NAPERVILLE, Ill. - College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin football is off to a fiery start, with three teams holding undefeated conference records and two of those teams also winning out in their nonconference matchups. Wheaton College (4-0, 2-0 CCIW), North Central College (3-0, 1-0 CCIW) and Carroll University (3-1, 2-0 CCIW) currently sit atop the conference standings.
The consensus No. 1 nationally ranked team in both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and D3football.com polls, North Central, returns to competition this week well-rested after a bye in Week 4. Wheaton is coming off a 28-7 road win at Illinois Wesleyan University, which has consistently received votes in the AFCA poll and is currently the No. 4 team in the nation. Carroll rolls into its Week 4 matchup fresh off a 20-0 statement win against Carthage College.
Last week’s scores also included Augustana College’s (RV) strong 58-14 win over Elmhurst University and Millikin University’s tightly contested 31-27 comeback win over North Park University.
This week, three of the four conference matchups are respective institutions’ homecoming games, and all four contests will be played at 1 p.m. Illinois Wesleyan welcomes Carthage to Bloomington for its homecoming game, while Millikin will face Carroll for its own and Wheaton hosts North Park.
The Cardinals open their conference slate by facing Augustana, looking to add to their 52-game CCIW winning streak.
Third Week of Conference Schedule
| Saturday, October 3, 2026 |
| Away |
Home |
Time |
Location |
Links |
| North Park |
No. 3 Wheaton |
1:00 P.M. |
Wheaton, IL (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
| Carroll |
Millikin |
1:00 P.M. |
Decatur, IL (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
| Carthage |
RV Illinois Wesleyan |
1:00 P.M. |
Bloomington, Ill. (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
| RV Augustana |
No. 1 North Central |
1:00 P.M. |
Naperville, Ill. (Conf.) |
Stats | CCIW Network |
Current Records
| Team |
CCIW |
Overall |
| Wheaton |
2-0 |
4-0 |
| North Central |
1-0 |
3-0 |
| Carroll |
2-0 |
3-1 |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
1-1 |
3-1 |
| Augustana |
1-1 |
2-2 |
| Millikin |
1-1 |
2-2 |
| Carthage |
0-1 |
1-2 |
| Elmhurst |
0-2 |
1-3 |
| North Park |
0-2 |
0-4 |
CCIW Weekly Award Winners
|
Week
|
Offensive
|
Defensive
|
Special Teams
|
|
Week 1
|
Jimmy Makuh, Augustana
5 total TDs (3 pass, 2 rush); 16-of-23, 241 pass yds; 69 rush yds.
|
Phillip Carlton Jr., North Central
12 tackles (7 solo), 2.5 TFL, 1 sack.
|
Sean Ryniec, North Central
14 pts; 3-for-3 FG, 5-for-5 PAT; long of 56 yds.
|
|
Week 2
|
Dermot Smyth, Illinois Wesleyan
6 total TDs (5 pass); 22-of-39, 352 pass yds.
|
Joey DeMaio, Illinois Wesleyan
11 tackles (8 solo), 2 sacks, 1 INT.
|
Seth Kortenhoeven, Wheaton
33.0 yds/PR; 55-yd PR TD; leads DIII in PR yds.
|
| Week 3 |
Mark Forcucci, Wheaton
23-of-32, 250 yards, 5 TDs; became Wheaton's career leader with 74 TD passes.
|
Lucas Lappin, Illinois Wesleyan
11 tackles (8 solo), 1 INT; 30-yard pick-six; 3 INTs this season. |
Tyreke Fortney, Augustana
25.5 yds/PR; 102 yards total; long of 31 yards.
|
| Week 4 |
Ben Ludlum, Augustana
231 rushing yards, 4 TDs on 22 carries; 10.5 yards/carry; long of 55.
|
August Johansen, Carroll
6 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 sacks, 4 QB hurries; 21 TFL yards, 19 sack yards.
|
Seth Kortenhoeven, Wheaton 2 punt returns, 59 yards; 56-yard punt return TD; 29.5 yards/return; 2 PR TDs this season
|
National Honors
The CCIW has had five student-athletes named to D3football.com's Team of the Week, which honors the top performance at each position from the previous week.
Week One-
Special Teams: Sean Ryniec, K, North Central; Aiden Byrne, ST, Wheaton
Week Two-
Defense: Joey DeMaio, LB, Illinois Wesleyan; Matt Janiak, LB, North Central
Week Four-
Defense: August Johansen, DL, Carroll
Statistical Leaders
Wheaton College leads the CCIW in scoring at 44.8 points per game and also owns the league’s top scoring defense, allowing just 10.8 points per contest. North Central College follows offensively at 38.3 points per game, while Carroll University ranks second defensively at 11.0 points allowed per game.
Augustana’s Ben Ludlum leads the conference with 526 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while North Central’s Garret Wilson averages a league-best 282.0 passing yards per game. Wheaton’s Mark Forcucci has thrown for a conference-high 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Illinois Wesleyan’s Will Nazha leads all receivers with 451 yards.
Defensively, North Park’s Armando Martinez leads the CCIW with 42 tackles. Carroll’s August Johansen has recorded league highs of 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, while Illinois Wesleyan’s Lucas Lappin leads the conference with three interceptions.
On special teams, Wheaton’s Seth Kortenhoeven leads the league with two punt return touchdowns, while Millikin’s Giovanni Natale has made a conference-best seven field goals.
CCIW Network
The CCIW is proud to partner with Hudl in bringing fans the CCIW Network, the conference's digital home for live coverage. The CCIW Network is your one-stop destination for CCIW action throughout the year, giving fans the opportunity to stream live events free of charge and follow their favorite teams from across the conference.
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| CCIW Network |
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.).