NAPERVILLE, Ill. -  The CCIW football race continues Saturday with four conference matchups across the league. Wheaton enters the weekend alone atop the standings at 4-0 in conference play and 6-0 overall, while Illinois Wesleyan and Carroll sit one game back at 3-1.

Carroll travels to Wheaton for a 1 p.m. matchup with direct implications near the top of the standings, while North Central looks to stay in the conference race on the road at Elmhurst. North Park visits Carthage in another 1 p.m. kickoff before Illinois Wesleyan and Millikin close out the day with a 6 p.m. matchup in Decatur.

Wheaton earned the No. 1 national ranking last week following a thrilling 13-10 win over North Central in the Battle for the Little Brass Bell. The Cardinals currently stand at No. 3 in the D3football.com poll and No. 4 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll. Illinois Wesleyan is still receiving votes in the AFCA poll. 

In the latest NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings, Wheaton is No. 4, Illinois Wesleyan is No. 19, and North Central is No. 35. NPI is a ranking system used in Division II and Division III to evaluate team performance. NPI considers game results and the strength of opponents to calculate a team's NPI value and ranking. 

With four weeks of conference play remaining, Saturday's slate provides another opportunity for separation as teams continue to position themselves in the CCIW standings.

Fans can catch all the action on the CCIW Network live and free throughout the entire season.

Schedule

Current Records

Team	CCIW	Overall
Wheaton	4-0	6-0
Illinois Wesleyan	3-1	5-1
Carroll	3-1	4-2
North Central	2-1	4-1
Augustana	2-2	3-3
Carthage	1-2	2-3
Millikin	1-3	2-4
Elmhurst	0-3	1-4
North Park	0-3	0-5

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
Week 5	Will Nazha, Illinois Wesleyan  9 receptions, career-high 168 yards, 2 TDs; 619 receiving yards this season.	Zeke Harris, Wheaton  11 tackles (6 solo), 1 sack; helped hold North Park to 148 total yards.	Lach Sullivan, Illinois Wesleyan  2-for-2 FG, 4-for-4 PATs; 10 points; long of 36 yards.
Week 6	Ben Ludlum, Augustana 223 all-purpose yards, 5 total TDs; 209 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs; 13-yard receiving TD.	Zeke Harris, Wheaton 18 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT; game-clinching takeaway.	Matt Worthington, Illinois Wesleyan 2 punts, 133 yards; 66.5 yards/punt; longs of 67 and 66 yards.

National Honors

The CCIW has had eight 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

Week 5-

Offense: Will Nazha, WR, Illinois Wesleyan

Week 6-

Defense: Zeke Harris, LB, Wheaton

Special Teams: Matt Worthington, P, Illinois Wesleyan
 

Statistical Leaders

Wheaton leads the CCIW in both scoring offense and scoring defense, averaging 37.5 points per game while allowing just 9.8. Augustana's Ben Ludlum leads the league in rushing with 805 yards, 10 touchdowns and 134.2 yards per game, while Wheaton's Mark Forcucci has thrown for a conference-best 1,492 yards and 11 touchdowns. Illinois Wesleyan's Will Nazha continues to lead all receivers with 693 yards and 115.5 yards per game.

On special teams, Illinois Wesleyan's Matt Worthington leads the CCIW with a 44.9-yard punting average and has seven punts of 50 or more yards, including a long of 67. North Central's Sean Ryniec is 6-for-6 on field goals with a conference-long 56-yarder.

Defensively, North Park's Armando Martinez leads the conference with 10.8 tackles per game, while Wheaton's Zeke Harris has a league-high 63 total tackles. Carroll's August Johansen leads the CCIW with 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, and Illinois Wesleyan's Lucas Lappin has a conference-best four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

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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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.).