St. John's came up with another big win at archrival St. Thomas last September. Josh Bungum and his Johnnie teammates will play host to the Tommies this time around. Photo by John Kruger, d3photography.com

Welcome back to the Around the West column. I am excited to begin my third year sharing player features, milestones, records and other storylines from the IIAC, MIAC, NWC, SCIAC, UMAC and WIAC.

I welcome feedback about the column and encourage readers to reach out to me with potential story ideas. Email me at josh.smith@d3sports.com or follow me on Twitter @By_Josh_Smith.

With the season set to get underway, let’s take a look at 10 must-watch games from around the region.

Sept. 12, Wartburg at Bethel: This non-conference matchup should tell how us two things. We should learn how strong Wartburg, ranked No. 6 in the preseason Top 25 poll, looks after reaching the nation quarterfinals last season. And we should find out if Bethel, a national quarterfinalist in 2013, is poised for a bounce back season after missing the postseason last year. The game will be both teams’ biggest challenge before entering conference play.

Sept. 12, Chapman at Linfield: Chapman won its first SCIAC title last season and reached the postseason for first time. However, they ran into a Linfield team that marched all the way to the national semifinals. The Panthers, ranked No. 24 in the preseason Top 25, get a rematch with the Wildcats, ranked No. 3. Linfield will play SCIAC runner-up Redlands the next week before opening Northwest Conference play. That should give us a good idea of how strong the top two teams in California looks, and we’ll get a feel for how potent quarterback Sam Riddle and this year’s Linfield squad will be.

Sept. 19, North Central (Ill.) at UW-Platteville: These two teams met in the second round of the playoffs in 2013, but neither made the postseason a year ago. If either team wants to make it back, a solid non-conference victory could spark a successful season. The Cardinals will be the biggest challenge for UW-P’s new starting quarterback Tom Kelly before the WIAC season schedule begins at UW-Whitewater in October.

Sept. 26, St. Thomas at St. John’s: This rivalry is always a first must-see game. St. John’s won the MIAC for the first time since 2009 last year and is ranked No. 9 in the preseason Top 25 poll. Meanwhile St. Thomas, ranked No. 14 in the preseason poll, is looking to regain its dominance that led to three straight titles in 2010, 2011, 2012. The matchup will feature two talented backfields. St. John’s has reigning MIAC player of the year Sam Sura while the Tommies have Jack Kaiser, Nick Waldvogel and transfers Jordan Roberts and Tory Adams. The winner of this game gets the inside track to the 2015 MIAC championship.

Oct. 3, Central at Wartburg: Wartburg rolled to the IIAC championship last season. But after Central lost its conference opener to the Knights, the Dutch reeled off six solid wins in a row to finish runner-up in the league. Central last won the IIAC in 2009 – however they are the top contender to dethrone Wartburg. Wartburg looks poised for another big season as quarterback Logan Schrader and running back return to lead the Knights’ potent attack.

Oct. 10, UW-Whitewater at UW-Oshkosh: The defending national champions, UW-Whitewater will be tested immediately in WIAC play. Ranked No. in the preseason Top 25 poll, the Warhawks open conference play versus UW-Platteville before traveling to take on a UW-Oshkosh team that is loaded with talent. The Titans, ranked No. 18 in the preseason poll, are coming off a deceiving 6-4 season that included losses to a couple NAIA programs and South Dakota State. Oshkosh will be the biggest test in the WIAC for UW-Whitewater and new head coach Kevin Bullis.

Oct. 17, St. Scholastica at Northwestern (Minn.): Northwestern has 20 starters back and a brand-new stadium. The Eagles will be hoping those veteran players will give the home crowd a game to remember against St. Scholastica. The Saints have won at least a share of the last four UMAC titles and have claimed the conference’s automatic bid to the playoffs every year it’s been available. If Northwestern wants to dethrone the Saints, the Eagles will need to slow down the one-two punch of running backs Chris Gassert and Preston Robinson.

Oct. 17, Linfield at Willamette: Last season Willamette upset Linfield in Northwest Conference action, snapping the Wildcats’ 41-game regular season winning streak that included 38 straight wins in conference play. Linfield recovered from the loss and made a deep run in the postseason. The Wildcats will be seeking revenge this year while attempting to earn the program’s 60th consecutive winning season.

Oct. 31, Northwestern (Minn.) at Greenville: The UMAC title hunt looks like a two-team race. But if Greenville, which shared the conference championship in 2012, wants to crash the party, they’ll need a win at home versus Northwestern (Minn.) and/or a win the next week when St. Scholastica comes to town. It’s a big two-week stretch for the Panthers. But if they want to contend, they can’t get caught looking ahead and lose a game before meeting Northwestern.

Nov. 7, Redlands at Chapman: Chapman won first SCIAC title last year and advanced to its first postseason. To do so, the Panthers beat Redlands 31-27. The Bulldogs won SCIAC title the year before, so all signs point to this matchup being the conference championship game. Returning running back Jeremiah McKibbins headlines Chapman’s attack while nearly the entire Redlands defense returns to bolster the Bulldogs’ chances.