D3football Daily Dose

In this case, the eighth time was the charm. Last week, all our Game of the Week picks were good ones, two of our Top 25 upset picks hit, teams properly got onto the radar and two of our surprisingly close games were both close and surprising.

Not sure if we can match that record here in Week 9, but Keith McMillan, Ryan Tipps and I will try.

Game of the Week
Ryan’s take: No. 10 Wesley at No. 16 Salisbury. In the preseason Kickoff guide, I had picked this as my most anticipated game of the year – and the stakes seem to have grown even bigger than I expected. Based on the first installment of the NCAA’s regional rankings, the loser’s chance of getting a playoff bid seems questionable. The winner, on the other hand, will almost certainly get to pass Go and have their playoff payday.
Keith’s take: No. 5 Millsaps at No. 14 Trinity (Texas). A battle of unbeaten teams. Conference title implications. An effect felt as far away as Pennsylvania regarding likely South Region playoff seeding. Yeah. That’s nothing. Subtext galore here: Millsaps, humbled on ESPN and all over the internet by last season’s 15-lateral, game-winning Riley Curry touchdown on the ‘Miracle in Mississippi’ might never be able to return the favor, but they wouldn’t mind humbling the Tigers.
Pat’s take: No. 19 UW-Eau Claire at No. 6 UW-Whitewater. This is the non-conference matchup between two teams that played in Week 2. So these teams know each other just a little better than usual. Plus, this is already a Pool C elimination game for Eau Claire and possibly for Whitewater as well. Last time around, Whitewater settled for field goals three times and survived with a 16-14 win.

Surprisingly close game
Ryan’s take: No. 4 Muhlenberg at Dickinson. The Mules have been caught a little off-guard at times, eking out tight wins against Johns Hopkins and Franklin & Marshall in conference play. Dickinson is on par with those two squads – and has a better playmaker under center. And as far as the stat sheets are concerned, it’s rare to find two teams such as Muhlenberg and Dickinson that are so evenly matched on all major offensive and defensive fronts.
Keith’s take: Plymouth State at MIT. The Panthers took control of the NEFC Boyd race and made themselves the playoff bid favorite with a win against Curry last week, but the 5-3 Engineers will be a stout test. RB DeRon Brown, who rushes for a national-best 184 yards per game and has scored 21 touchdowns, should give MIT a chance.
Pat’s take: Marietta at No. 18 Otterbein. This game is sandwiched right in between Capital and Mount Union for Otterbein. ’Nuff said.

Most likely Top 25 team to get upset
Ryan’s take: No. 9 Washington & Jefferson. Thomas More’s Week 1 loss to John Carroll must feel like ancient history at this point in the season. Even with three games left, the Saints are riding high, getting a whiff of the playoffs and having their best season in half a decade.
Keith’s take: No. 6 UW-Whitewater. Who knows if it’s really likely, but it’s a startling prospect, that our defending champion could go from No. 2 with first place votes to out of the playoff picture in two weeks. No. 19 UW-Eau Claire lost 16-14 at home in Week 2, the game that counted in the WIAC standings, but both coaching staffs get a do-over when the teams meet for the second time, in a “non-conference” game.
Pat’s take: No. 22 RPI. With Union unveiling a revamped defensive scheme last week against St. Lawrence, which gave up some rushing yardage but just 14 points, none of them after the first quarter. RPI has averaged just 109 yards per game on the ground since the Engineers’ opening two games against Endicott and Utica, so the key for Union is containing quarterback Jimmy Robertson.

They’ll be on your radar
Ryan’s take: East Texas Baptist. The Tigers’ opponent, Mary Hardin-Baylor, can be interpreted as being out for blood or picking itself up after last week’s loss. What’s more interesting is whether ETBU can capitalize against a team that has shown its flaws.
Keith’s take: I’m curious to see if Cal Lutheran is legitimate, and hosting No. 20 Occidental is their chance to prove it. Also I’ll be keeping an eye on No. 22 RPI since I really want to be there as well as in San Antonio.
Pat’s take: Adrian. The Bulldogs should beat Alma and set up a showdown with Trine for the top spot in the MIAA next week. Adrian’s only overall loss is to the healthy Capital back in Week 1.

Which conference front-runner faces the biggest challenge from a current runner-up: Christopher Newport at N.C. Wesleyan, Northwestern against Crown, or Muhlenberg at Dickinson?
Ryan’s take: Christopher Newport at N.C. Wesleyan. After needing the first couple weeks of the season to adjust to a new head coach and the loss of a good senior class, the Bishops have found ways to put points on the board. Turns out though, behind a running back that put up 225 and 254 yards in his last two outings, that’s CNU’s specialty, too. Repeat after me the key to winning: d-e-f-e-n-s-e.
Keith’s take: Christopher Newport. N.C. Wesleyan seems to have hit its stride, winning four of five and averaging 40.5 points per game in its past four.
Pat’s take: Trinity (Conn.) vs. Amherst. I’m going to go off the script here because I don’t see the UMAC outcome being different than it was when Northwestern won on the road at Crown in September. I think Amherst will provide a bigger challenge to the Bantams.

Which team impresses the most in Week 9 coming off of a lopsided loss last week: Capital, Linfield or Wheaton?
Ryan’s take: Wheaton. As the only team of this bunch playing an opponent with a winning record, the Thunder at least have the biggest opportunity to be impressive. Capital and Linfield will spend the weekend picking on their conferences’ bottom rungs. Wheaton still has a Pool C bid to think about.
Keith’s take: Wheaton. A win at 5-2 Elmhurst would be a strong bounce-back for Wheaton from a thumping at the hands of North Central. Playing a team you know can beat you if you don’t play your best is the best motivation for a week of practice.
Pat’s take: Capital. It’s three losses in a row for the Assmann-less Crusaders and they need a win pretty badly in their final home game.

How will the cluster of East Region teams with one regional loss get solved this week?
Ryan’s take: It won’t. Worcester Polytech will drop off, though, replaced by the in-region one-loss St. John Fisher. The rest of the cluster will have to wait a week for any tangible change.
Keith’s take: It won’t. Hobart and WPI meet head-to-head and that will sort things a little bit. It’s possible we’ll see upsets, but the big games (Rowan-Montclair State and Cortland State-Ithaca) are still ahead.
Pat’s take: It’ll actually get more complicated. Because of the above-mentioned Union/RPI upset, that is. At least I have to be consistent within myself, right?

The NCAA released its first 2008 regional rankings today.

Teams are listed with their regional record first, followed by their overall record. For more information about the playoff format and how participants are determined, check out our FAQ.

EAST REGION
1. Cortland State 7-0 7-0
2. RPI 5-0 6-0
3. Ithaca 5-1 6-1
4. Montclair State 6-1 6-1
5. Rowan 6-1 6-1
6. Hartwick 5-1 5-1
7. Worcester Polytech 6-1 6-1
8. Hobart 5-1 5-1
9. Plymouth State 5-1 7-1
10. Husson 6-0 6-2

NORTH REGION
1. Mount Union 6-0 7-0
2. North Central (Ill.) 7-0 7-0
3. Otterbein 7-0 7-0
4. Wabash 6-0 7-0
5. Trine 7-0 7-0
6. Case Western Reserve 6-0 7-0
7. Wheaton (Ill.) 6-1 6-1
8. Franklin 5-1 6-1
9. Adrian 5-1 6-1
10. Rose-Hulman 7-1 7-1

SOUTH REGION
1. Muhlenberg 7-0 7-0
2. Millsaps 6-0 7-0
3. Washington and Jefferson 6-0 7-0
4. Trinity (Texas) 6-0 7-0
5. Mary Hardin-Baylor 5-0 6-1
6. Hardin-Simmons 7-1 7-1
7. Huntingdon 1-0 7-0
8. Catholic 5-1 6-1
9. Salisbury 2-0 7-1
10. Thomas More 6-1 6-1

WEST REGION
1. Willamette 7-0 8-0
2. Occidental 6-0 6-0
3. Monmouth 8-0 8-0
4. UW-Stevens Point 3-1 6-1
5. UW-Whitewater 5-1 6-1
6. Cal Lutheran 5-1 5-1
7. Redlands 5-1 5-1
8. Northwestern (Minn.) 5-1 7-1
9. Concordia-Moorhead 4-2 5-2
10. St. John’s 5-2 6-2

Hmm, yes, it’s getting late in the season and slowly but surely there are a lot fewer variables in the playoff picture.

Keith and I run through some of them, plus discuss the Top 25 distress from the past weekend, ponder the various choices for the No. 2 spot in our poll and on our ballots, consider how the NCAA might pair up West Coast and Southeast/Southwest teams that make the playoffs and the like. Plus Keith gives his take on a couple of interesting play calls, including taking points off the board.

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 D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast [33:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is another good game day to be sitting in front of the virtual TV. I’m not entirely sure I will shell out $12 for the Linfield/Willamette game — and with our Adam Johnson on the scene in McMinnville, I know we’ll get a good perspective on the game anyway.

Tonight I’ll be watching the Wheaton/North Central game online. Still pondering what early game or games I’ll be following most closely this afternoon, but I’ll probably use one computer to surf through a bunch of games and the other to follow Otterbein/Capital or Whitewater/Stevens Point or the like.

Gordon Mann reports in from Williamsport, Pa., that the weather will have an impact on the Delaware Valley/Lycoming game. Lycoming still has grass, which is a couple years away from being in the minority. Just under half of Division III football fields have one of the various brands of infill artificial turf.

Where you’re at, I hope it’s mild and dry.

Get your minds out of the tailgate area and back on to the field. We mean be wary of coming off a loss and limping out of the blocks in the following week’s game. Capital, Wittenberg and UW-Eau Claire all need to avoid that, and Gordon Mann, Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan give you their thoughts on which team won’t be able to.

The trio also kicks in three suggestions for Week 8’s most significant matchup and let you know which conference has no ranked teams but a good shot at playoff success. And as always, once the guys are finished rambling, feel free to chime in yourselves in the comments area below.

Game of the Week
Gordon’s take: No. 16 Willamette at No. 23 Linfield The winner of this game wouldn’t officially punch their playoff ticket for at least another week, but they will have that ticket firmly in hand. Both have picked up the pace offensively, even without the lopsided wins over Lewis & Clark. Can the Bearcats (264 rushing yards per game) keep their ground game churning against Linfield (92 rushing yards per game allowed)?
Pat’s take: No. 22 Delaware Valley at Lycoming. The games get ratcheted up a level when there’s no hope for an at-large bid, and that’s what we have here. Plus, add in the traditional grind-it-out aspect of the MAC and the fact that you have the last two MAC dynasties taking the field
and it should be entertaining.
Keith’s take: No. 7 North Central at No. 4 Wheaton. You guys are drunk. I hear you, the losers of your games won’t have quite the playoff shot that the Cardinals or Thunder will retain, but still … We’ve got the Little Brass Bell rivalry, a pair of undefeated top 10 teams and what’s sure to be a raucous Wheaton crowd for the 7 p.m. CT kickoff.

Surprisingly close game
Gordon’s take: Millikin at North Park. NPU has the longest running conference losing streak at 57 games and this is the best chance to stop it. Both teams are winless in CCIW play and the Vikings host this year. Plus, they have showed some offensive spunk, scoring more points than the average opponent against No. 4 Wheaton (Ill.) and No. 7 North Central (Ill.).
Pat’s take: Catholic at No. 18 Hampden-Sydney. Because I’d like to pick this game in the next section down, but I don’t think I honestly can. So all I can say is that it might be closer than expected.
Keith’s take: Ohio Northern at John Carroll. We understood when the Polar Bears lost to North Central, Mount Union and Otterbein, teams that are a combined 18-0. But since a stunning home defeat against Muskingum, Ohio Northern outscored Heidelberg and Marietta 69-0. It might not mean they’re recovered enough to beat 5-1 John Carroll, but the Polar Bears at least have enough of their mojo back to keep it respectable.

Most likely Top 25 team to get upset
Gordon’s take: No. 22 Delaware Valley. The MAC race is wide open, but home-field advantage has been a pretty good predictor of who wins. Set aside games involving King’s and the home team is 6-3 so far. This will be the first time most of the Aggies play in Williamsport and the Warriors have outgained their opponent every game this season.
Pat’s take: No. 3 Mary Hardin-Baylor. I think we should favor the Crusaders in this game. And I think they will struggle at NAIA Southern Oregon, with the long trip, a team less experienced in making these road trips and a running back corps decimated by injury.
Keith’s take: No. 14 Trinity (Texas). Only because I’ve booked a five-segment round-trip to San Antonio next week for the Tigers’ matchup with Millsaps. And backed out on plans to go to the way-too-early-this-year Dutchman’s Shoes Game at RPI to make it happen. So it’ll be just my luck for Sewanee to swoop in and spoil the unbeaten-on-unbeaten action. (The Majors are off this week, for what it’s worth)

They’ll be on your radar
Gordon’s take: Frank Wilczynski. The junior quarterback for Rowan (remember them?) already set the school record for quarterback rushing touchdowns in a season (eight). He’s also thrown 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions. The Profs play Buffalo State this week before starting a three-game stretch against Kean, Montclair State and New Jersey that could put Rowan back in the NCAA postseason.
Pat’s take: Plymouth State. I think there’s a chance that Curry’s long NEFC winning streak ends right here.
Keith’s take: St. Scholastica. I’ve got to boost the power source to get the radar to reach Duluth, but it’ll be worth it if Division III’s newest team can get its first win. The Saints were an overtime away from winning at Macalester two weeks ago. They’ll be hosting Trinity Bible, which is coming off a win against Minot State-Bottineau, and playing at Public Schools Stadium.

Which team has the biggest hangover from last week’s loss; Capital, Wittenberg or UW-Eau Claire?
Gordon’s take: Wittenberg. Capital has a home game against a ranked opponent and UW-Eau Claire can point to last season as evidence that there’s still a thin Blugold chance they make the NCAA playoffs by winning out. Wittenberg has neither as they head east to Carnegie Mellon with two losses after last week’s heartbreaker against Wabash.
Pat’s take: Capital. The Crusaders have struggled with their crosstown rivals even when they’ve had good years. Otterbein is a little better now and just as motivated as they always are. The Cardinals need this win because it doesn’t get any easier, with Mount Union and John Carroll yet to come.
Keith’s take: Wittenberg. The Tigers, who lost in painful fashion to a competitive rival, and had their playoff and conference title chances sink with it, have the most reason for a hangover. But there’s nothing like a televised game (at Carnegie Mellon on ESPNU) to get players to snap into it, so the hangover might not preclude Wittenberg from winning.

Which lost-its-luster game would you just as soon avoid?
Gordon’s take: St. Norbert atRipon. If we’re talking strictly in terms of postseason implications, Guilford/W&L is slightly less relevant since Hampden-Sydney needs one win and Monmouth needs two clinch their automatic bids. But, given the chance, I’d enjoy seeing Josh Vogelbach and the Guilford offense at work.
Pat’s take: Guilford at Washington and Lee. I would’ve pictured this game with an impact on the race for the ODAC crown. Instead, it’s the only conference game this week that doesn’t involve a team within one game of the lead in the loss column.
Keith’s take: St. Thomas at Carleton. It’s not so much that I’d want to avoid this one. But if I were planning to catch a Carleton game, I’d be crossing my fingers that the Knights can make it to Nov. 8 (Week 10) at Concordia-Moorhead without picking up a second MIAC loss, and hoping the Cobbers do the same. That way we can at least have a tidy conclusion to a seven-way race.

Which conference without a team ranked in this week’s poll will go deepest into the playoffs?
Gordon’s take: The MIAC. It has to be someone in the West, right? I could see the MIAC rep getting a favorable match-up with the MWC or the IIAC champ. Pencil UW-Whitewater in as the top seed and a NWC/SCIAC first round match-up. Otherwise that region looks pretty open.
Pat’s take: The NESCAC. Matchups may dictate otherwise but I can see it likely that every one of the conferences currently without a ranked team goes one-and-out. So here’s a chance for the NESCAC to tie for first.
Keith’s take: The MIAC. Gordon stole my answer and my reasoning. A low seed in the North is going to get a game at Mount Union or Wabash or Wheaton/North Central. Oooh, fun. In the South, enjoy your trip to Muhlenberg, or maybe Millsaps. You get the point. It’ll be a low-seeded team out of the East or the West, perhaps a No. 7, that springs an upset or two. And although MIAC teams have been beating up on each other, it doesn’t seem like whoever lasts longest will be worse for the wear. This is also the year for the MWC champ to make its move.

The news today that Division III football players won’t be able to participate in the Aztec Bowl this season only drives home more strongly the point that Division III football should have its own All-Star game.

The Aztec Bowl has been fine in a lot of ways. Sure, we wish it gave more players the chance to participate, or that it were held in a place that we could get to, or that it didn’t coincide with the Stagg Bowl or the playoffs, but it did provide three things: organization, funding and a ready-made opponent (the Mexican college league’s champion).

But after ONEFA dropped the ball, we can’t expect the AFCA to be left holding the bag for another $50,000, considering that would double what they already spend. I’m convinced we could do it cheaper, and I know we could do it better, here at home.

Why should we spend all the money it takes to fly people to Mexico and deal with all the administrative hassles required in crossing the border, etc.? Why should we tell seniors who play on the Stagg Bowl teams, or sometimes the semifinal teams, that they can’t play because Mexico schedules the game when it’s convenient for them?

For the vocal minority that insists the Stagg Bowl should be played in a warmer climate, here’s your chance. Let’s put the All-Star game in a warmer climate, scheduled after the Stagg Bowl, and see how it draws. Let’s give 96 seniors the chance to participate instead of 48.

And meanwhile, let’s find that all-important $100,000. Unfortunately, that’s a significant amount of money, far more than D3sports.com’s annual budget. (That’s why we all work full-time jobs.) But if scheduled in the right location, I think we can get it done.

This weekend not only put a new twist on a couple of rivalries, it put a new twist on some conferences’ standings as well. It’s not just the new mess at the top of the MAC, MIAC, and the like — it’s new second-place teams in conferences, teams that could be talked about for playoff at-large bids.

Keith McMillan and I discuss those in this week’s Around the Nation podcast.

Of course, there were those two fantastic finishes as well. Hear from the St. John’s defensive lineman who recovered St. Thomas’ fumble and the call of the game as Wabash knocked off Wittenberg (Brent Harris on the call).

You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

Or you can click the play button below to listen.

 

 Around the Nation Podcast [30:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you’re not heading out to a game, this is a great day to track multiple games online from home. Our Scoreboard page has audio, video or live stats for every game involving a Top 25 team, for instance. Just hover your mouse over the link icon and see what pops up for each game.

I’ll be at St. John’s/St. Thomas. I gave serious consideration yesterday to hopping in a car and driving to Wabash-Wittenberg. If Wabash had been hosting I would have been far more likely, as a nine-and-a-half-hour drive sounds a lot more palatable than a 12-hour one.

We’ve already laid out all the implications of the weekend on the Triple Take and the front page. What’s left, I think, is to actually play the games.

Chime in with any updates you’re tracking, as always.

At least among the top 25, Week 7 is one without many major clashes. But when it’s expected to do well, that’s when a team’s focus can wane. It’s human nature. The best teams avoid those lapses. Ryan Tipps, Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan take a stab at which ranked teams will have a slip-up, which will get caught looking ahead to their Week 8 showdowns and which teams have to show everyone something against this week’s opponent.

Game of the Week
Ryan’s take: No. 9 Capital at John Carroll. How does a team like Capital bounce back from a punishing loss against the OAC’s big dog? Are they nursing their wounds or out for blood? The relatively overlooked Blue Streaks are 4-1 and probably wondering the same thing. John Carroll hasn’t been tested much in wins against three of the OAC’s bottom-rung teams, and Capital will certainly add a new dimension to JCU’s strength of schedule. Capital needs to rebound while John Carroll needs to prove it’s for real.
Pat’s take: No. 6 Wabash at Wittenberg. These teams have to be considered to be much closer together than their No. 6 vs. unvoted-on rankings would suggest. Wittenberg will need to be able to hold onto the football a little better than it did against Washington U., a 30-27 loss in which it turned the ball over four times.
Keith’s take: Ripon at Monmouth. Given third choice, I’ll go with a game in one of the conferences I write about the least. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that St. Norbert usually has things wrapped up by now. Maybe it just seems that way. The potential here for Ripon, a program with a proud history, to take a step toward a place it hasn’t been in quite some time is significant by itself. Then you throw in the possibility of a three-way race in the MWC, or that the conference could potentially make a run at its first Pool C bid, and we’ve got a game that bears watching.

Surprisingly close game
Ryan’s take: Johns Hopkins at Ursinus. Johns Hopkins is hot; Ursinus is not. While the Blue Jays have already matched their win total from last year and are looking at having their best season since 2005, the Bears are on a (lopsided) two-game slide. Atmosphere will be on Ursinus’ side in front of a Homecoming audience, but at seven weeks into the season, Ursinus is the only team in the Centennial not to have had an athlete named as a conference player of the week. But it’s a team effort, and the team – especially the defense – will be needed Saturday. This game shouldn’t be close, but it will be.
Pat’s take: Heidelberg at No. 1 Mount Union. I mean, surprisingly close in that it’ll be closer than the eight-touchdown game that seems to be expected.
Keith’s take: Mississippi College at No. 3 Mary Hardin-Baylor. After losing their first two games, plus star quarterback Adam Shaffer to a season-ending knee injury, the Choctaws have settled down under freshman Tommy Reyer and gone 2-1. The final score might not reflect it, but they could give the Crusaders a scare for a while.

Most likely Top 25 team to get upset
Ryan’s take: No. 22 Carleton. The Knights are having something of a Cinderella season at the top of the competitive MIAC, but there are still lots of spoilers along the way, including Gustavus Adolphus this week. The Gusties have shown that they can move the ball on good teams, and Carleton’s defense took a big hit last week giving up 41 points. So confidence may be a factor. But the Knights also have a knack for winning the turnover battle and for a measured and balanced offense of runs and passes. The Gusties will need to disrupt that dance to win.
Pat’s take: No. 9 Capital. I’m thinking the Crusaders are in line for a little bit of a letdown after last week’s pounding at Mount Union, while John Carroll needs the win to stay anywhere near the playoff hunt. JCU has allowed just 14.6 points per game, though it will need to put some points on the board.
Keith’s take: No. 8 North Central. It’s not that I think the Cardinals are bad; I have had them ranked higher than their poll position for several weeks now. Choosing a top 25 upset is never easy, and if you’re the slowest “expert” to grab the file and you get third pick of the available games, it’s even harder. Carthage is talented enough to push North Central, which could be too eagerly anticipating its rivalry clash and potential defacto title game vs. Wheaton next week.

They’ll be on your radar
Ryan’s take: Lycoming. The Warriors are rallying hard this year under their new coach, having already beaten the MAC’s two most-talked-about teams from ’07. Wilkes has carried its difficulties from last season with it into this year, opening the door for Lycoming to gain momentum going into a showdown against fellow conference kingpin Delaware Valley next week.
Pat’s take: Chapman. But with the Panthers’ home game against No. 24 Occidental kicking off at 10 p.m. ET, they may not be on your radar until sometime on Sunday. Chapman has fared well against a schedule that is comparable to Occidental’s.
Keith’s take: Thomas More. I thought about Cal Lutheran, WPI, Plymouth State and Wooster in this spot, but none of them have more to prove than the 4-1 Saints, who face 4-2 Grove City with a chance to stay unbeaten in the PAC and establish itself as a playoff darkhorse. Defense has been the specialty of late, with none of the past three opponents scoring more than 12 points. The Wolverines represent perhaps Thomas More’s most significant challenge since a season-opening loss against John Carroll.

What’s the better rivalry-type game this year: UW-Oshkosh vs. UW-Whitewater (100 meetings), St. John’s vs. St. Thomas (77 meetings), Wabash vs. Wittenberg (11 meetings) or Trinity, Texas vs. DePauw (nine meetings)?
Ryan’s take: Wabash vs. Wittenberg. It feels strange after spending so much of the season with loyalty blinders on that I now balk at hyping an important game involving my alma mater, Wabash. But I know the intensity of this game – and the series, which at 6-5 means that just one win in Wittenberg’s favor separates the two teams. A rivalry has tradition and meaning to it, and the 2002 regular season upset of Wittenberg in overtime was the start of a fall for the Tigers, and they haven’t won a playoff game since. But on the line is often the North Coast automatic playoff bid, which this game has decided in each of the past three years. The twist for ’08 is that Wabash is still breaking in a new coach, who brings a playbook full of new schemes on offense and defense. For Witt and ‘Bash, neither side will be fully aware of what the other is capable of.
Pat’s take: Wabash-Wittenberg. Enough said.
Keith’s take: That was going to be my choice too, over the Minnesota face-off. It’s a huge achievement for the winner, to emerge from the game favored among three contending NCAC teams. The Little Giants and Tigers have a history that seems to befit a rivalry longer than 11 years.

Which team stumbles on the way to next week’s big matchup, Delaware Valley, Lycoming, North Central, Wheaton, Linfield or Willamette?
Ryan’s take: North Central. Carthage’s win over Illinois Wesleyan in Week 5 proves that the Red Men have the chops to take down tough competition. But they’re not necessarily riding high at the moment after a loss last weekend. However, you don’t blow leads in the fourth quarter without learning something, and Carthage will be looking to pluck the feathers off a North Central team that has feasted its way to an undefeated record by playing teams that are only a combined 5-21.
Pat’s take: Lycoming. Wilkes on the road screams out as a classic trap game. Wilkes hasn’t played poorly but is 1-4, with three of the losses by one score.
Keith’s take: Willamette. There’s a chance none of them falter, and yes North Central was my pick to stumble while looking ahead under an earlier category. But in the interest of diversity, Pacific Lutheran seems as likely an opponent to pull off an upset as any of the others we have to choose from. The Lutes returned just eight starters, and have been competitive in losses to three teams with three wins each (St. Olaf, Cal Lutheran and Gustavus Adolphus). It’s time the young players grow into their roles.

With a win this weekend, which unbeaten team will most deserve a place in the Top 25: Curry, Monmouth, Trine or RPI?
Ryan’s take: Monmouth. It’s not just that the Scots have already beaten the Nos. 3 through 6 teams in the Midwest Conference, it’s that in most instances, they’ve manhandled the bunch. Ripon is Monmouth’s last big threat – and a win here against the 5-1 Red Hawks would give Monmouth an impressive win and vote of confidence toward the Top 25.
Pat’s take: Trine. I wouldn’t cast a ballot for any of the other three, since they haven’t played anyone in my current Top 40 so far this season. But RPI has the best chance later in the season.
Keith’s take: Trine. You could make a pretty good case for all of them, to be honest, but if the Thunder improves to 6-0, it will include a win over then-No. 14 Franklin and the defending MIAA champ/playoff representative in Olivet.

Keith McMillan talks at length about some of the trips he has taken since starting the Around the Nation column back in 2001. Some of those trips he and I have taken together, sometimes he’s been on his own, but the goal, at least unofficially, is to see every Division III team play someday, and see a game in every home stadium.

Now, to be honest, that isn’t very realistic. The fact remains that it’s very difficult to see more than one game in a weekend, which limits the number of teams either of us can see in a season. And I recently moved away from the east coast, where I had a much better chance of knocking teams off the list. But I’ll continue to give it a try.

I’m only counting the teams I’ve seen play (must have seen at least half of a game to qualify) and stadiums I’ve been in for a D-III game. I’ve also visited a bunch of campuses and walked through, or around a bunch of stadiums: Aurora, Beloit, Concordia (Ill.), Delaware Valley, Hamline, Huntingdon, Illinois Wesleyan, LaGrange, Lake Forest, Lebanon Valley, Lewis and Clark, Millsaps, Mississippi College, North Park, Northwestern, Oberlin, St. Thomas, Susquehanna, Trinity (Conn.), Wittenberg, Wooster, WPI. But I’ve seen 108 teams play, by my count, and seen games in 61 stadiums.

This doesn’t count Swarthmore, which I saw play back in the ’90s. Unfortunately, it seems that was a one-time occurrence.

Some of the places I’ve seen games have changed quite a bit. I mean, I was at St. John Fisher in 1994 but I know the stadium isn’t a bit like that was. I saw FDU-Madis… excuse me, FDU-Florham in a different era. Soon my view on RPI will be outdated. But they all count. And maybe I’ll get back there again.

Here’s who I’ve seen play, starting in 1991: Albright, Alfred, Augsburg, Augustana, Aurora, Benedictine, Bethel, Blackburn, Bridgewater (Va.), Brockport State, Cal Lutheran, Capital, Carleton, Carnegie Mellon, Catholic, Central, Chicago, Christopher Newport, Coast Guard, Coe, Cortland State, Crown, Curry, Delaware Valley, Dickinson, East Texas Baptist, Elmhurst, Emory & Henry, FDU-Florham, Franklin & Marshall, Frostburg State, Gallaudet, Gettysburg, Greensboro, Grove City, Guilford, Gustavus Adolphus, Hampden-Sydney, Hanover, Hardin-Simmons, Hobart, Howard Payne, Huntingdon, Ithaca, John Carroll, Johns Hopkins, Kean, King’s, Linfield, Louisiana College, Lycoming, Macalester, Maranatha Baptist, Mary Hardin-Baylor, McDaniel, McMurry, Merchant Marine, Methodist, Millsaps, Mississippi College, Minnesota-Morris, Montclair State, Mount Union, Muhlenberg, North Carolina Wesleyan, New Jersey, Newport News, Nichols, North Central, Northwestern (Minn.), Pacific Lutheran, Principia, Randolph-Macon, Rockford, Rowan, RPI, Salisbury, Shenandoah, Springfield, St. John Fisher, St. Olaf, St. John’s, St. Scholastica, St. Thomas, Susquehanna, Thiel, Thomas More, Trinity (Conn.), Trinity (Texas), Union, Ursinus, UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stout, UW-Whitewater, Washington and Jefferson, Washington and Lee, Washington U., Waynesburg, Wesley, Western Connecticut, Wheaton, Widener, Wilkes, William Paterson, Williams, Wittenberg, Worcester State.

Key gets: I went out of my way to see Cal Lutheran when they came to Muhlenberg in 2002. Saw a bunch of teams last year at the UMAC’s Dome Day. Picked off both Macalester and St. Scholastica just this past weekend. Saw both Susquehanna and Grove City play at Dickinson, in 1999 and 2000, and never since. Traveled with Catholic when I was a student to a game at the University of Chicago.

And the schools at which I’ve seen games: Albright, Augsburg, Benedictine, Bridgewater (Va.), Capital, Carnegie Mellon, Catholic, Central, Chicago, Coast Guard, Cortland State, Dickinson, Elmhurst, FDU-Florham, Franklin & Marshall, Frostburg State, Gallaudet, Gettysburg, Hampden-Sydney, Hardin-Simmons, Johns Hopkins, Kean, King’s, Linfield, Lycoming, Macalester, Mary Hardin-Baylor, McDaniel, McMurry, Merchant Marine, Montclair State, Mount Union, Muhlenberg, New Jersey, North Central, Randolph-Macon, Rowan, RPI, Salisbury, Shenandoah, Springfield, St. John Fisher, St. Olaf, St. John’s, Thiel, Trinity (Texas), Union, Ursinus, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, UW-Whitewater, Washington and Jefferson, Washington U., Wesley, Western Connecticut, Wheaton, Widener, Wilkes, William Paterson, Williams, Worcester State.

New this year: East Texas Baptist, Macalester, St. Scholastica, Wartburg,

There are certainly some holes in this list. Never seen Wabash (or DePauw, take it easy, people!). I’ve never been to a SCIAC school or seen anyone from the Midwest Conference. Didn’t take nearly enough advantage of my year in Connecticut. But I’ll get the list down, slowly but surely.

Not sure if Keith will chime in with his list, but anyone else is welcome, of course.