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2017 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Final Standings (Courtesy of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference)
Overview: In their final season as a member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC), the Eureka College Red Devils (8-3 overall in 2017) beat out nine other teams in finishing 8-1 in conference play, winning the league title, and landing an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Eureka ended the regular season with eight straight wins after starting the 2017 season at 0-2. The Red Devils season ended in the first round of the playoffs, with St. Thomas cruising to a convincing 47-8 win.
Fast-forwarding to 2018, though, the UMAC will have one less team to contend with within its own conference, as Eureka exits the league to join the more geographically friendly Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). That move leaves the UMAC with nine teams to do battle for this year's crown, with MacMurray (8-2 in 2017) and St. Scholastica (7-3 in 2017) both expected to contend for the top spot in the league after both teams finished conference play in a tie for second place at 7-2 last year.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Crown
Greenville
Iowa Wesleyan
MacMurray
Martin Luther
Minnesota-Morris
Northwestern (Minn.)
St. Scholastica
Westminster (Mo.)
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2017 Midwest Conference Final Standings (Courtesy of the Midwest Conference)
Overview: The two division champions-St. Norbert in the North, and Monmouth (Ill.) in the South-advanced to the 2017 Midwest Conference Championship Game on November 11 in Monmouth, Illinois. In a low-scoring game, the Scots outlasted the Green Knights 9-6 to claim the conference championship, as well as the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Monmouth's season ended in the first round of the D-III playoffs, as Trine trounced the Scots 63-24.
As for 2018, who knows what could happen in the Midwest Conference? Could Monmouth and St. Norbert be headed towards a potential rematch? Or will other teams step up to move one step closer to postseason play this fall? Like the saying goes, "stay tuned".
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
North Division
Beloit
Chicago
Lawrence
Macalester
Ripon
St. Norbert
South Division
Cornell (Iowa)
Grinnell
Illinois College
Knox
Lake Forest
Monmouth (Ill.)
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2017 CCIW Final Standings (Courtesy of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin)
Overview: In one of the tightest races in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) history, the 2017 season ended with North Central (10-2 overall) and Illinois Wesleyan (9-2 overall) sharing the conference crown at 7-1 in league play. However, thanks to their 26-13 win over the Titans on September 16, the Cardinals captured the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs. They advanced to the second round, where they fell to Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
As for Illinois Wesleyan, the Titans enjoyed their best season since 2009, as they won a share of the CCIW crown en route an 8-2 overall record in 2017. Their postseason run was cut short in the first round of the D-III playoffs, falling to Case Western Reserve in a 28-0 shutout.
A quick look ahead to 2018 shows that the CCIW once again will be a conference to watch at the D-III level, with three of its teams-North Central at No. 7, Wheaton (8-2 overall, 6-2 CCIW in 2017) at No. 18, and Illinois Wesleyan at No. 21-all ranked in the d3football.com preseason poll. Don't be surprised if any of these three teams advance to postseason play when November arrives. Meanwhile, the newest member of the CCIW comes from not from Wisconsin or even Illinois, but from just across the Mississippi River in Missouri, in the form of Washington University in St. Louis.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Augustana (Ill.)
Carroll (Wis.)
Carthage
Elmhurst
Illinois Wesleyan
Millikin
North Central
North Park
Washington (Mo.)
Wheaton
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2017 WIAC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
Overview: From 2005-2014, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks were not only the most dominant team in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) but also one of the most dominant programs at the NCAA Division III level as a whole. Over that 10-year span, the Warhawks advanced to the Stagg Bowl 10 straight years, winning six national championships, including five of them in a six-year stretch between 2009 and 2014.
However, over the last three years (2015-2017), the Whitewater mystique has faded significantly, with Wisconsin-Oshkosh winning two of the last three WIAC championships while advancing to the national championship game in 2016, losing to Mary Hardin-Baylor in the Stagg Bowl. As for the 2017 edition of UWW, the Warhawks overcame a slow start at 1-3 to close out the season with six straight wins, as well as a second place finish in the WIAC at 6-1 to finish 7-3 overall.
Going into the 2018 season, Wisconsin-Oshkosh is once again expected to win another WIAC title after being ranked No. 2 in the Street and Smith's preseason poll. However, the Titans, who finished the 2017 campaign at 12-1 overall after falling to eventual national champion Mount Union 43-40 in overtime in the national semifinals, will get a stiff challenge from a Wisconsin-Whitewater team that's ranked No. 6 in that same preseason poll, as well as from a Wisconsin-La Crosse squad that's coming off of its' best season in quite some time at 8-2 overall. That's not to mention that there's a Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers team that's looking to have its say as to who will come out on top in the WIAC this fall.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Wisconsin-La Crosse
Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Wisconsin-Platteville
Wisconsin-River Falls
Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Wisconsin-Stout
Wisconsin-Whitewater
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2017 NACC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference)
Overview: The Lakeland University Muskies cruised to an undefeated record in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play at 6-0 to win at least a share of their third conference championship in four years, but also advance to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the third straight year. However, the Muskies postseason run was cut short in the first round, as Wisconsin-Oshkosh ended their season with a 63-0 rout.
The NACC expands its membership by one team this fall, as Eureka College jumps into the mix for 2018.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Aurora
Benedictine (Ill.)
Concordia-Chicago (Ill.)
Concordia (Wis.)
Eureka
Lakeland
Rockford
Wisconsin Lutheran
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2017 GMAC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference)
Overview: The inaugural season of Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) football was eventful in more ways than one. First, the Ohio Dominican University Panthers overcame a 0-3 start to finish 7-0 in GMAC play, and win the conference's first-ever championship. The seven-game season-ending winning streak allowed the Panthers to finish 7-3 overall.
Second, the University of Findlay Oilers advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs at 9-2 despite losing to Ohio Dominican in the regular season finale, which gave the GMAC title to the Panthers. However, the second place finish in conference play didn't deter the Oilers when postseason play arrived, as they stunned a Shepherd squad that finished the regular season undefeated at 10-0 in the first round of the playoffs, only to fall to Assumption in the second round. Findlay finished the 2017 season at 10-3 overall after the loss to Assumption.
If that wasn't enough, the Hillsdale College Chargers finished the season with four straight wins to finish 7-4 overall, and 5-2 in the GMAC, good enough for sole possession of third place in the league, while the Walsh University Cavaliers managed to finish their inaugural season of GMAC play at 4-3 in the conference despite finishing at 4-7 overall.
With the 2018 season fast approaching, Findlay has brought national attention to the GMAC with the Oilers ranked at No. 21 in the Street and Smith's preseason poll. The Oilers will get a critical early non-conference test at Ferris State on September 8, followed by the re-match vs. Ohio Dominican at home two weeks later.
Finally, the GMAC adds a new member in the Tiffin University Dragons from Ohio. The Dragons finished their 2017 season at 6-5 overall, and 5-4 in their final season in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Alderson Broaddus
Findlay
Hillsdale
Kentucky Wesleyan
Lake Erie
Malone
Ohio Dominican
Tiffin
Walsh
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2017 GLVC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Great Lakes Valley Conference)
Overview: The University of Indianapolis Greyhounds cruised to an undefeated regular season in 2017, finishing at 11-0 overall, and 7-0 in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play to clinch the conference title. But their postseason run was snuffed out in the first round by the surprising Harding University Bisons, as the No. 7 seed from Arkansas stunned the No. 2-seeded Greyhounds 24-21. The loss ended UIndy's season at 11-1 overall. Don't be surprised if the Greyhounds use that sudden season-ending loss as motivation for the 2018 season.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Indianapolis
Lincoln (Mo.)
McKendree
Missouri S&T
Quincy
Southwest Baptist
Truman State
William Jewell
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2017 GLIAC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
Overview: In the first year of a downsized Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) that was reduced to nine schools due to the defection of multiple members to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC), the Ashland University Golden Eagles finished conference play undefeated at 9-0 en route to an overall record of 11-2 in 2017, while the Ferris State University Bulldogs finished 8-1 in GLIAC action to finish in second place with the same overall record.
In the NCAA Division II playoffs, Ashland and Ferris State had one thing-or one team-in common: the Harding University Bisons, as the Arkansas-based squad ended the seasons of both GLIAC squads. The Bisons upset the Golden Eagles in the second round, then ousted the Bulldogs with a field goal on the game's final play in the quarterfinals the following week.
As the 2018 season approaches, expectations will remain high for Ashland and Ferris State, as both teams received national preseason rankings by Lindy's and Street and Smith's, respectively. The Bulldogs begin this season ranked as high as No. 3 by Lindy's, as well as at No. 19 by Street and Smith's. As for Ashland, the Golden Eagles will go into 2018 as the No. 15 team in D-II by Lindy's, as well as at No. 13 by Street and Smith's.
Finally, in other off-the-field news, the GLIAC's football membership falls from nine teams to eight this fall, as the Tiffin University Dragons from Tiffin, Ohio have left to join the GMAC.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Ashland
Davenport
Ferris State
Grand Valley State
Michigan Tech
Northern Michigan
Northwood
Saginaw Valley State
Wayne State (Mich.)
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2017 Ohio Athletic Conference Final Standings (Courtesy of the Ohio Athletic Conference)
Overview: Over the past 25 years (1993-2017), no program at any level of college football has been as dominant as the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders. In fact, since the start of the 1993 season, Mount Union has lost just 15 games combined, while winning 13 NCAA Division III national championships. Additionally, the Purple Raiders have won 28 Ohio Athletic Conference championships dating back to 1985, while also finishing as national runners-up seven times in school history.
Last season, Mount Union won its 13th NCAA Division III national championship with a 12-0 shutout win over 2016 champion Mary Hardin-Baylor, in what was the 25th and final Stagg Bowl played in Salem, Virginia. It marked a fitting ending to one of the greatest eras in college football history at any level, as the Stagg Bowl makes the move to Shenandoah, Texas for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. It'll be interesting to see if this year's Mount Union squad can make the trip to the Lone Star State come mid-December. While the site for the D-III national championship game may have changed, don't expect the expectations to change for the Purple Raiders: which is to find themselves in the hunt for yet another national championship.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Baldwin-Wallace
Capital
Heidelberg
John Carroll
Marietta
Mount Union
Muskingum
Otterbein
Wilmington
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2017 NCAC Final Standings - North Coast Athletic Conference (Courtesy of the North Coast Athletic Conference)
Overview: The Wittenberg University Tigers were once again the kings of the jungle for the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), as they not only clinched their 20th undefeated regular season but also their 15th conference championship in program history last season. But their postseason run was stopped cold by an upstart Frostburg State squad, as the visiting Bobcats from Maryland ended the Tigers season with a 35-7 loss in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Wittenberg's season ended at 10-1 overall with that loss.
Meanwhile, the two "Monon Bell" teams, Wabash and DePauw, both finished in a tie for second place in the NCAC at 8-2 overall and 7-2 in conference play. However, it was Wabash that claimed victory in the 124th edition of the rivalry between the two Indiana teams, as the Little Giants edged the Tigers, 22-21, in last year's meeting on November 11.
Heading into the 2018 season, expect Wittenberg to be favored to win yet another NCAC crown, while Wabash and DePauw look to be serious contenders for the conference championship.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Allegheny
Denison
DePauw
Hiram
Kenyon
Oberlin
Ohio Wesleyan
Wabash
Wittenberg
Wooster
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2017 MIAA Football Standings (Courtesy of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association)
Overview: The football champion from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) for the 2017 campaign came not from the state of Michigan, but from just across the state line in Indiana, in the form of the Trine University Thunder from Angola. The Thunder cruised through an undefeated 10-0 regular season, then proceeded to crush Monmouth (Ill.) 63-24 in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs, before being blown out by Wartburg 49-7 in the second round, to finish the season at 11-1 overall.
The only other MIAA team to post a winning record in 2017 was Hope College. Although the Flying Dutch finished at 8-2 last fall, they took eventual playoff participant Monmouth to the limit before losing 27-20 in the season opener on September 2. Hope's only other loss wasn't as close, as Trine trounced them en route to a 50-14 rout on October 21.
So, what should MIAA fans expect for the 2018 season? Expect Trine to be the favorites to win another league title this fall, with Hope not too far behind. Meanwhile, the Finlandia University Lions out of Hancock, Michigan will take the field for their first full season of football, bringing the MIAA's overall membership to eight teams.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Adrian
Albion
Alma
Finlandia
Hope
Kalamazoo
Olivet
Trine
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2017 HCAC Final Standings (Courtesy of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference)
Overview: After missing out on postseason play in 2016, the Franklin College Grizzlies returned to the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2017, thanks to winning their ninth Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championship in 11 seasons dating back to 2008.
Franklin (8-3 overall) avenged a 2016 defeat to Rose-Hulman (8-2) by knocking off the Engineers 29-22 in the 2017 meeting on October 21 en route to an undefeated 8-0 mark in HCAC action. In the first round of the D-III playoffs, the Grizzlies gave Wartburg all it could handle before bowing in a 35-34 overtime heartbreaker.
The burning questions that HCAC fans are asking going are these: Can Franklin win their 10th league title in 12 years this fall? Or will Rose-Hulman rise to the occasion, and land in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons? One or both questions could be answered over the course of this upcoming season.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Anderson
Bluffton
Defiance
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Mount St. Joseph
Rose-Hulman
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2017 Mid-States Football Association Final Standings (Courtesy of the Mid-States Football Association)
Mideast League
Midwest League
Overview: Over the last two seasons, no team in the NAIA has been as dominant as the University of Saint Francis Cougars from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Cougars have compiled a combined overall record of 27-1 during that span, including an undefeated mark of 14-0 overall in winning back-to-back national championships in 2017. On December 16, St. Francis (Ind.) outlasted Reinhardt, 24-13, to repeat as national champions.
Going into the 2018 season, St. Francis (Ind.) should once again be considered as the team to beat, as they try to "three-peat" as national champions. But the Cougars will have multiple teams within their own conference trying to dethrone them, with Concordia (Mich.)-(9-2 overall in 2017), Marian (7-3), and St. Xavier (10-2) trying to thrust themselves in both the MSFA and national championship conversation respectively.
Additionally, two new programs will join the MSFA mix, as the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats of Marion, Indiana, and the Lawrence Technological University Blue Devils from Southfield, Michigan, will take the field for the first time this fall.
NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2018 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for preseason previews, schedules, schedule updates, and much more.
Mideast League
Concordia (Mich.)
Lindenwood-Belleville
Marian
Missouri Baptist
Saint Francis (Ind.)
Siena Heights
Taylor
Midwest League
Olivet Nazarene
Robert Morris (Ill.)
Saint Ambrose
Saint Francis (Ill.)
Saint Xavier
Trinity International
First-Year Programs
Indiana Wesleyan
Lawrence Tech
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