Eyes will be watching Utica against Cortland this weekend, to be sure. Utica athletics photo

In Week 8, our panel is watching a Top 25 clash in the CCIW, as well as important games in the MIAC and Empire 8. It's also time that we'll see postseason hopes from one-loss teams evaporate. We're also checking in on the NEWMAC, watching out for streaks to get busted, and we'll see if my Culture Club reference is too old for any or all of our distinguished panel of Division III football experts. 

Here to set up an exciting Week 8 is our regular crew of Greg Thomas, Pat Coleman, Ryan Tipps, Frank Rossi, Logan Hansen, and Riley Zayas.

— Greg Thomas

Which game is the Game of the Week?

	Greg's take: No. 1 North Central at No. 23 Washington U. The Bears have quietly put together a strong season with an offense led by senior quarterback Matt Rush that is among the nation's best. This trip to St. Louis marks the last serious challenge North Central should see before the playoffs. Will the Cardinals continue to steamroll their way through the CCIW, or do the Bears have the offensive power to score with North Central?
	Pat's take: No. 1 North Central at No. 23 Washington U. I don't know how close this game might end up being, but the result is of keen interest to anyone who is interested in how those five at-large bids might shake out.
	Ryan's take: Gustavus Adolphus at No. 5 St. John's. Thanks to a passing offense that is statistically third nationally, Gustavus should deliver a better matchup than a two-loss record might suspect to the casual observer. They're not getting votes in the Top 25 poll, but that's largely due to the "who have you beaten" mentality rather than the "who did you play close" one -- but be aware, Gustavus has played two very good teams very, very close.
	Frank's take: No. 13 Cortland at Utica. The Empire 8 is one of the few quality conferences that has two undefeated teams left in it, meaning Pool C currently runs, in part, through Upstate NY. Utica has been waiting for this moment for years -- a game this deep in the season with this level of drama and excitement. Cortland has been here before with mixed results. This game will be full of anxiety and excitement as the score remains close.
	Logan's take: No. 23 WashU hosting No. 1 North Central. I've had the Bears on my ballot since about Week 2, and they've continued to get better every week. This will be North Central's last legitimate test before the playoffs, and a good barometer for WashU's eventual matchup with Wheaton.
	Riley's take: No. 13 Cortland at Utica. This is not a Top 25 matchup, but should be competitive nonetheless, with the Empire 8's two undefeated teams battling it out in a game that I anticipate will determine the league title. Cortland is an obvious favorite here, but Utica cannot be overlooked. With perhaps their best start in recent memory, the Pioneers are 6-0, and coming off of a 14-point win over Brockport. The E8's top two offenses will produce a high-scoring contest, and whichever team steps up defensively will see its chances of victory increase significantly.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to be upset?

	Greg's take: No 24 UW-Oshkosh. The Titans are on a two game slide in the WIAC, and host UW-Stout this weekend. Sean Borgerding and the Blue Devils are capable of putting up a lot of points- a shootout favors the visitors in this contest.
	Pat's take: No. 24 UW-Oshkosh, at home to UW-Stout. But look for that to be an exciting, back-and-forth game.
	Ryan's take: No. 20 Albion. Not that losing to 6-1 Trine would be much of an upset in a particularly competitive MIAA conference race. The Thunder have been on the right side of close games each of the past two weeks, and assuming no significant injuries are plaguing the players, Trine could do very well if they're able to replicate quarterback pressure like they did against Adrian or if they pass potently like they did against Olivet -- or both.
	Frank's take: No. 20 Albion (vs. Trine). Trine needed to lose vs. Alma. The Thunder were winning playing inconsistent football while winning prior to that game. The last two games were impressive close performances they figured out how to win, which is crucial at this point in the season, and which will continue against Albion on Saturday.
	Logan's take: No. 20 Albion on the road against Trine. Albion is in the driver's seat in the MIAA, and favored in all of their remaining games, but they're not all that likely to get to 10-0 yet. Trine is a solid, all around team with a quality QB who could make life difficult for the Britons.
	Riley's take: No. 20 Albion. Facing a quality Trine team, Albion will be in for a test on Saturday. Still very much in contention for the MIAA title, the Thunder are at home, and have a passing attack that has continued to improve over the last several weeks. This matchup features the MIAA's top two scoring offenses, and if Trine's defense manages a couple of second-half stops, the Thunder could easily emerge from this contest having handed Albion its first loss of the year.

Which one-loss team has its postseason hopes dashed?

	Greg's take: Trine. Count me among those believe Albion is the clear leader in the MIAA. Trine, coming off of a dramatic 3OT win over previously undefeated Olivet, will find the well-rested Jack Bush - Mark Tocco combination too much to handle.
	Pat's take: Trine. A loss to Albion might not fully eliminate Trine from winning the MIAA's automatic bid, but it would put the Thunder far down in the pecking order.
	Ryan's take: Howard Payne, but I feel like this pick is kind of low-hanging fruit when going up against No. 10 Hardin-Simmons. And I wasn't sure if I should pick No. 17 Randolph-Macon two weeks in a row, despite the fact that I believe they'll knock off a one-loss team, Shenandoah, as well.
	Frank's take: Wilkes (at No. 14 Delaware Valley). Louie Barrios IV has become an offensive gem for the Aggies that they've needed to remain perfect this year, and that will continue Saturday against a Wilkes squad that has played mainly lower-end games to this point. I don't see a huge upset coming here.
	Logan's take: Olivet travelling to Hope. Hope hasn't had much luck since starting conference play, but their Week 1 win against Aurora looks better & better every week, and they were a failed 2 point conversion from taking undefeated Alma to OT last week. Unlike Hope, Alma is just starting to get into the meat of their schedule.
	Riley's take: Merchant-Marine. The Mariners, at 5-1 overall, and 3-0 in NEWMAC play, travel to Catholic for a contest between the conference's first and second-place teams. In a league where three teams remain undefeated, every contest matters, especially in late October. Catholic looked a little shaky in a tough non-conference schedule early on, but has found a rhythm as of late. The Catholic defense is the reason the Cardinals are 3-0 in conference action, and if that defense can step up once again, Merchant-Marine could end up with two losses, and out of playoff contention.

Which game are you following that no one else on the panel is following?

	Greg's take: Lawrence at Beloit. Two of Division III's 24 winless teams square off in Beloit, WI. Somebody is getting their first win in 2022. The homestanding Buccaneers are slight favorites according to Logan's model- a win for Beloit would be their first since 2019.
	Pat's take: Crown at Finlandia. Although I suspect Greg may well be watching as well.
	Ryan's take: Ferrum at Guilford. My wife is a graduate of 0-6 Ferrum, and the matchup against 1-5 Guilford will be their best chance this season to put one in the win column.
	Frank's take: Merchant Marine at Catholic. The NEWMAC standings currently are surprising, to say the least. USMMA isn't supposed to be at the top after all of their graduations and their coaching change. Catholic, just 1-3 in OOC games, wasn't expected to start 3-0 either. Yet, this is a battle of 3-0 NEWMAC teams, with the winner just a Springfield win away potentially from the postseason.
	Logan's take: Grove City vs. Westminster(Pa.). My model thinks Westminster is considerably better than their 3-3 record, but still slightly favors the Wolverines in this matchup. If Grove City wins, an interesting 3-way tie scenario remains on the table for the PAC's Pool A bid between CMU, CWRU, and Grove City.
	Riley's take: Denison at Wittenberg. The NCAC has had an incredible amount of parity throughout this season, and despite its 3-2 NCAC record, Denison is still in contention for the conference title. But the Big Red will need to win out, and that starts Saturday on the road against Wittenberg, who sits in first place in the league standings. The two are separated by just a single game in the standings, and a win for Denison could create an exciting race to the finish in what will likely be a one-bid conference.

Which game in the NEWMAC will be closest?

	Greg's take: I think I'll go against the grain here and predict Merchant Marine at Catholic to produce the closest margin in the NEWMAC this week. These two produced an exciting, high scoring game in King's Point last season.  I expect less points this time around in the District, but a very close game.
	Pat's take: MIT at Norwich, which is the only game matching teams on somewhat even footing in the conference standings.
	Ryan's take: MIT at Norwich. Each team averages just 17 points a game, so a close one seems to be in the cards.
	Frank's take: Merchant Marine at Catholic. See above. In addition, the Mariners will pace the Cardinals with their triple-option offense in such a way to keep the score lower and closer Saturday to avoid a shootout.
	Logan's take: MIT at Norwich. Both defenses should have the upper hand on the opposing offenses, which should keep scoring low, and the margin close. Norwich should prevail, with a score around 20-17.
	Riley's take: As I mentioned above, the contest between Merchant-Marine and Catholic should be extremely competitive and high-scoring, though I'd also be paying attention to the MIT-Norwich matchup. The Norwich defense has been excellent against the pass, while MIT's defensive strength has been stopping the run game. A defensive battle could be in the works.

I’m calling this one the Karma Chameleon. Who wins more: Mascots with Red or mascots with Gold and Green?

	Greg's take: On the Red side, I think I'm in good shape with Cortland (Red Dragons).  Ripon (Red Hawks), Eureka and Dickinson (both Red Devils) I'm less sure about. On team Green and Gold, I feel good with Brockport (Golden Eagles) and Western New England (Golden Bears). Geneva (Golden Tornadoes), Alvernia (Golden Wolves), St. Norbert (Green Knights) and McDaniel (Green Terror) are not sure things. I'm going to go with team Green and Gold, but I'm a man (a man) without conviction on this one.  Could go either way.
	Pat's take: I'm going with Gold and Green, barely: Brockport and Western New England compared to Cortland. Ripon is most likely to disrupt this, against the University of Chicago. Rumors of Western New England's demise are probably premature.
	Ryan's take: Red, especially if this is being measured percentage-wise. Cortland, Ripon and Dickinson should all win their games, and Eureka has more than a fair shot to help the "Reds" get a clean sweep this weekend.
	Frank's take: It's a tie (2-2). For Gold/Green, it's Western New England & Brockport winning vs. Curry & Hartwick, respectively. For Red, it's Cortland & Ripon winning vs. Utica & Chicago.
	Logan's take: Adding "Green" to this equation probably adds 0 wins, but team Gold probably gets it done with them, but a tie at two wins apiece is the most likely outcome.
	Riley's take: I'm taking Mascots with Red...by a landslide. Cortland, Ripon, Dickinson, and Eureka should all come up with notable victories in Week 8.

Got picks? Put them in the comments!