Strong cheese: Wisconsin’s Division III league might have too much balance
One interesting part of Division III football is the change in competition across the state border.
For No. 1-ranked North Central in Naperville, its league schedule in the CCIW tends to lack drama, one might say. During the past six weeks, the Cardinals have won games by scores of 75-0, 59-10, 35-0, 44-14 and 62-0.
North Central hasn't lost a regular-season game since 2019. And how many of those victories came by fewer than two touchdowns? That would be zero. Wheaton lost by 13 points twice in that span, which is basically two TDs.
A short drive north sits the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It's generally regarded as the best football conference in Division III, and it has six teams ranked among the Top 25 by D3football.com.
Wisconsin-LaCrosse head coach Matt Janus played his high school football at Lake Zurich, which built its program into a powerhouse by playing bigger schools and tough competition during the regular season. Those rugged paths translated to playoff success when LZ took on opponents its own size.
The strong schedule in the WIAC is not paying off, however. There hasn't been a Wisconsin school reach the Division III title game since Whitewater in 2019. Is the league competitive to a fault?
“Attrition is 100% right,” Janus said. “We don't get the luxury to sub guys out. Our starters don't get the third or fourth quarter off because we're blowing a team out. By the time we get out of our conference season, you're pretty banged up.
“Last year, we were moving receivers to play defensive back for one of our playoff games. We're moving D-line to try to play O-line. You can't use practice to get better anymore because your guys almost need the entire week to get their bodies back.”
A week ago, LaCrosse was ranked No. 4 in the country, then got tripped up in a road game against No. 14 Platteville. The loss dropped Janus' team to No. 12, and LaCrosse gets another ranked opponent this weekend in No. 18 Oshkosh.
WIAC teams went 20-3 in nonconference games this fall. And that's just part of the story. Janus said he has a tough time finding teams willing to play the Eagles. This year, LaCrosse traveled to Pittsburgh and beat ranked Carnegie Mellon, went up a level to record a win over Division II Wayne State, and couldn't find a third noncon game.
Wisconsin-Whitewater used to be the dominant team in Division III, winning six national titles between 2007-14 under coach Lance Leipold, who is now at Kansas.
The rest of the league has caught up, obviously. One explanation for the strength of the WIAC is it's made up of public schools, with generally lower tuition than the private schools typically found in Division III.
“Absolutely, you can get a lot of people in at a reasonable price,” Whitewater coach Jace Rindahl said. “Without a doubt, the price tag is a pretty big factor in a lot of people's decisions, and a lot of people from Illinois can come to a school like Whitewater cheaper than they could go to a private, D3 school in Illinois.”
Rindahl has been at Whitewater since 2005, so he's seen the improvement from schools around the state.
“Universities, administrations have put more into football programs, whether it's facilities or staffing,” he said. “That's why I think you see a lot of parity these last couple years.”
Both those schools have a fair share of suburban players. The leading rusher at LaCrosse is Gabe Lynch from Carmel, while linebacker Tyler Burkley (Lake Zurich) is one of the defensive stars.
Whitewater's top receiver is Tyler Vasey (Prairie Ridge), and the top four tacklers are all from the suburbs — Ethan Gallagher (Lockport), Efrein Ramirez (Minooka), Karsten Libby (Wheaton North) and Jayden Fowler (Niles West).
Another issue for the WIAC is the regional nature of the playoffs. LaCrosse had to face Minnesota champ St. John's in the second round last year, while Platteville drew Iowa power Wartburg in the first game. And North Central will be looming at some point.
Eye on Augie
Augustana (5-1) is at it again, making a playoff push with a roster filled with suburban players. This year's squad features quarterback Jimmy Makuh (Hersey), leading rusher Ben Ludlum (Jacobs), top receiver Sean Schlanser (Plainfield North), and kicker Jacob Garbett (Glenbard South) on offense.
On defense, the leading tackler by a wide margin is Toby Splitt (Cary-Grove), who also has 3 interceptions. The offensive line is heavy with local players, including Matt Rambasek (Wheaton North), Jimmy Zitkus (Batavia), Zach Weiersheuser (Marmion) and Max Castle (Oswego).
The Vikings' lone loss was a rough one, 50-7 against Wheaton on Sept. 20. Augustana will test itself again Saturday when it visits No. 1 North Central in Naperville.