DIII CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

CCIW

#55 overall#13 in DIIIRR50 -13.7Upper strength -12.09 teamsTop 25 teams 0

VERDICT BEGINS · 2026

North Central's Naperville Era

North Central College won back-to-back DIII national championships in 2019 and 2021 — their first titles in the modern era — from Naperville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb of 150,000. Wheaton College, Elmhurst, Illinois Wesleyan, and North Park compete in a conference that spans the Chicago suburbs and downstate Illinois, drawing from one of the country's most productive high school football markets. The CCIW is the DIII conference closest to a Power Four recruiting market, and North Central's championships proved that proximity to Chicago is an asset at the non-scholarship level.

Division III9 teamsRace: DIII BracketLeader: North Central College

CCIW · 2026 Season

Three Things to Watch

The Champion

North Central: Chicago's DIII Program

North Central College in Naperville, Illinois won DIII national championships in 2019 and 2021 by recruiting the Chicago suburban market that Power Four programs prioritize for FBS prospects. The players who don't earn Big Ten offers but are genuinely competitive choose North Central for a reason: the program develops them, the campus is in one of the country's wealthiest suburban corridors, and the CCIW schedule prepares them for the DIII bracket. Their two titles changed how DIII programs think about recruiting proximity to major markets.

The Academic Rival

Wheaton: Faith and Football

Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois — the evangelical Christian academic institution that has produced more overseas missionaries than NFL players — has also won CCIW titles and appeared in the DIII bracket. Their program draws from faith-committed students across the country who choose Wheaton's academic profile, competing with a roster of players who are there for reasons that go beyond football. When their talent base aligns with their system, Wheaton is the CCIW's most dangerous opponent to North Central.

Wild CardIllinois Wesleyan: Bloomington's Tradition

Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington-Normal draws from downstate Illinois and the Central Illinois corridor — a recruiting territory that produces linemen and linebackers at a rate that the conference's Chicago-based programs often overlook. Their program has won CCIW titles and appeared in the DIII bracket, competing with a physical style that matches central Illinois's football tradition. In a year when North Central and Wheaton both struggle, IWU is the program most likely to claim the automatic bracket bid.

Conference Standings · CCIW · 2026

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1North Central College0–02–0-9.1
2Wheaton (IL)0–02–0-11.8
3Illinois Wesleyan0–02–0-13.8
4Carthage0–01–0-14.7
5Augustana (IL)0–01–1-13.6
6Carroll (WI)0–01–1-13.9
7Elmhurst0–01–1-15.5
8Millikin0–01–1-15.6
9North Park0–00–2-14.7

Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.

Projected Standings · CCIW · 2026

Win Projection

Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.

# Team W–L PWR AVG ≥8≥7≥6≥5≥4≥3≥2≥1
Favorites
1North Central College5–3+4.54.92123563859699✓
2Wheaton (IL)4–4+1.94.4162147749198✓
Challengers
3Augustana (IL)4–4+0.04.031436648697✓
4Illinois Wesleyan4–4-0.24.031335638596✓
The Field
5Carroll (WI)4–4-0.24.031335628596✓
6Carthage4–4-1.03.82113058829599
7North Park4–4-1.13.82113057829599
Rebuilding
8Elmhurst4–4-1.83.6292653799499
9Millikin4–4-2.03.6282652789499

Conference Power · Division III

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1Wisconsin
-12.1
0–2Wisconsin Whitewater
2American Southwest
-12.3
—Hardin Simmons
3USA South
-13.3
—LaGrange
4Old Dominion
-13.4
—Randolph Macon
5Southern Athletic
-13.6
—Berry
6Centennial
-13.6
—Johns Hopkins
7American Rivers
-13.6
2–0Wartburg
8Northwest
-13.6
—Whitworth
9Minnesota
-13.7
1–0Bethel (MN)
10Presidents'
-13.7
—Saint Francis
11Commonwealth Coast
-13.7
—Endicott
12North Coast
-13.7
—DePauw
13CCIWYou are here
-13.7
—North Central College
14NEWMAC
-13.8
—Springfield
15Michigan
-13.8
3–2Hope
16So. Cal.
-13.8
—Whittier
17Ohio
-13.8
1–0John Carroll
18Liberty League
-13.9
—Ithaca
19Empire 8
-14.1
—SUNY Cortland
20Landmark Conference
-14.1
—Susquehanna
21Southern Collegiate Athletic
-14.2
—Texas Lutheran
22New Jersey
-14.2
—Salisbury
23Heartland
-14.2
0–1Hanover
24Mid Atlantic
-14.2
—Delaware Valley
25NACC
-14.2
3–0Aurora
26NESCAC
-14.3
—Trinity (CT)
27MSCAC
-14.4
—Plymouth State
28Midwest
-14.5
1–1Monmouth (IL)
29Upper Midwest
-14.6
—Northwestern (MN)

Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = CCIW's record vs. that conference across all games this season.

North Central College won back-to-back DIII national championships in 2019 and 2021 — their first titles in the modern era — from Naperville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb of 150,000. Wheaton College, Elmhurst, Illinois Wesleyan, and North Park compete in a conference that spans the Chicago suburbs and downstate Illinois, drawing from one of the country's most productive high school football markets. The CCIW is the DIII conference closest to a Power Four recruiting market, and North Central's championships proved that proximity to Chicago is an asset at the non-scholarship level.

Conference Snapshot

RR50-13.7
Upper Strength-12.0
Median Power-13.9
Resume Pulse55.0
Avg ATS--
Wins vs Market+0.00
Top-to-Middle Gap4.8
Combined Record11-6

`RR50`, `Upper Strength`, and `Median Power` are shown on the same public power scale as the rest of the site: points on a neutral field versus the average all-level NCAA team. Very small affiliations are gently regressed toward their subdivision baseline so a one-team outlier does not hijack the entire conference board.

CCIW Team Board

The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.

Rank Team Record Power Resume ATS Wins vs Market Recent Form
#432 North Central College 2-0 -9.1 76 -- +0.00 2-0 over the last 2 (W1 W2)
#457 Wheaton (IL) 2-0 -11.8 74 -- +0.00 2-0 over the last 2 (W1 W2)
#525 Augustana (IL) 1-1 -13.6 60 -- +0.00 1-1 over the last 2 (W1 L2)
#536 Illinois Wesleyan 2-0 -13.8 76 -- +0.00 2-0 over the last 2 (W1 W2)
#539 Carroll (WI) 1-1 -13.9 39 -- +0.00 1-1 over the last 2 (W1 L2)
#588 Carthage 1-0 -14.7 70 -- +0.00 1-0 over the last 1 (W1)
#592 North Park 0-2 -14.7 29 -- +0.00 0-2 over the last 2 (L1 L2)
#632 Elmhurst 1-1 -15.5 44 -- +0.00 1-1 over the last 2 (L1 W2)
#635 Millikin 1-1 -15.6 28 -- +0.00 1-1 over the last 2 (L1 W2)