NAPERVILLE – North Central is the preseason football favorite in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW), according to a ballot submitted by league head coaches in early August. The Cardinals, also ranked first nationally in a preseason poll released by D3football.com, received eight first-place votes in the CCIW poll.
| 2024 CCIW Preseason Football Coaches' Poll |
| Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. North Central (8) |
80 |
| 2. Wheaton (2) |
74 |
| 3. WashU |
65 |
| 4. Augustana |
51 |
| 5. Carroll |
49 |
| 6. Illinois Wesleyan |
42 |
| 7. North Park |
38 |
| 8. Carthage |
24 |
| 9. Elmhurst |
17 |
| 10. Millikin |
10 |
With 80 of a possible 81 points in the poll, NCC is the favorite in the CCIW for the third consecutive season and the fifth time since 2018. The Cardinals went 9-0 against league foes last season, extending their CCIW win streak to 33 games and winning their third consecutive league title. North Central was 14-1 last season and played in its fourth consecutive Stagg Bowl.
Wheaton notched 74 points and two first-place votes to slot into the second position in Monday’s poll. The Thunder won 10 games last season and advanced in the Division III Playoffs for the third time since 2019. Wheaton was ranked ninth in the D3football.com preseason poll released on July 24.
The team selected third in Monday’s poll was WashU. The Bears, who twice (2021, 2022) have represented the league in the Culver’s Isthmus Bowl, collected 65 points from the coaches’ ballots. Augustana, which finished third in the CCIW and played in the Culver’s Isthmus Bowl for the first time last season, was picked fourth in the preseason CCIW poll with 51 points.
Carroll (49 points), Illinois Wesleyan (42 points) and North Park (38 points) were voted fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively on Monday. Carthage (24 points), Elmhurst (17 points) and Millikin (10 points) held the final three spots.
The CCIW football season officially kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 5 when Carroll visits Wisconsin-Stout at 6 p.m. in Menomonie, Wis., the first of nine games for CCIW membership during the opening week of NCAA Division III competition.
Follow the CCIW
|
CCIW on X |
CCIW Instagram |
CCIW Facebook |
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).