North Central Still #1; Wheaton Remains in Polls After Hard-Fought Opener

NAPERVILLE — North Central will head into its season opener this Saturday versus Wisconsin-Oshkosh as the nation’s #1 team, claiming the top position in polls released by D3football.com on Sunday and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on Monday.

Wheaton, which fell short in its opener at #2 Mount Union on Saturday, dipped to #22 in both new polls.

The Cardinals received 23 of 25 first-place votes from the D3football.com voters and 51 of 52 top billings from the coaches. The Cardinals join #5 St. John’s, #9 Wisconsin-La Crosse and #12 Bethel as the only ranked teams yet to have opened their seasons. All four squads will play their first game of the campaign this Saturday.

Wheaton piled up 383 yards and blitzed the Raiders for 22 fourth-quarter points before dropping Saturday’s opener in Alliance.

WashU, a 49-0 winner over Rhodes last Saturday night, received 25 points in the AFCA poll. The Bears gained 435 yards, limited the Lynx to just 122 yards and led 42-0 at halftime.