A top five team chooses their opening opponent poorly, an entire conference loses their openers, and one game never even finishes. All the info after this.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST:
Nothing bad happened to the ASC last weekend. Hardin-Simmons scored a massive upset — not that Coe was supposed to be a great deal better than HSU, but HSU demolished them.
9 Hardin-Simmons 0-0 0 0 1-0 41 14 Louisiana 0-0 0 0 1-0 32 24 Mississippi Coll. 0-0 0 0 1-0 33 27 Texas Lutheran 0-0 0 0 1-0 31 28 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 East Texas Baptist 0-0 0 0 0-1 10 34 Howard Payne 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 24 Sul Ross State 0-0 0 0 0-1 28 35 This week: 1630 ET: HARDIN-SIMMONS at Willamette (0-1) 1800 ET: SUL ROSS STATE at Bacone (0-2; NAIA) 1900 ET: HOWARD PAYNE at Southwestern Assemblies of God (0-1; NAIA) 1900 ET: Wisconsin-La Crosse (0-1) at MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR 1900 ET: TEXAS LUTHERAN at Trinity (TX) (1-0) 2000 ET: Austin (0-1) at EAST TEXAS BAPTIST 2000 ET: MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE at Belhaven (1-1; NAIA) IDLE: LOUISIANA
HSU goes on the road for another big intersectional contest in Oregon. They’ll be favored, but don’t be surprised with any result. I expect every team in the conference to win this week, with the possible exception of Texas Lutheran.
CENTENNIAL:
I cannot remember ever seeing a week this ugly for the Centennial Conference. Muhlenberg and Gettysburg’s losses weren’t too bad, though. Still, until events change my mind, it looks like Johns Hopkins is the class of the league.
Johns Hopkins 0-0 0 0 1-0 45 14 Susquehanna 0-0 0 0 1-0 33 30 Dickinson 0-0 0 0 0-1 9 33 Franklin & Marshall 0-0 0 0 0-1 10 24 Gettysburg 0-0 0 0 0-1 42 57 Juniata 0-0 0 0 0-1 0 40 McDaniel 0-0 0 0 0-1 36 39 Moravian 0-0 0 0 0-1 6 44 Muhlenberg 0-0 0 0 0-1 9 10 Ursinus 0-0 0 0 0-1 17 24 This week: 1300 ET: JUNIATA at DICKINSON 1300 ET: MUHLENBERG at FRANKLIN & MARSHALL 1300 ET: URSINUS at GETTYSBURG 1400 ET: SUSQUEHANNA at JOHNS HOPKINS 1400 ET: MORAVIAN at McDANIEL
Conference play gets underway. The two teams that managed to win last week draw each other straight away, and I expect Hopkins to come away with the win; also Muhlenberg, Gettysburg, and McDaniel. No feeling on the Juniata/Dickinson game.
CCIW:
Ouch. North Central embarked on a big road trip, and probably screwed up their season. (Well, not really, but you can bet they’re not going to be in line for their relatively frequent top seed in the playoffs now.) None of the winners were truly impressive, and the losses weren’t good losses either; it could be a down year for the CCIW.
Carthage 0-0 0 0 1-0 16 13 Elmhurst 0-0 0 0 1-0 50 24 Illinois Wesleyan 0-0 0 0 1-0 35 0 North Park 0-0 0 0 1-0 34 9 8 Wheaton (IL) 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Augustana (IL) 0-0 0 0 0-1 13 18 Millikin 0-0 0 0 0-1 30 34 15 North Central 0-0 0 0 0-1 29 35 This week: 1300 ET: ILLINOIS WESLEYAN at Alma (0-1) 1400 ET: AUGUSTANA (IL) at Central (IA) (0-1) 1400 ET: MILLIKIN at Greenville (0-0) 1900 ET: Olivet at ELMHURST (0-1) 1900 ET: Bethel (TN) (1-0; NAIA) at NORTH CENTRAL 2000 ET: Lakeland (0-1) at CARTHAGE 2000 ET: NORTH PARK at Benedictine (IL) (1-0) 1900 ET: Albion (0-1) at WHEATON (IL)
No big showdowns on this week’s schedule. There’s no valid reason to expect any of the conference’s teams to lose this week, but North Park and Augustana are certainly in the line of fire.
EASTERN:
It’s not often you see an entire conference lose in one week. New York Maritime at least lost to a D-II school, so we can’t judge them harshly. There were several close losses, but none to a team with a strong resume, so this could be an ugly, ugly season.
Anna Maria 0-0 0 0 0-1 30 55 Becker 0-0 0 0 0-1 24 30 Castleton State 0-0 0 0 0-1 20 28 Gallaudet 0-0 0 0 0-1 27 28 Husson 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 77 Mount Ida 0-0 0 0 0-1 21 24 New York Maritime 0-0 0 0 0-1 3 50 Norwich 0-0 0 0 0-1 24 28 This week: FRIDAY: 1900 ET: Catholic (1-0) at GALLAUDET 1900 ET: NEW YORK MARITIME at Western Connecticut State (0-0) SATURDAY: 1200 ET: ANNA MARIA at Maine Maritime (0-0) 1200 ET: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (0-0) at BECKER 1300 ET: Plymouth State (1-0) at MOUNT IDA 1330 ET: NORWICH at Saint Lawrence (0-1) IDLE: CASTLETON STATE, HUSSON
New York Maritime could be the only conference team with a win after two weeks, though I won’t be surprised if Norwich wins.
EMPIRE 8:
Following the tragic death of fullback Sean Keeley, Frostburg rallied to secure a road win. Nobody who played lost, although nobody really impressed either. (Don’t let the Salisbury score fool you.)
Frostburg State 0-0 0 0 1-0 34 21 Hartwick 0-0 0 0 1-0 14 11 Ithaca 0-0 0 0 1-0 19 14 Salisbury 0-0 0 0 1-0 42 3 Utica 0-0 0 0 1-0 48 35 17 Alfred 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Springfield 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Saint John Fisher 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 This week: 1200 ET: ITHACA at SALISBURY 1300 ET: Rensselaer (0-0) at ALFRED 1300 ET: FROSTBURG STATE at SPRINGFIELD 1900 ET: Buffalo State (0-1) at SAINT JOHN FISHER 1900 ET: Union (NY) (0-1) at UTICA IDLE: HARTWICK
Big conference hookup between Ithaca and Salisbury; we’ll just have to see whether it’s Ithaca’s defense or Salisbury’s offense that controls the game. Frostburg, Fisher, and Alfred should win; I’m not as confident of Utica’s chances.
HEARTLAND:
To be fair, it was only Valparaiso, who plays in a non-scholarship league, but still: Franklin jumped two classifications to beat an FCS team. Given that Wilmington his historically terribad, Mount Saint Joseph’s win isn’t that impressive, meaning Franklin was the HCAC’s only bright spot on the weekend. Manchester, among the losers, had the best day.
21 Franklin 0-0 0 0 1-0 49 35 Mount Saint Joseph 0-0 0 0 1-0 26 16 Anderson (IN) 0-0 0 0 0-1 6 28 Bluffton 0-0 0 0 0-1 14 39 Defiance 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 24 Earlham 0-0 0 0 0-1 10 32 Hanover 0-0 0 0 0-1 21 38 Manchester 0-0 0 0 0-1 13 24 Rose-Hulman 0-0 0 0 0-1 13 23 This week: 1300 ET: BLUFFTON at Trine (1-0) 1300 ET: Wisconsin-Whitewater (1-0) at FRANKLIN 1330 ET: Adrian (1-0) at DEFIANCE 1330 ET: Denison (0-1) at EARLHAM 1330 ET: HANOVER at Thomas More (0-0) 1330 ET: Kalamazoo (1-0) at MANCHESTER 1900 ET: ANDERSON (IN) at Dubuque (1-0) IDLE: MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH, ROSE-HULMAN
Unfortunately, this week is probably going to be worse. Not one team in the conference is favored to win. Franklin, fresh off a pretty big win, has a huge game against the #1 team in the nation.
IOWA:
Wait, is this the IIAC? This was a horrible, horrible week. Wartburg struggled to beat a middling Monmouth team, Coe got trucked by Hardin-Simmons, Cornell and Dubuque barely escaped mediocre squads, and Loras, Buena Vista, and Simpson got hammered. Luther and Central lost tight games against competent competition, but… this was just a bad, bad day.
Cornell (IA) 0-0 0 0 1-0 36 35 Dubuque 0-0 0 0 1-0 18 13 14 Wartburg 0-0 0 0 1-0 35 28 Buena Vista 0-0 0 0 0-1 3 38 Central (IA) 0-0 0 0 0-1 28 31 24 Coe 0-0 0 0 0-1 14 41 Loras 0-0 0 0 0-1 24 50 Luther 0-0 0 0 0-1 22 24 Simpson (IA) 0-0 0 0 0-1 3 55 This week: 1400 ET: Concordia-Moorhead (1-0) at BUENA VISTA 1400 ET: Augustana (IL) (0-1) at CENTRAL (IA) 1400 ET: Macalester (0-1) at CORNELL (IA) 1400 ET: Rockford (0-1) at LORAS 1400 ET: William Penn (2-0; NAIA) at LUTHER 1400 ET: Saint Olaf (1-0) at SIMPSON (IA) 1900 ET: COE at Olivet Nazarene (0-2; NAIA) 1900 ET: Anderson (IN) (0-1) at DUBUQUE 2000 ET: Gustavus Adolphus (0-0) at WARTBURG
Central, Cornell, Loras, Coe, Dubuque, and Wartburg should all win, but after last week God only knows.
LIBERTY:
We conclude our little string of heartbreak with one of the worst Liberty League Saturdays in recent memory. Hobart represented, and Union lost a close one, but everyone else stunk.
Hobart 0-0 0 0 1-0 33 9 Rensselaer 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Rochester 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Merchant Marine 0-0 0 0 0-1 14 45 Saint Lawrence 0-0 0 0 0-1 35 48 Union (NY) 0-0 0 0 0-1 22 25 Worcester Tech 0-0 0 0 0-1 3 60 This week: FRIDAY: 1900 ET: WORCESTER TECH at Worcester State (1-0) SATURDAY: 1300 ET: RENSSELAER at Alfred (0-0) 1330 ET: SAINT LAWRENCE at Norwich (0-1) 1430 ET: Coast Guard (0-0) at MERCHANT MARINE 1900 ET: ROCHESTER at Case Western (1-0) 1900 ET: UNION (NY) at Utica (1-0) IDLE: HOBART
It’s not getting better. For starters, Hobart’s off, so no win there. Saint Lawrence might win; the battle of the D-III service academies is an open question. The two idle teams from last week are both walking into woodchippers.
MICHIGAN:
Strong week for a conference which has floundered in recent years. There were no truly impressive wins, but Kalamazoo won convincingly and despite the lack of quality competition you cannot ignore hanging 77 on someone like Adrian did. Trine did their job, although one would have expected a more comprehensive victory. Olivet and Alma barely lost, and Albion lost to an FCS team so no shame accrues there. Only Hope, who got steamrolled by Illinois Wesleyan, damaged the cause.
Adrian 0-0 0 0 1-0 77 7 Kalamazoo 0-0 0 0 1-0 39 14 22 Trine 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 13 Albion 0-0 0 0 0-1 17 31 Alma 0-0 0 0 0-1 28 34 Hope 0-0 0 0 0-1 0 35 Olivet 0-0 0 0 0-1 35 36 This week: 1300 ET: Illinois Wesleyan (1-0) at ALMA 1300 ET: Bluffton (0-1) at TRINE 1330 ET: ADRIAN at Defiance (0-1) 1330 ET: Wisconsin Lutheran (0-10 at HOPE 1330 ET: KALAMAZOO at Manchester (0-1) 1900 ET: OLIVET at Elmhurst (1-0) 2000 ET: ALBION at Wheaton (IL) (0-0)
Several familiar opponents dot the schedule, which is good news for Kalamazoo and Trine but bad news for Alma. Adrian should pick up another win, but Albion, Olivet, and Hope are in for disappointment.
MIDDLE ATLANTIC:
Only one team got flat-out beat this week, and Stevenson’s new to this whole football thing. Lycoming scored a solid upset in a game that would make the denizens of NDNation proud. On the flip side, Delaware Valley required overtime to pull out a win they should have secured by halftime, so that’s a bit of a black mark.
Albright 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 17 Delaware Valley 0-0 0 0 1-0 10 9 Lebanon Valley 0-0 0 0 1-0 57 42 Lycoming 0-0 0 0 1-0 8 6 Widener 0-0 0 0 1-0 44 6 FDU-Florham 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Kings (PA) 0-0 0 0 0-1 6 13 Stevenson 0-0 0 0 0-1 21 49 Wilkes 0-0 0 0 0-1 30 33 This week: 1200 ET: WILKES at Waynesburg (0-1) 1300 ET: FDU-FLORHAM at Saint Vincent (0-1) 1300 ET: KINGS (PA) at Bethany (WV) (1-0) 1300 ET: LYCOMING at Westminster (PA) (1-0) 1330 ET: DELAWARE VALLEY at Washington & Jefferson (1-0) 1330 ET: LEBANON VALLEY at Grove City (0-1) 1330 ET: WIDENER at Thiel (0-1) 1800 ET: Geneva (0-1) at ALBRIGHT 1930 ET: Christopher Newport (1-0) at STEVENSON
Count on wins from Wilkes, Lycoming, Lebanon, Widener, and Albright. Delaware Valley would have been on this list if not for their lackluster performance last week; they’re up against a playoff contender this week, and need to Do Better. Florham is an unknown commodity, so no idea what will happen there. And poor Stevenson’s going to get slaughtered.
MIDWEST:
Illinois College scored a nice overtime win, and the other winners on the day were solid. Monmouth and Saint Norbert performed well in losses to ranked teams. The main story here, however, was the postponement in progress of the Lake Forest-Concordia game, with Lake Forest leading 28-26 midway through the second quarter when lightining interrupted the proceedings. The decision reached here was that if they can resume the game at some future point, they will; if not, it will be erased.
Carroll (WI) 0-0 0 0 1-0 13 0 Grinnell 0-0 0 0 1-0 31 6 Illinois College 0-0 0 0 1-0 34 30 Ripon 0-0 0 0 1-0 42 13 Lake Forest 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Beloit 0-0 0 0 0-1 25 44 Knox 0-0 0 0 0-1 10 28 Lawrence 0-0 0 0 0-1 21 34 Monmouth (IL) 0-0 0 0 0-1 28 35 Saint Norbert 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 20 This week: 1400 ET: BELOIT at SAINT NORBERT 1400 ET: CARROLL (WI) at ILLINOIS COLLEGE 1400 ET: MONMOUTH (IL) at GRINNELL 1400 ET: LAWRENCE at KNOX 1400 ET: RIPON at LAKE FOREST
Conference play begins. Conference favorite Saint Norbert should recover and get the conference slate underway with a win. The other four games could go either way.
MINNESOTA:
Only Carleton lost, and even that by only a field goal. Of the wins, only Augsburg’s wasn’t decisive. Welcome to Minnesota.
Augsburg 0-0 0 0 1-0 34 31 6 Bethel (MN) 0-0 0 0 1-0 55 3 Concordia-Moorhead 0-0 0 0 1-0 37 13 25 Saint John's (MN) 0-0 0 0 1-0 34 0 Saint Olaf 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 22 4 Saint Thomas (MN) 0-0 0 0 1-0 20 7 Gustavus Adolphus 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Hamline 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Carleton 0-0 0 0 0-1 13 16 This week: 1400 ET: BETHEL (MN) at Concordia (WI) (0-1) 1400 ET: CONCORDIA-MOORHEAD at Buena Vista (0-1) 1400 ET: Wisconsin-Eau Claire (0-1) at SAINT JOHN'S (MN) 1400 ET: SAINT OLAF at Simpson (IA) (0-1) 1400 ET: SAINT THOMAS (MN) at Wisconsin-River Falls (0-0) 1500 ET: HAMLINE at Pacific Lutheran (0-0) 2000 ET: GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS at Wartburg (1-0) IDLE: AUGSBURG, CARLETON
Much more of the same this week, although two teams will actually be underdogs as Gustavus faces #14 Wartburg and Hamline travels to the west coast to likely get spanked by Pac Lutheran. Outside of those two games, any loss would be a surprise.
NEW ENGLAND:
Surprising week for the NEFC, as the only loss to a team outside the conference was Curry’s loss to D-II Stonehill. None of the games between conference foes are conference games, as the NEFC relies on divisional record.
BOGAN DIVISION Fitchburg State 0-0 0 0 1-0 30 24 Westfield State 0-0 0 0 1-0 21 20 Worcester State 0-0 0 0 1-0 55 30 Bridgewater State 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Coast Guard 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Maine Maritime 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Mass. Maritime 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Framingham State 0-0 0 0 0-1 13 33 BOYD DIVISION Endicott 0-0 0 0 1-0 33 13 Mass-Dartmouth 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 21 Plymouth State 0-0 0 0 1-0 28 20 Salve Regina 0-0 0 0 1-0 25 22 Western New England 0-0 0 0 1-0 28 24 MIT 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Curry 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 35 Nichols 0-0 0 0 0-1 20 21 This week: FRIDAY: 1900 ET: FITCHBURG STATE at CURRY 1900 ET: NICHOLS at FRAMINGHAM STATE 1900 ET: Worcester Tech (0-1) at WORCESTER STATE SATURDAY: 1200 ET: Anna Maria (0-1) at MAINE MARITIME 1200 ET: WESTERN NEW ENGLAND at MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 1200 ET: MIT at Becker (0-1) 1200 ET: SALVE REGINA at Montclair State (0-0) 1300 ET: ENDICOTT at WESTFIELD STATE 1300 ET: PLYMOUTH STATE at Mount Ida (0-1) 1430 ET: COAST GUARD at Merchant Marine (0-1) 1800 ET: BRIDGEWATER STATE at MASSACHUSETTS-DARTMOUTH
Again, none of the games this week are conference games. Fitchburg, Worcester State, Maine Maritime, and Plymouth State should win. Salve Regina’s likely going to lose; everything else is fuzzy.
NESCAC:
The NESCAC, who doesn’t play any non-conference games at all, doesn’t begin play until September 24.
NEW JERSEY:
The big story here, obviously, was Rowan’s 8-6 loss to Lycoming. Nobody was particularly impressive in the opening week, as even Cortland was losing to Buffalo State at halftime.
12 Cortland State 1-0 28 12 1-0 28 12 William Paterson 0-0 0 0 1-0 13 6 Coll of New Jersey 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Kean 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 11 Montclair State 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 W Connecticut St 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Brockport State 0-0 0 0 0-1 14 19 Morrisville State 0-0 0 0 0-1 11 14 Rowan 0-0 0 0 0-1 6 8 Buffalo State 0-1 12 28 0-1 12 28 This week: FRIDAY: 1900 ET: New York Maritime (0-1) at WESTERN CONNECTICUT STATE SATURDAY: 1200 ET: Salve Regina (1-0) at MONTCLAIR STATE 1300 ET: COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY at WILLIAM PATERSON 1300 ET: KEAN at Wesley (1-0) 1900 ET: BUFFALO STATE at Saint John Fisher (0-0) IDLE: BROCKPORT STATE, CORTLAND STATE, MORRISVILLE STATE, ROWAN
WCSU, Montclair, and Paterson should win; Kean and Buffalo shouldn’t.
NORTH COAST:
Wittenberg won their 700th game on Saturday, knocking off Capital on the road. They were the only team in the conference to beat an outside foe, however; traditional threat Wooster even got slapped down hard by Baldwin-Wallace, indicating this year will be a Wabash-Wittenberg duel.
Oberlin 0-0 0 0 1-0 42 0 Ohio Wesleyan 0-0 0 0 1-0 17 14 19 Wittenberg 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 14 18 Wabash 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Allegheny 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 28 Denison 0-0 0 0 0-1 14 17 Hiram 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 17 Kenyon 0-0 0 0 0-1 0 42 Wooster 0-0 0 0 0-1 0 23 DePauw --- -- -- 1-0 23 13 This week: 1200 ET: ALLEGHENY at Carnegie-Mellon (1-0) 1300 ET: WABASH at WOOSTER 1300 ET: KENYON at HIRAM 1330 ET: DENISON at Earlham (0-1) 1900 ET: WITTENBERG at OHIO WESLEYAN IDLE: DePAUW, OBERLIN
Then again, Wooster could recover and knock off Wabash, right? If so, Wittenberg is going to be in great shape. If not, it’s a two-team race. There’s no guessing the Kenyon-Hiram game or the Denison-Earlham contest. Allegheny’s going to lose. (Sorry, Holly.)
NORTHERN:
So-so Saturday for the conference. Defending champs Benedictine had no trouble, and Maranatha beat old rival Martin Luther easily. Concordia (WI) lost a close one, and Concordia (IL)’s game got postponed (see above). Everyone else got slapped down.
Benedictine (IL) 0-0 0 0 1-0 45 7 Maranatha Baptist 0-0 0 0 1-0 26 12 Concordia (IL) 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Aurora 0-0 0 0 0-1 9 34 Concordia (WI) 0-0 0 0 0-1 31 34 Lakeland 0-0 0 0 0-1 0 13 Rockford 0-0 0 0 0-1 24 51 Wisconsin Lutheran 0-0 0 0 0-1 13 42 This week: 1330 ET: WISCONSIN LUTHERAN at Hope (0-1) 1400 ET: MacMurray (0-1) at AURORA 1400 ET: Bethel (MN) (1-0) at CONCORDIA (WI) 1400 ET: Crown (0-0) at MARANATHA BAPTIST 1400 ET: ROCKFORD at Loras (0-1) 1430 ET: Chicago (1-0) at CONCORDIA (IL) 2000 ET: North Park (1-0) at BENEDICTINE (IL) 2000 ET: Carthage (1-0) at LAKELAND
More of the same. Maranatha should win again, and Benedictine might. Aurora, probably. Wisconsin Lutheran’s got a reasonable hope (ha, ha), and I’m not sure about Rockford.
NORTHWEST:
Only three teams took the field, and they all lost. It’s not horrible, though; Pacific’s only in their second year of football and lost respectably to a D-II team, while Whitworth and Willamette each lost by two to good programs.
Lewis & Clark 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 7 Linfield 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Pacific Lutheran 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Puget Sound 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Pacific (OR) 0-0 0 0 0-1 28 36 Whitworth 0-0 0 0 0-1 14 16 Willamette 0-0 0 0 0-1 6 8 This week: 1500 ET: Hamline (0-0) at PACIFIC LUTHERAN 1600 ET: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0-0) at LEWIS & CLARK 1600 ET: Cal Lutheran (0-0) at LINFIELD 1600 ET: Occidental (0-0) at PUGET SOUND 1600 ET: Pomona-Pitzer (0-0) at WHITWORTH 1630 ET: Hardin-Simmons (1-0) at WILLAMETTE 2200 ET: Menlo (1-0; NAIA) at PACIFIC (OR)
Pac Lutheran should handle Hamline, but the remainder of the schedule looks to be extremely competitive. Willamette hosts #9 Hardin-Simmons in a big intersectional game, while #7 Linfield hosts #16 Cal Lutheran in a huge game for temporary supremacy on the west coast.
OHIO:
Typical week for the OAC. Wilmington’s loss was no surprise, and Capital had to contend with a top-20 team. John Carroll fell to a UAA team, which is never a cause for alarm. Everyone else won, save the 800-pound gorilla in the room, who took the week off.
Baldwin-Wallace 0-0 0 0 1-0 23 0 Heidelberg 0-0 0 0 1-0 34 28 Marietta 0-0 0 0 1-0 32 24 Muskingum 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 7 13 Ohio Northern 0-0 0 0 1-0 38 20 Otterbein 0-0 0 0 1-0 28 27 2 Mount Union 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Capital 0-0 0 0 0-1 14 24 John Carroll 0-0 0 0 0-1 17 24 Wilmington (OH) 0-0 0 0 0-1 16 26 This week: 1330 ET: Wisconsin-Oshkosh (1-0) at MOUNT UNION IDLE: everyone else
Last week, everyone but Mount Union played; this week, everyone but Mount Union is idle. The Purple Raiders should have no trouble with Oshkosh.
OLD DOMINION:
Seven-and-oh. Only Bridgewater and Catholic even broke a sweat.
Bridgewater 0-0 0 0 1-0 20 17 Catholic 0-0 0 0 1-0 39 36 Emory & Henry 0-0 0 0 1-0 41 12 Guilford 0-0 0 0 1-0 27 7 Hampden-Sydney 0-0 0 0 1-0 63 9 Randolph-Macon 0-0 0 0 1-0 43 7 Washington & Lee 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 10 This week: FRIDAY: 1900 ET: CATHOLIC at Gallaudet (0-1) SATURDAY: 1300 ET: Greensboro (0-1) at EMORY & HENRY 1300 ET: GUILFORD at Methodist (0-1) 1300 ET: HAMPDEN-SYDNEY at North Carolina Wesleyan (0-1) 1300 ET: RANDOLPH-MACON at Averett (0-1) 1300 ET: Sewanee (1-0) at WASHINGTON & LEE 1900 ET: BRIDGEWATER at Shenandoah (1-0)
Bridgewater’s going to break a sweat this week, too, and may be the only team in the league not to move to 2-0. Hampden-Sydney can’t sleep on NC Wesleyan, but should still come away with a victory. And everyone else should be in good shape, although W&L needs to be careful with Sewanee.
PRESIDENT’S:
Nothing unexpected here, except perhaps Grove City’s tight loss to Carnegie-Mellon; it shouldn’t have been tight.
Bethany (WV) 0-0 0 0 1-0 28 7 Wash & Jefferson 0-0 0 0 1-0 40 0 Westminster (PA) 0-0 0 0 1-0 17 7 10 Thomas More 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Geneva 0-0 0 0 0-1 21 34 Grove City 0-0 0 0 0-1 19 21 Saint Vincent 0-0 0 0 0-1 17 20 Thiel 0-0 0 0 0-1 24 32 Waynesburg 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 12 This week: 1200 ET: Wilkes (0-1) at WAYNESBURG 1300 ET: King's (PA) (0-1) at BETHANY (WV) 1300 ET: FDU-Florham (1-0) at SAINT VINCENT 1300 ET: Lycoming (1-0) at WESTMINSTER (PA) 1330 ET: Lebanon Valley (1-0) at GROVE CITY 1330 ET: Widener (1-0) at THIEL 1330 ET: Hanover (0-1) at THOMAS MORE 1330 ET: Delaware Valley (1-0) at WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 1800 ET: GENEVA at Albright (1-0)
Expect wins from Waynesburg, Bethany, and Thomas More. W&J-Delaware Valley’s just going to be a good game, with the outcome questionable. Westminster and Grove might win, but they’re underdogs.
SOUTHERN CAC:
Nice week. The two losses were very close contests. That said, none of the wins were resounding, so we’re going to need some more information before settling on a narrative.
Birmingham-Southern 0-0 0 0 1-0 28 7 Centre 0-0 0 0 1-0 38 21 Sewanee 0-0 0 0 1-0 32 10 Trinity (TX) 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 7 Rhodes 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Austin 0-0 0 0 0-1 28 31 Millsaps 0-0 0 0 0-1 27 33 This week: 1300 ET: SEWANEE at Washington & Lee (1-0) 1400 ET: Huntingdon (1-0) at BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN 1400 ET: LaGrange (0-1) at MILLSAPS 1400 ET: RHODES at Washington (MO) (1-0) 1900 ET: Texas Lutheran (1-0) at TRINITY (TX) 2000 ET: AUSTIN at East Texas Baptist (0-1) IDLE: CENTRE
Millsaps should win, and Rhodes should lose; the rest of the slate is up in the air.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
Huge, huge win for Redlands, still angry over last year’s 8-1 team being left out of the playoffs, as they knocked North Central all the way down to #15 in this week’s poll while moving in themselves. Pending member Chapman also scored a nice win over Whitworth.
20 Redlands 0-0 0 0 1-0 35 29 16 Cal Lutheran 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Claremont-M-S 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 La Verne 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Occidental 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Pomona-Pitzer 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Whittier 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Chapman --- -- -- 1-0 16 14 This week: 1600 ET: CLAREMONT-MUDD-SCRIPPS at Lewis & Clark (0-0) 1600 ET: CAL LUTHERAN at Linfield (0-0) 1600 ET: OCCIDENTAL at Puget Sound (0-0) 1600 ET: POMONA-PITZER at Whitworth (0-1) 1900 ET: LA VERNE at Azusa Pacific (0-1; NAIA) IDLE: CHAPMAN, REDLANDS, WHITTIER
Everyone else but Whittier gets underway this week, including the big game between #16 Cal Lutheran and #7 Linfield. I have no advice to offer you, other than La Verne should fall to Azusa.
UNIVERSITY:
Nothing unexpected. Carnegie-Mellon had trouble with Grove City, but a 4-0 start is a 4-0 start.
Carnegie-Mellon 0-0 0 0 1-0 21 19 Case Western 0-0 0 0 1-0 24 17 Chicago 0-0 0 0 1-0 44 25 Washington (MO) 0-0 0 0 1-0 28 10 This week: 1200 ET: Allegheny (0-1) at CARNEGIE-MELLON 1400 ET: Rhodes (0-0) at WASHINGTON (MO) 1430 ET: CHICAGO at Concordia (IL) (0-0) 1900 ET: Rochester (0-0) at CASE WESTERN
It’s totally reasonable to expect all four teams to move to 2-0 this week.
UPPER MIDWEST:
The winners looked good; the losers looked bad. I wish I had more to say, but last week’s results are pretty straightforward here.
Minnesota-Morris 1-0 28 3 1-0 28 3 Saint Scholastica 0-0 0 0 1-0 34 21 Westminster (MO) 0-0 0 0 1-0 51 24 Crown 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Greenville 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Eureka 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 45 Martin Luther 0-0 0 0 0-1 12 26 Northwestern (MN) 0-0 0 0 0-1 0 34 Presentation 0-0 0 0 0-1 13 39 MacMurray 0-1 3 28 0-1 3 28 This week: 1400 ET: CROWN at Maranatha Baptist (1-0) 1400 ET: Millikin (0-1) at GREENVILLE 1400 ET: MacMURRAY at Aurora (0-1) 1400 ET: MINNESOTA-MORRIS at MARTIN LUTHER 1400 ET: WESTMINSTER (MO) at NORTHWESTERN (MN) IDLE: EUREKA, PRESENTATION, SAINT SCHOLASTICA
Not expecting any non-conference wins this week. I am, however, expecting Morris and Westminster to win.
USA SOUTH:
Yikes. Nothing truly startling here, although NC Wesleyan had to be hoping for an upset over Ohio Northern. They were a dark horse pick this year, but now they’re looking at an 0-2 start, and uphill at Shenandoah and CNU.
Christopher Newport 0-0 0 0 1-0 12 7 Shenandoah 0-0 0 0 1-0 49 21 Averett 0-0 0 0 0-1 9 63 Ferrum 0-0 0 0 0-1 12 41 Greensboro 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 27 Maryville (TN) 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 35 Methodist 0-0 0 0 0-1 7 43 NC Wesleyan 0-0 0 0 0-1 20 38 Huntingdon --- -- -- 1-0 35 7 LaGrange --- -- -- 0-1 7 28 This week: THURSDAY: 2000 ET: MARYVILLE (TN) at Tennessee Tech (0-1; FCS) SATURDAY: 1300 ET: Randolph-Macon (1-0) at AVERETT 1300 ET: GREENSBORO at Emory & Henry (1-0) 1300 ET: Guilford (1-0) at METHODIST 1300 ET: Hampden-Sydney (1-0) at NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN 1400 ET: HUNTINGDON at Birmingham-Southern (1-0) 1400 ET: LaGRANGE at Millsaps (0-1) 1900 ET: Bridgewater (1-0) at SHENANDOAH 1930 ET: CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT at Stevenson (0-1) IDLE: FERRUM
I have not included it above in the standings, but Maryville, as you would expect, got eviscerated by Tennessee Tech last night, 56-7. The rest of the conference, with the exception of Shenandoah and CNU, can be considered underdogs.
WISCONSIN:
On Wisconsin, or something. Eau Claire’s loss isn’t really a big thing, as Bethel’s a pretty good NAIA squad. Stevens Point eked one out on the road at Willamette, another very good team, and Oshkosh can be pleased with their win over Central.
1 Wisc-Whitewater 1-0 26 7 1-0 26 7 Wisc-Oshkosh 0-0 0 0 1-0 31 28 Wisc-Platteville 0-0 0 0 1-0 38 3 23 Wisc-Stevens Point 0-0 0 0 1-0 8 6 Wisc-Stout 0-0 0 0 1-0 19 7 Wisc-River Falls 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 Wisc-Eau Claire 0-0 0 0 0-1 21 26 Wisc-La Crosse 0-1 7 26 0-1 7 26 This week: 1300 ET: WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER at Franklin (1-0) 1330 ET: WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH at Mount Union (0-0) 1400 ET: WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE at Saint John's (MN) (1-0) 1400 ET: WISCONSIN-PLATTEVILLE at WISCONSIN-STEVENS POINT 1400 ET: Saint Thomas (MN) (1-0) at WISCONSIN-RIVER FALLS 1400 ET: WISCONSIN-STOUT at Jamestown (1-0; NAIA) 1900 ET: WISCONSIN-LA CROSSE at Mary Hardin-Baylor (0-0)
#1 Whitewater visits #21 Franklin in one of the bigger games of the week in D-III. They’re still a heavy favorite. Stevens Point is a favorite over Platteville. The rest of the conference has extremely difficult tests, however, except perhaps Stout.
INDEPENDENTS:
Wesley notched a solid win over ETBU, while Macalester was Macalester.
3 Wesley (DE) 1-0 34 10 Macalester 0-1 6 31 This week: 1300 ET: WESLEY (DE) at Kean (0-0) 1400 ET: MACALESTER at Cornell (IA) (1-0)
Wesley will win, Macalester will lose, and I may write that sentence nine more times before the regular season ends.