NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Wheaton was predicted to defend its College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) football title based upon the results of the conference's preseason coaches' poll announced Thursday.
The Thunder won the poll with 78 points and six first place votes following a regular season title and appearance in the NCAA's quarterfinal round in 2019. It was the program's 19th CCIW regular season title and ninth under former coach Mike Swider, who retired in the spring of 2020.
Defending NCAA Division III national champion North Central placed second in the poll with 76 points and four first place votes. The Cardinals' claimed the conference's fifth football national title in December of 2019 and are a 14-time CCIW champion.
Illinois Wesleyan placed third with 58 points. The Titans have won 16 conference titles in program history including nine under Norm Eash, the longest-tenured head football coach in the CCIW.
WashU placed fourth in the poll with 56 points following back-to-back third place finishes in 2018 and 2019.
Millikin was fifth with 49 points, followed by Augustana and Carthage in a tie for sixth with 41 points each, Carroll in eighth (18 points), Elmhurst in ninth (17 points) and North Park in 10th (16 points).
Voting is done by the CCIW's head football coaches. Each coach votes for the nine other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (nine points for first, eight for second, etc.). Coaches do not vote for their own teams.
The 2021 CCIW football season begins Saturday, September 4 and the conference schedule can be found
here.
2021 CCIW Preseason Football Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points (1st Pl. Votes) |
| 1 |
Wheaton |
78 (6) |
| 2 |
North Central |
76 (4) |
| 3 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
58 |
| 4 |
WashU |
56 |
| 5 |
Millikin |
49 |
| T-6 |
Augustana |
41 |
| T-6 |
Carthage |
41 |
| 8 |
Carroll |
18 |
| 9 |
Elmhurst |
17 |
| 10 |
North Park |
16 |
2019 CCIW Football Standings
| Institution |
CCIW |
Overall |
| Wheaton |
9-0 |
12-1 |
| North Central |
8-1 |
14-1 |
| WashU |
6-3 |
7-3 |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
6-3 |
6-4 |
| Augustana |
5-4 |
6-4 |
| Millikin |
4-5 |
5-5 |
| Carthage |
4-5 |
4-6 |
| Carroll |
1-8 |
2-8 |
| Elmhurst |
1-8 |
1-9 |
| North Park |
1-8 |
1-9 |
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL).