Hardin-Simmons and UW-La Crosse each get mentions in this week’s predictions. Photo by Wade Gardner, d3photography.com

It's Week 8 and the stakes are getting higher. The stakes are always high in the WIAC and of course we're zeroed in on a game that will affect the top of the standings in Wisconsin. We're also watching NCAA tournament bubbles inevitably pop and will anybody get upset in the Top 25? It hasn't happened for two weeks and the panel is starting to notice. We're also watching big matchups in the HCAC as well as bringing a little bit of On The Spot over from the Around The Nation podcast -- let's call it the home version. The panel is back to tackle all of that and get you ready for a pivotal Week 8 in Division III football!

Our crew is 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: UW-Oshkosh at No. 4 UW-La Crosse. The Eagles survived Platteville last week, successfully completing a Whitewater-Platteville road sweep.  Impressive indeed.  Returning home, they’ll face a UW-Oshkosh squad that is just one game behind in the standings and still very much alive for the WIAC championship.
	Pat's take: No. 16 Ithaca at Rochester. This turns into a bigger challenge for Ithaca without senior quarterback A.J. Wingfield at the helm, especially with a Rochester opponent with a ground game which could shorten the contest.
	Ryan's take: UW-Oshkosh at No. 4 UW-La Crosse. Hard to break out of the constant wild WIAC games that are so fitting for this category, but the Titans have shown they can put up points against stiff competition even if, unlike the Eagles, they have yet to really get that marquee 2023 victory.
	Frank's take: Salve Regina at Springfield. It’s the first year for Salve Regina in the NEWMAC, and they sit atop the conference with Springfield. This game may not only affect the NEWMAC, though, as Pool C implications could exist if Union can get through Hobart — Union needs Springfield to win out to help their chances after defeating Springfield earlier in the season. This should be a good game between two excellent Region 1 teams.
	Logan's take: UW-Oshkosh at No. 4 UW-La Crosse. I wanted to be contrarian and pick a game outside of the WIAC, but the only other moderately competitive games with as much playoff leverage are between unranked teams in the NEWMAC, NCAC, & ECFC. If UWO wins, they would keep their playoff hopes alive, but they would still need help.. They would own the 3-way tie-breaker for the WIAC's AQ against UWL/UWW, but if UWRF beats UWL in 2 weeks, the Falcons would win the 3-way tiebreaker. And then UWP & Stout are always waiting to play spoiler.
	Riley's take: Salve Regina at Springfield. The lone undefeated teams in conference play in the NEWMAC face off, and at this point in the season, this is a game that could very well decide who represents the NEWMAC in the playoffs. Springfield is dependent on its rushing game to gain offensive traction. Salve Regina has been amongst the most efficient in the league when it comes to stopping the run. That'll be the key matchup to keep an eye on in this one.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to be upset?

	Greg's take: No. 4 UW-La Crosse.  Not caving to the None movement here.  The matchups are quite favorable for the Top 25 this week, but anything goes in the WIAC and of teams playing against Top 25 competition this weekend, just one of them has Kobe Berghammer. The Titans will need a huge game from their senior signal caller to draw even atop the WIAC standings, but Berghammer is capable of delivering.
	Pat's take: None. Still. I'm taking None until I'm wrong.
	Ryan's take: No. 20 Hardin-Simmons. Admittedly, I don't have the Cowboys on my ballot, and they've looked really shaky the past two weeks against competition that should have otherwise been, shall we say, steamrollable. And opponent Sul Ross State kept it interesting for a half against UMHB last week -- with a little more zest coming out of the locker room, they could upend Hardin-Simmons.
	Frank's take: None. If I had to pick a game to watch, though, I’d pick No. 21 Muhlenberg at Dickinson, as the Red Devils have won five in a row since their opening loss vs. RPI. They will provide a tough matchup for the Mules.
	Logan's take: The aforementioned UW-La Crosse vs UW-Oshkosh game is the only Top 25 matchup with a single-digit spread in my model, but I think the Eagles at home are a relatively safe bet, so for (I think) the first time since I've been on this panel, I'm going with 'none.'
	Riley's take: I think there will be one or two close calls this week, but I don't expect anyone in the Top 25 to actually take a loss. Chalk with hold amongst ranked teams this week, so none is going to be my pick.

Among Pool C hopefuls, whose bubble will pop on Saturday?

	Greg's take: Washington U. I’m afraid things are about to go from bad to worse for the WashU Bears. One week after getting served their first loss of the season at home by Augustana, the Bears get to travel up to Naperville to take on No. 1 North Central.  The Cardinals have only outscored their opponents by just shy of 60 points per game and, in all likelihood, will hand the Bears their second loss and dash any slim hopes of returning to the NCAA tournament.
	Pat's take: Washington & Jefferson. While I'm not sure how the committee will look at an at-large candidate with zero non-conference games, one thing is sure -- it won't look at an at-large candidate with zero non-conference games and two losses. W&J at Carnegie Mellon is definitely an elimination game for the team which loses.
	Ryan's take: Union. Hobart is having a really solid season, even if it feels a little under the radar and overshadowed by Ithaca. But the Statesmen have tended to dominate this series over the past decade and delivered fourth-quarter disappointment to Union last year. Both teams, though, haven't really hit the meat of their schedule aside from playing Ithaca.
	Frank's take: Hobart (at Union). Both teams need to win this game for their Pool C hopes, as the Liberty League has three teams that are trying to finish 9-1 amd aren’t named Ithaca. Homestanding Union should be able to bounce back from their tough loss at Ithaca and get their defense back in their stalwart ways.
	Logan's take: The Liberty League had a great non-conference performance again this season, and a 1-loss runner up from that conference will have as good a set of Primary Criteria as anyone in the country. Hobart and Union, two one-loss teams vying for second place right now, play this weekend in Schenectady, and I think the Dutchm... er, Garnet Chargers pop the Statesmen's bubble.
	Riley's take: It feels like UW-Oshkosh is in a position, with the Titans' two losses to Wheaton and UW-Whitewater, where winning out may not grant the WIAC title, but would very much put them in the forefront of the Pool C mix. However, a third loss is likely going to eliminate them from Pool C contention, and they play at UW-La Crosse on Saturday. With the level at which UWL has been playing, UWO's Pool C hopes may be dashed by the time Week 8 concludes.

Which under the radar game are you following?

	Greg's take: St. Norbert at Concordia (Wis.). It looks for all the world like Aurora is going to run away and hide in the NACC, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t good stuff just behind the Spartans. The NACC runner up is going to play in the Lakefront Bowl and this game may well determine if Concordia will make a return visit or if St. Norbert can earn that extra competition opportunity in 2023.
	Pat's take: Anna Maria at Dean. These two teams, ones which will be putting the más in MASCAC in just a couple years' time, are a combined 3-9 but still in contention for the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference automatic bid because Anna Maria is 0-1 in conference play and Dean hasn't had a game yet.
	Ryan's take: Guilford at Ferrum. The ODAC has a clear divide between haves and have nots this season, with three teams still seeking their first Old Dominion win. Either the Quakers or Panthers, both 0-2 in conference play, finally quench that thirst on Saturday.
	Frank's take: Washington & Jefferson at Carnegie Mellon. Both of these teams have just one blemish (vs. Grove City). If the PAC has any hope for a Pool C bid for a 9-1 team, W&J, CMU, and CWRU cannot all implode in their games against each other. This game starts the three-game series for 9-1 Pool C hopefuls.
	Logan's take: In the SCIAC, basically every team except for La Verne has a realistic shot of winning the conference. The two teams sitting atop their respective division's standings, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Redlands, play this week. This will be a defensive battle, with an O/U that would make the Iowa Hawkeyes blush (32.2). If a Bulldog defense that's allowing an average of less than 50 yards per game bottles up C-M-S's Justin Edwards, I like their chances.
	Riley's take: In Region 4, DePauw at Wittenberg is the biggest game on the slate. DePauw has earned the right to be considered the favorite, sitting at 7-0 and on a fast track to winning a third straight NCAC title. But if there's any team in this conference that could unseat the Tigers, it's Wittenberg. Dean Tate is as explosive of a receiver as they come, and Max Milton is consistent at quarterback. The reason I mention the offense is because DePauw doesn't give up much defensively. It'll put quite a bit of pressure on Wittenberg from that standpoint, because DePauw is also extremely proficient on offense, but an upset isn't out of the question if Wittenberg manages to sustain its second-half drives and take advantage of playing on its home field.

Pick a game where the winner has the less fierce mascot.

	Greg's take: Central, over Nebraska Wesleyan.  Podcast listeners might recognize this as an occasional topic from our On The Spot segment.  The Prairie Wolves are probably not the fiercest mascot around, but they are predators in any case. The Dutch though- delightful!  Some of the nicest and happiest people on Earth.  I like the very non-fierce Dutch to take care of business against the Prairie Wolves this weekend.
	Pat's take: Blue Jays over Bears as Johns Hopkins plays Ursinus in Centennial Conference action on Saturday afternoon.
	Ryan's take: It's poised to be a pretty exciting matchup between Dickinson and Muhlenberg -- with each team tearing victoriously through large swaths of their schedule -- as well as being important to the Centennial crown. And because I work around equines all the time, mules aren't as terrifying as a red devil would be, and I give the game to the Mules.
	Frank's take: Washington & Lee over Hampden-Sydney. I don’t think Generals are more fierce than Tigers, but I believe the Generals will win against the Tigers Saturday.
	Logan's take: Illinois College over Lawrence. I'm not entirely sure what a Blueboy is, but I'm imagining Tobias Funke from Arrested Development auditioning for Blue Man Group, who would be as big of an underdog against a Viking as Lawrence is against Illinois College on Saturday.
	Riley's take: I'm going to add to the difficulty and pick a game where the margin of victory is likely to be single digits. Let's go with Washington & Lee defeating Hampden-Sydney. Generals are tough, battle-hardened warriors, but no match for a Tiger. However, in this case, I think the Generals utilize a late counter attack and claim the road win to stay perfect in the ODAC.

Who will be in first place in the HCAC after Saturday?

	Greg's take: This is one of those fun weeks were the top four in the HCAC are all playing each other.  I expect Mount St. Joseph will beat Hanover to remain in first place.  In other half of the Heartland’s main event, I’m jumping on the Garret Cora bandwagon with both feet.  I’ll take Franklin to spring an upset over RHIT and join MSJ atop the standings.
	Pat's take: Rose-Hulman and Mount St. Joseph.
	Ryan's take: Mount St. Joseph and Rose-Hulman tied at 4-0 in conference play. Comparable scores give MSJ a pretty solid edge over Hanover, while Franklin's rocky start to the season seems to continue to dog them, giving Rose the comfortable edge in that one.
	Frank's take: Rose-Hulman and Mount St. Joseph. Comparative results and overall win/loss give Rose-Holman the advantage in their game vs. Franklin. Mount St. Joseph will have a tough game vs. Hanover, but the homestanding Lions should be able to win a close one.
	Logan's take: Mount St. Joseph and Rose-Hulman. The Lions & Engineers have finished first & second each of the last two seasons, and they've been the two best teams in the conference so far in 2023. Despite tough matchups for each this week, I don't expect things to change.
	Riley's take: Mount St. Joseph is currently leading the charge as the favorite to win the title, and should get past Hanover by multiple scores on Saturday; that offensive attack is legit, but hasn't been tested all too much through the first three of games of HCAC play. Rose-Hulman and Franklin, the HCAC's other two 3-0 teams, battle as well on Saturday, in a game that I am picking Rose-Hulman to win. That would leave Mount St. Joseph and Rose-Hulman tied atop the league standings at 4-0.

Got picks? Put them in the comments!