RFC Summer Semester--College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

What it is: Founded in 1946, the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) has competed at the NCAA Division III level since its formation in 1973. Of its current eight members, five (Carthage, Elmhurst, North Central, North Park, and Wheaton) are located in the Chicago metropolitan area. The other schools are located as far away as Bloomington and Decatur in central Illinois, and Rock Island in the northwest corner of the state. Carthage College, which is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is the only non-Illinois member of the CCIW.

Of the 37 national team championships the CCIW has won at the D-III level over the last 37 years, only four of them have been won in football, as Augustana (Ill.) won four straight titles on the gridiron from 1983-1986. Since that time, Wheaton is the only current CCIW member to make a deep run in the NCAA Division III playoffs, as the Thunder reached the national semifinals before losing to eventual national champion Mount Union, 45-24, in 2008.

Website: http://cciw.org/

Predicted order of finish (2009 overall record in parentheses, projected champion in BOLD type)

1. North Central (8-2): Despite winning a share of the CCIW crown in 2009, at 6-1, losses to Ohio Northern and Illinois Wesleyan helped deal a severe blow to the Cardinals postseason hopes. They hope the addition of 33 new players will get them back to the playoffs in 2010.

2. Illinois Wesleyan (10-2): The Titans won a share of their second conference title in three years, as well as a trip to the second round of the D-III playoffs after knocking off Wabash, 41-35, in double overtime. They're looking to win their first outright CCIW championship since 1996.

3. Augustana (Ill.)--(6-4): The Vikings have reached the NCAA playoffs 15 times dating back to 1976. Their last trip to the postseason, though, came in 2005.

4. Wheaton (7-3): Three losses in their last four games of the 2009 season derailed the Thunder's postseason dreams after a 6-0 start.

5. Carthage (7-3): The Red Men finished the 2009 season on a three-game winning streak. It was their third seven-win season in the last five years. The last time they won more than seven games, however, was in 2004, when they went 11-2, and reached the quarterfinals of the D-III playoffs.

6. Elmhurst (4-6): The Blue Jays lost four games in a row to end the 2009 season after starting 4-2.

7. Millikin (6-4): The Big Blue will play just one game outside the state of Illinois in 2010: a contest against CCIW foe Carthage on October 9.

8. North Park (1-9): The Vikings finished winless in the CCIW at 0-7 last season.