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CCIW Coaches' Chat Archive

Aug. 5, 2010 - The North Central College football team has emerged as the favorite to claim the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championship for the fifth consecutive season, according to the annual preseason poll of the CCIW's head coaches. The results of the poll were released prior to the start of the live online coaches' chat on Thursday.

The Cardinals, who shared last season's conference title with Illinois Wesleyan University, received six of the eight first-place votes and totaled 48 points in the poll. Wheaton College received one first-place vote and 41 points, while Augustana College and Illinois Wesleyan each compiled 33 points. Augustana also received a first-place vote.

Carthage College was fifth in the poll (28 points), followed by Millikin University (21), Elmhurst College (13), and North Park University (7).

North Central went 8-2 in 2009, with a 6-1 record in CCIW play. The Cardinals are 31-4 against their conference opponents over the past five years, winning or sharing the conference title in each of the past four seasons. North Central enters the 2010 season ranked 14th nationally by D3football.com and The Sporting News, 15th by Lindy's Sports, and 16th by USA Today Sports Weekly.

The Cardinals open the season Sept. 4 at Cornell College (Iowa), with the home opener scheduled for Sept. 25 against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. North Central's first CCIW game will be Oct. 2 against Carthage.