NAPERVILLE, Ill. - North Central College was selected as the 2026 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football preseason favorite in a poll voted on by the league’s nine head coaches. The Cardinals received 64 points with all eight possible first-place votes, as coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
The Cardinals enter the 2026 season as the unanimous preseason favorites for the fifth year in a row as they seek their sixth straight CCIW championship and 20th overall. At the helm of No. 1 nationally-ranked North Central is Brad Spencer, who enters his fifth season leading the squad and is coming off a perfect 9-0 record in league play and 14-1 season overall in 2025. The Cardinals’ only loss came in the national championship to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and they haven’t conceded a loss to a league opponent since 2019.
North Central returns 14 starters from the 2025 squad, along with 10 of its league-leading 19 all-conference honorees. Calling the signals for the Cardinals is junior quarterback and 2025 All-American Garrett Wilson. Wilson led all of Division III in passing efficiency with a mark of 197.8, while tossing 42 touchdowns with 3,080 yards and running in five more. Leading the Cardinals’ attack on the ground is junior running back Donovan McNeal, who rushed for 1,595 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025.
Defensively, senior defensive lineman Bobby Medina and junior linebacker Matt Janiak return and are looking for another strong season holding down the interior of the Cardinals’ defense. Medina had 15 tackles for loss last season, along with 10 sacks for a total loss of 130 yards for opponents, while Janiak had 119 total tackles along with two interceptions. The 2025 national runner-up is looking to make a strong defense of its CCIW title while pushing for another run to reach the Stagg Bowl for the seventh straight season.
Projected to finish second and looking to challenge the projected No. 1 team is Wheaton College, which earned 57 points along with one first-place vote. Wheaton enters the season ranked No. 5 nationally. The Thunder last won the conference championship in 2019 and were last voted to finish first in a preseason poll in 2021. The Thunder finished second in the final 2025 standings with an 8-1 conference record and an 11-3 overall record that concluded with a run to the quarterfinal round of the Division III playoffs. Wheaton hasn’t fallen to a conference opponent other than North Central since 2018.
Head coach Jesse Scott enters his seventh year at the head of the program and returns 13 starters along with nine of the Thunder’s 16 2025 all-conference selections. Leading the offense is senior quarterback Mark Forcucci, who accounted for 36 touchdowns through the air along with three on the ground. Leading the rushing attack is junior running back Matt Crider, who rushed for 15 touchdowns and 957 yards. Also returning for the Thunder’s offense is Preseason All-American guard Aiden Byrne.
Defensively, Wheaton returns Preseason All-American junior linebacker Zeke Harris. Harris’ sophomore campaign included 119 total tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and five sacks. The Thunder also return the league leader in interceptions, senior safety Colin Moore, another Preseason All-American for the Thunder, who totaled eight interceptions in 2025. With a solid core of returners for the 2026 season, Wheaton looks to regain the conference championship crown for the first time since 2019 and claim its 20th overall.
Coming in third in the poll is Augustana College, which earned 47 points and is coming off a 7-3 season that included a 6-3 CCIW record. Head coach Steve Bell returns 17 starters and three all-conference members from the 2025 season as he enters his 11th season leading the Vikings.
Junior quarterback Jimmy Makuh returns for the Vikings following a strong sophomore season, totaling 23 touchdowns, 2,525 yards and a league-leading 229 completions with a 70% completion rate. The Vikings’ defensive attack is headed by the defensive tackle and edge duo of TJ Klein and Ronde Worrels, who each recorded more than 20 total tackles last season. Historically, Augustana owns the most CCIW football championships with 21, and after turning things around in 2025 following a 4-6 season in 2024, the Vikings look to capitalize on the momentum they built last season and challenge the top two squads.
Ranked fourth with 45 points is Illinois Wesleyan University, led by second-year head coach Jared Williamson. The Titans return a conference-high 20 starters from last season, along with three All-CCIW selections. Illinois Wesleyan enters its 2026 campaign as an experienced squad fresh off a 4-6 season with plenty of positives to build off of.
Carroll University was picked to finish fifth in the conference after picking up 32 points. Led by sixth-year head coach Mike Budziszewski, the Pioneers return eight starters and one all-conference member from their 2025 season. Since 2021, Carroll has consistently finished in the middle of the pack, with win percentages ranging from .400 to .600, but the Pioneers look to turn the tide and challenge the top teams in the league in 2026.
Carthage College was ranked sixth in the poll after picking up 29 points. The Firebirds are led by head coach Matt Popino, who enters his third season at the helm of the squad. Carthage returns four all-conference selections from last season for its upcoming campaign.
Projected to finish seventh after picking up 25 points in the poll is North Park University. Led by eighth-year head coach Kyle Rooker, the Vikings return an experienced group of 15 starters along with one All-CCIW honoree.
Millikin University was picked to finish eighth overall, gathering a total of 17 points. Second-year head coach Billy Riebock is set to lead the Big Blue as they look to build off the three-win improvement of the 2025 campaign and move up in the rankings by the end of the season.
Elmhurst University was ranked ninth heading into the season with eight total points. Second-year head coach Mike Heffernan welcomes the return of nine starters.
The 80th season of CCIW football kicks off Sept. 3 with Millikin taking on the University of Olivet, with the rest of the conference beginning play later that week. From there, the conference will begin a full slate of nonconference and CCIW action throughout the fall, with the conference schedule taking center stage on Sept. 19.
Games being played at CCIW venues can be streamed for free all season long through the CCIW Network.