be a
trap game against a very good opponent. Ripon has been knocking on
the MWC door for several years, even beating St. Norbert in 2008.
Monmouth and St. Norbert are the only two teams Ripon fell to last
year. Matching up a fired-up Ripon team playing at home against a
Monmouth team coming off a game against its biggest rival St.
Norbert a week earlier could make this the most interesting contest
in the conference this year.
Nov. 6: No. 14 North Central at Wheaton: The
battle for the Little Brass Bell is always a biggest game on campus
for North Central and Wheaton and it continues to be one of the
CCIW's best games. It will be the same this year with the winner
taking a big step toward the CCIW championship and the
playoffs.
Nov. 13: Concordia (Wis.) at Lakeland: This game
was supposed to determine the Northern Athletic Conference title
last year before Concordia (Ill.) crashed the party. If the Cougars
fail to put together another monster season, Concordia (Wis.) and
Lakeland will likely be back in the driver's seat and this game
will loom huge to see who will move on to the playoffs. It was
Lakeland that came on strong at the end of the season and got the
upset it needed the last game of the season to capture the
title.
Games to watch for 2010
Sep 01, 2010