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| The WIAC is not just an upset win by UW-Eau Claire, or deep playoff trips by UW-Whitewater -- it has a 3-0 mark from UW-Platteville to start the season as well. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com |
By Adam Turer
D3sports.com
Every year around this time, we revisit the preseason conference rankings from Kickoff.
Sometimes, the non-conference slate results in the standings holding pat. Other years, non-conference results tip the scales in favor of certain conferences.
Did I copy and paste that from last year’s column? MAYBE. But it remains an evergreen truth.
Last year’s big riser in the early-October re-rank? The Centennial Conference. The big faller? The Northwest Conference.
Postseason results bore out the regular season non-conference trend, as NWC power Linfield failed to make the playoffs while champion Whitworth was routed by St. John’s in the second round.
Meanwhile, the Centennial had a most historic season, with Muhlenberg advancing to the quarterfinals and Johns Hopkins advancing the semifinals. Neither program had reached such postseason heights before.
Of course, there were changes in the offseason that affected the preseason rankings. Most notably, reigning NJAC champion Frostburg State is no longer a D-III member. That caused the conference to drop five spots from its 2018 preseason ranking to its 2019 preseason ranking.
Earlham’s decision to suspend football could have boosted the HCAC, while Southern Virginia’s move from the NJAC to the ODAC could impact both conferences’ rankings.
Only four out of the 27 D-III conferences are without a winless team, down from seven at this time last year. Kudos to the Empire 8, ODAC, MIAC, and WIAC for their early-season success.
As Greg Thomas astutely predicted in Monday’s podcast, the usual suspect remains at the top. UW-Eau Claire further solidified the WIAC’s top spot by notching the biggest non-conference upset of the season (just two weeks after the Blugolds were on the other end of arguably the biggest upset of the non-conference slate).
Non-conference records are not exclusive to games against other D-III opponents, but only games recognized by the NCAA are included (i.e. no contests against club teams are counted).
Without further ado, here is your conference re-rank, updated from Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan’s preseason rankings featured in Kickoff.
1. Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 1
Non-conference record: 15-9
Signature win: UW-Eau Claire 21, St. Thomas 19
The Blugolds’ win erased any doubt that the other top contender for this spot could end the WIAC’s long reign. UW-Eau Claire is one of five WIAC teams with a winning record. UW-Whitewater’s dominant win over Dubuque and hard-fought win at Concordia-Moorhead provide further separation. UW-Stevens Point earned a solid win over Wabash. UW-Stout put a scare into St. John’s in the season opener. This conference is excellent from top to bottom.
2. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 2
Non-conference record: 12-5
Signature win: St. John’s 27, UW-Stout 0
Same non-conference record as last year, despite St. Thomas’s surprising loss. The top of the conference hasn’t been as impressive as it has been in recent years past, but the depth of the league is undeniable. Even the worst teams that lost by 60-plus points to the best teams notch victories over teams from other conferences. St. Olaf is off to another great start, 4-0 yet not one of the three ranked teams from the MIAC. Concordia-Moorhead lost both games, but went toe-to-toe with a pair of WIAC opponents. But this ranking will probably not hold for long, especially once the Tommies are forcefully removed from the conference.
3. American Southwest Conference
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| Mary Hardin-Baylor and the rest of the ASC have just one non-conference game per season, like other 10-team conferences. Photo by Joe Fusco, d3photography.com |
Kickoff ranking: 4
Non-conference record: 4-6
Signature win: Howard Payne 48, Austin 34
The Yellow Jackets have a transitive win over Centre thanks to their defeat of the Kangaroos. Not much else for this league to hang its hat on in non-conference play. Same record as last season. Same two top-10 teams. Reigning national champion. The strength of this league comes into focus in December, when it matters most.
4. Ohio Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 3
Non-conference record: 6-4
Signature win: John Carroll 21, UW-Stevens Point 7
Fell off after going 9-1 in non-conference play last year. Even John Carroll’s WIAC win was less impressive than it was a season ago. Tough to judge the conferences that only have one non-conference opportunity each regular season. The OAC will have a chance to prove itself in December, but September results--with last year’s playoff shortcomings still fresh in our memories--necessitate a backslide.
5. College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Kickoff ranking: 5
Non-conference record: 6-4
Signature win: Augustana 41, Coe 3
Will a Stagg Bowl contender rise above the pack, or will conference parity prevent North Central, Wheaton, Illinois Wesleyan, and Wash U from standing out among the rest of the nation? We’ll learn a lot more after this weekend’s Little Brass Bell game. Two teams in the top nine in the poll, but five teams with losing records (compared to just three in the OAC).
6. Centennial Conference
Kickoff ranking: 6
Non-conference record: 7-3
Signature win: Johns Hopkins 17, Randolph-Macon 12
Once again, three Centennial teams have cracked the Top 25. [sidebar: I cannot understand the voters who have Johns Hopkins ahead of Susquehanna, after the River Hawks’ head-to-head win over the Blue Jays.] Last year’s groundbreaking postseason success, the continued rise of Susquehanna, and five teams sitting at 3-1 behind unbeaten Muhlenberg demonstrate that last season was no fluke. But, two winless teams at the bottom keep the Centennial from rising higher.
There appear to be six conferences setting themselves apart in the upper tier of D-III football this season. Our preseason ranking set the line of demarcation at eight conferences.
7. Liberty League
Kickoff ranking: 11
Non-conference record: 15-11
Signature win: Hobart 33, Brockport 7
Two ranked teams, three unbeatens, and quality wins over quality opponents from the Empire 8 and NJAC. Two winless teams are a drag, but at least those two scheduled tough opponents and would have been upset winners in nearly every contest. It’s a bit early to forecast, but it looks like this conference could send a team deeper in the postseason than some of its other East Region conference competition.
8. Empire 8
Kickoff ranking: 8
Non-conference record: 17-9
Signature win: Alfred 15, George Fox 14
The non-conference record is impressive at first glance. But upon further review, the Empire 8 disappointed in the non-conference slate this year, only winning the games it was expected to win. The losses, especially against Liberty League rivals Hobart and Ithaca, were often not even close. The depth remains solid, but the top of the league does not appear poised to advance as deep in the postseason as in years past.
9. Southern Athletic Association
Kickoff ranking: 9
Non-conference record: 11-7
Signature win: Hendrix 26, Texas Luthern 23
Although due largely to attrition, Berry is now a top-10 team. Trinity (Texas) and Austin are programs with as much momentum as any in the country. The Tigers went toe-to-toe with Hardin-Simmons in a 16-10 loss. Centre was a ranked team before dropping consecutive 20-13 decisions to these climbing SAA foes. The Warriors and Vikings remain unbeaten, while only Sewanee is winless.
10. New Jersey Athletic Conference
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| Although William Paterson is on its way up this season, Christopher Newport went 0-3 in non-conference play. Photo by Dan Hunter, d3photography.com |
Kickoff ranking: 10
Non-conference record: 9-14
Signature win: Salisbury 24, UW-Oshkosh 19
The loss of Frostburg State hurts. But Wesley and Salisbury appear worthy of their Top 25 rankings. The Wolverines finally remembered how to win a close game, surviving Delaware Valley in a four-overtime thriller. The next team is the biggest shock: after losing 27 consecutive games, William Paterson has opened this season 2-1 and now is on a winning streak for the first time since 2012.
11. Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 22
Non-conference record: 11-8
Signature win: Chapman 37, Whitworth 30
No conference has as many signature wins this season as the SCIAC. Head-to-head results matter, so the Panthers’ upset of Whitworth and Redlands’ win over Linfield vault the West Region’s “little brother” ahead of its customary bully, the NWC. The only winless team is 0-1 Occidental, which gets credit for salvaging its program and scoring 31 points in a narrow loss to Willamette. Whittier earned its first non-conference win since 2014. The sun is shining on the SCIAC.
12. Presidents’ Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 13
Non-conference record: 5-5
Signature win: Washington and Jefferson 16, Wittenberg 8
W&J’s win in the opener was a boost. The Presidents, at 3-1 overall, sit in fourth place in the conference behind a trio of unbeatens. Top 25 voters are waiting to see how the next few weeks shake out, as three PAC teams are among the top for teams in the “Others receiving votes” category. I have two PAC teams ranked on my latest ballot. But the three winless teams at the bottom of the standings are just not competitive yet.
13. American Rivers Conference
Kickoff ranking: 14
Non-conference record: 12-6
Signature win: Dubuque 37, Pacific 26
Not a lot of tests in the non-conference portion of the schedule, but the ARC’s favorites took care of business. Central notched a dominant win over DePauw and is one of three unbeatens in the conference. Only one team is winless. Nebraska Wesleyan has proved a promising addition, off to a 3-0 start which matches its win total from 2018 and surpasses its win total from 2017.
14. Old Dominion Athletic Conference
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| The Guilford offense has been kept a little more in check this season, but was just good enough to get the Quakers and the ODAC a key win against USA South opponent Methodist. Photo by Dave Hilbert, d3photography.com |
Kickoff ranking: 12
Non-conference record: 10-6
Signature win: Bridgwater 37, Stevenson 22
The Eagles look for real this season, putting it together in all three phases through all four games thus far. Few expected Southern Virginia’s arrival to boost the ODAC, but the Knights delivered a very impressive 34-21 win over former NJAC foe Montclair State to open the season. Defending champ Randolph-Macon played Johns Hopkins much tougher in defeat this year. My alma mater’s disappointing loss to Dickinson and the conference’s 1-2 record against Averett caused this slide down the rankings.
15. Northwest Conference
Kickoff ranking: 7
Non-conference record: 8-11
Signature win: Puget Sound 21, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 17
Disappointing is the only word to describe the non-conference slate for the NWC. This has at times been considered a top-five conference. But this season appears to be rock bottom with zero unbeatens and both ranked NWC teams losing to SCIAC competition on the same day. A national quarterfinal drought since Linfield advanced to the semis in 2015 doesn’t help, either. There may be two NWC teams in the Top 25 now, but not on my ballot.
16. North Coast Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 15
Non-conference record: 4-6
Signature win: Denison 42, Ohio Northern 13
A disappointing start for the NCAC, with Wabash and Wittenberg both suffering single-digit losses against quality opponents. Kenyon snapped a 26-game losing streak. But, three NCAC teams still remain winless.
17. Middle Atlantic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 16
Non-conference record: 8-9
Signature win: Alvernia 26, Gallaudet 21
Led by a pair of surprising unbeatens in Wilkes and King’s, neither of whom are expected to remain that way for long. Delaware Valley was oh so close to defeating Wesley again, but could not get the job done in four overtimes. The Aggies remain ranked No. 13, just one spot behind the Wolverines. Widener appears resurgent under new head coach Mike Barainyak, but the toughest part of the schedule is ahead of the Pride.
18. New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 17
Non-conference record: 12-10
Signature win: WPI 6, RPI 3
WPI and Norwich are unbeaten, but Maine Maritime and Catholic are winless. The four teams in the middle are each capable of rising to the top of the league standings. That carries more significance than ever this season, as the NEWMAC winner will earn a Pool A bid for the first time since the conference was created.
19. Midwest Conference
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| A thrilling win secured in the final second against UW-Eau Claire gave St. Norbert the Midwest Conference's first win against a WIAC school since 1935. Photo by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com |
Kickoff ranking: 18
Non-conference record: 6-14
Signature win: St. Norbert 27, UW-Eau Claire 21
The best transitive property win for any conference this deep in the rankings. The Blugolds upset of St. Thomas is a feather in the cap of the Green Knights. Too bad the Green Knights have yet to win any other contest this season. This is the only conference so far this year to lose a program midway through the season Grinnell shut it down after an 0-3 start in which it was outscored 114-3. That has no bearing on the rankings, as all three losses were against MWC opponents.
20. USA South Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 21
Non-conference record: 10-12
Signature win: Averett 35, Ferrum 12
Averett won two of its three games against the ODAC, only losing to reigning ODAC champion Randolph-Macon, 30-27. The only winless USAC team is the defending champ, Maryville. Brevard’s young program is rounding into form, undefeated and with a convincing 27-6 win over Christopher Newport.
21. Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Kickoff ranking: 19
Non-conference record: 15-9
Signature win: Hope 34, Aurora 32
Once again, the MIAA boasts three unbeaten teams at this point of the season. Once again, the strength of schedule is...lacking. Last year’s undefeated regular season champion was shellacked in the first round of the playoffs by the MWC champion. Trine is ranked in the Top 25, but will have to prove itself in the postseason to carry the conference up the rankings.
22. Commonwealth Coast Conference
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| Devon Charles and his University of New England team have had some things to shout about this season, starting off their second year as a varsity program with a 2-2 record. Photo by Thomas Nettleton, d3photography.com |
Kickoff ranking: 24
Non-conference record: 11-13
Signature win: Endicott 55, Framingham State 27
The Gulls annihilated the team that has dominated the MASCAC since that conference was created. Western New England remains unbeaten against D-III competition. But the addition of Husson has yet to earn the conference any victories, and the Eagles are one of two winless teams in the CCC.
23. Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 23
Non-conference record: 6-10
Signature win: Hanover 31, Maryville 10
The non-conference record is much improved from last year, when the HCAC won just two non-conference games. The subtraction of Earlham boosts those numbers, certainly, but the conference did find new success as well. Anderson won a non-conference game for the first time since 2008. In a meeting between 2018 playoff teams, the Panthers handled the Scots with ease.
24. Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference
Kickoff ranking: 25
Non-conference record: 11-13
Signature win: Aurora 50, St. Norbert 40
Don Beebe’s team now has a transitive win over St. Thomas. Benedictine’s season-opening win over a still-healthy Franklin squad was also impressive. This could be one of the more exciting conference races in the country. This league won’t rank much higher, though, until its winner can stay within 50 points of its opening round opponent in the playoffs.
25. Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 20
Non-conference record: 9-9
Signature win: Western Connecticut 12, William Paterson 9
Three undefeated teams looks good on paper, but those wins have come against inferior competition. The league’s signature win came against a team that snapped a 27-game losing streak the following week. After being trounced by Endicott, Framingham State bounced back against Brockport; the defense played great, and the Rams still lost 14-0.
26. Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
Kickoff ranking: 26
Non-conference record: 6-14
Signature win: Greenville 31, Kalamazoo 17
Greenville knocked off a team that won its first seven games of 2018, including a 42-7 defeat of the Panthers. Crown snapped its 24-game losing streak. Things are looking up, even though the UMAC remains near the bottom.
27. Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
Kickoff ranking: 27
Non-conference record: 2-23
Signature win: Alfred State 27, Rochester 21
The numbers say it all. Give Mickey Rehring, the former Johns Hopkins defensive coordinator, time and he could turn things around at SUNY-Maritime. But this conference is going to have a tough time climbing up the rankings anytime soon.
We don't rank the NESCAC, because conference members do not play outside of the conference, leaving no basis for comparison with the rest of Division III.
I can’t remember seeing a conference rise like the SCIAC did this year. Did the conference deserve that big of a boost? Sound off in the comments and embrace debate.
Enjoy the conference races!
