Every week, Keith McMillan, a guest and I take a tour through the weekend’s games, giving you our take on what the big games, big upsets and new names will be coming out of the upcoming week. Our Triple-Take guest this week is D3football.com broadcaster John McGraw, who also has some loyalties he needs to disclose later.

Game of the Week
John’s take: RPI at Union (Dutchman’s Shoes). There’s certainly nothing like rivalry weekend in Division III football. Obviously there are many great rivalry games around the country and to the fans of those particular teams and those games, that is their “game of the week.” But, not only will the Dutchman’s Shoes be on the line at Bailey Field in Schenectady, N.Y., when Union hosts RPI, a Liberty League championship and a playoff bid could go to the winner. The four-team race in the Liberty League makes my head spin, but either team helps their chances greatly with a victory over their rival.
Keith’s take: No. 4 Central at No. 12 Wartburg. I think you are all well aware by now where my Game of the Week is. Hampden-Sydney and Randolph-Macon play a huge rivalry game on the campus of my alma mater with a conference title and playoff bid on the line. But truthfully, Central-Wartburg and No. 3 St. John’s visit to No. 16 Bethel are more important. Both have wide-ranging playoff implications if the lower-ranked team forces its way into the 32-team field without knocking its 9-0 opponent out of the mix. Since I had to choose, I went with the game in Iowa, which is slightly more likely to produce a fantastic ending, since that’s pretty much the way Central likes ‘em all.
Pat’s take: No. 10 Wheaton at Illinois Wesleyan. This game, along with the game Keith chose, can impact two conference automatic bids, in this case the CCIW and the MIAA. Hope and Olivet, two of the three teams tied for first in the MIAA, played Wheaton and Illinois Wesleyan respectively and their opponents’ records are the tiebreaker that it appears will settle the automatic bid. Oh, and Wheaton can win the CCIW automatic bid with a victory, so that’s important too. IWU can win the automatic bid if it wins and North Central loses at Carthage.

Surprisingly Close Game
John’s take: Wheaton at Illinois Wesleyan. Last year, Wheaton hammered Illinois Wesleyan 49-14 at home en route to an appearance in the NCAA playoffs. In the CCIW preseason poll, the coaches selected Wheaton first and Illinois Wesleyan sixth. While IWU hasn’t had a winning season since 2002, the Titans are looking for a repeat of their home upset of Wheaton in 2005.
Keith’s take: St. Olaf at St. Thomas. Coming off an 85-point week, the 7-2 Oles probably can’t play their way into the postseason, and they know it. That could leave room for a sloppy performance against a 2-7 Tommies team that put up some serious offense in a 51-34 loss at St. John’s two weeks ago. There are some other key games that could be close, like Capital/Baldwin-Wallace, but that wouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Pat’s take: Moravian at No. 15 Muhlenberg. Not that I think Muhlenberg is going to lose this game, per se, but the rivalry has a little added bonus this year now that both teams are again in the same conference after a quarter-century. Moravian hasn’t had a bad season itself, coming into the game a 6-3, and could be fighting for an ECAC postseason “bowl” game, not to mention the spoiler aspect of knocking Muhlenberg out of a potential first- or even second-round home game. Picture a 17-13 game, depending on weather.

Top 25 team most likely to be upset
John’s take: No. 4 Central. The last three times the Dutch have gone on the road, they have come out with a victory of seven points or less, including a 37-34 triple-overtime thriller over Dubuque on Oct. 20. Only three of Central’s nine games this season have been decided by more than one score. Aside from a hiccup against Augsburg, Wartburg has been tough at home all season. I’m not sure how much magic the Dutch have left, if this game comes down to the wire, after so many nail-biters already.
Keith’s take: No. 9 Wabash. There are a bunch of top 25 teams who are playing for their playoff lives or even a postseason home game, but the 9-0 Little Giants might have wrapped up both in the North. DePauw can’t affect the playoff picture much, but at home and at 7-2, it’s no slouch, and won’t have trouble finding a reason to want to knock off its Monon Bell rival anyway.
Pat’s take: No. 19 UW-Eau Claire. When in doubt, go with the WIAC team, right? At 4-5, UW-Stout hasn’t been playing too badly after the offseason upheaval and these rivals, separated by 26 miles of I-94, have played some of their common opponents very favorably. Besides, Stout can play spoiler to Eau Claire’s faint playoff hopes.

They’ll be on your radar
John’s take: Cal Lutheran. After an 0-2 start under new coach Ben McEnroe, it appeared the Kingsmen would be bound for a rebuilding year. Since then, Cal Lu (5-0, 5-3) has won five out of its last six games and can clinch the SCIAC auto-bid to the NCAA playoffs with a victory at home over Redlands. Not bad for a program that has never been to the NCAA tournament.
Keith’s take: North Central. The Cardinals don’t even play the biggest CCIW game Saturday, but they can get their hands on a share of the conference title, unlike its opponent Carthage, which has an identical 7-2 record. While Wheaton is controlling its destiny against Illinois Wesleyan, North Central will have to motivate itself with hopes of a three-way tie.
Pat’s take: Curry. You heard it here first — the Colonels might be able to win a playoff game this season if they beat Coast Guard and maintain their lofty seeding. But that’s only because I can’t take Olivet again this week after picking them for Week 10.

Which game most deserves the “Biggest Little Game in America” designation that more than one rivalry claims?
John’s take: Having witnessed the Williams-Amherst rivalry first-hand (2002), I’m hard-pressed to pick against it. But, then again, what rivalry game sells out almost three weeks before the two teams take the field? The Cortaca Jug game between Ithaca and Cortland. It’s the hottest ticket in town when these two schools get together on the gridiron and tickets have sold out five times in the last six years. While Ithaca leads the all-time series, nine of the last 10 games have come down to the final minute and the last two have gone to overtime. Throw in the always miserable upstate New York weather in November, an always loud and boisterous crowd and lots of school spirit, and that’s what makes this rivalry great. (Full disclosure: I graduated from Ithaca and broadcast football at Cortland for four years).
Keith’s take: With ESPN’s College GameDay on site for Amherst-Williams, this one’s a no-brainer, at least for this Saturday.
Pat’s take: Someone has to stick up for Wabash-DePauw, right? Best part about the Monon Bell game is that it outdraws Cortaca and the schools somehow manage to pick up the pieces after this game and still compete in the playoffs. The NESCAC folks would have you believe that you can’t possible then go back and play in a playoff game after competing in the big season-ending rivalry, but Wabash would beg to differ. DePauw would beg to be able to beg to differ, but that’s a different story.

Who will have Pool C hopes surprisingly dashed?
John’s take: Bethel. A Week 1 loss to Buena Vista dooms the Royals if they cannot get past the Johnnies on Saturday. While it is going to be possible for a two-loss team to make the playoffs, I’m not sure if the Royals will be one of those teams. Bethel’s fate could be decided by how things play out in southern California and upstate New York.
Keith’s take: Redlands. Despite going 7-1 to this point with a non-conference road win against a likely playoff team, Whitworth, it appears even a victory over Cal Lutheran won’t guarantee the Bulldogs a spot in the playoffs. A three-way tie would be broken by the Rose Bowl rule, rewarding the spot to the team who has been to the playoffs least recently, sending the Kingsmen to the postseason even if they pick up their fourth loss, unless 3-5 Whittier manages to knock off Occidental and make the Redlands-CLU winner the automatic qualifier. Too bad the Bulldogs’ 1 p.m. local kickoff leaves them time to get over to Whittier to watch Occidental agonizingly ruin their plans in a 7 p.m. game.
Pat’s take: Mt. St. Joseph. At 4-5, Thomas More is playing for a .500 record, there’s a local rivalry on the line and of course, the spoiler factor. The Saints have had moments of brilliance (10-9 loss to Geneva) but haven’t quite put it all together against a good team. Does Mt. St. Joseph not take the Bridge Bowl game seriously enough? Preserving a one-loss resume heading into Selection Sunday should be enough motivation.

What winless team takes advantage of its last chance to get off the schneid?
John’s take: King’s. Only one time in the D3football.com era has King’s finished below .500. This year, the Monarchs have gone winless in nine contests. They’ve been close, a two-point loss to Hampden-Sydney, a three-point loss versus Albright and a four-point loss to Lebanon Valley. For a program that’s usually in the top half of the MAC, I can’t see King’s going 0-10. The Monarchs are 6-2 against FDU-Florham in their last eight meetings. Look for Tore Alaimo and company to go out on a winning note.
Keith’s take: Bates. Boy, it’s hard to really get behind any team that hasn’t pulled one together by this point. Playing for a win is sure to keep the competitive flames stoked, but confidence can go out the window quick if the game gets off to a bad start. In the case of the Bobcats, they just seem to have one of the most beatable opponents in 2-5 Hamilton, which scores a paltry 10.7 points per game.
Pat’s take: Juniata. It didn’t get any better for the Eagles after moving from the MAC to the Centennial and after losing two of the first four games by one score, Juniata has lost its last five by an average of three touchdowns. Juniata needs this one.

Every week, Keith McMillan, a guest and I take a tour through the weekend’s games, giving you our take on what the big games, big upsets and new names will be coming out of the upcoming week. Our Triple-Take guest this week is Ryan Carlson, former Linfield defensive lineman and publisher of Catdomealumni.com.

And our guest headline this week is from Ryan’s wife, Kelly, who described the scene of each of us updating our respective sites on a Friday night when we were in Oregon. (Never fear, there was at least beer being downed at the time.)

Game of the Week
Ryan’s take: Linfield at Whitworth. Being a Linfield honk, I think this is an easy call. It will be when the No. 12 Wildcats (4-2, 3-1 NWC) travel out to Spokane, Washington to lock up with the Pirates (5-2, 4-0 NWC). This game has major implications on not only the NWC title but will essentially eliminate one of the two from Pool B contention. The Rats (as Whitworth is known in NWC circles) feature a ball-hawking defense and grinding zone running attack. Linfield will counter with a surging defense and a more balanced offense than in years past.
Keith’s take: Rochester at RPI. About a dozen games this week will make or break the season for two teams. But how many affect four teams? The undefeated Engineers host the Yellowjackets in a game that pits two of the four Liberty League teams still alive for the crown and AQ. Hobart at Union matches the other two. Depending on the outcomes, next week’s RPI/Union Dutchman Shoes rivalry game could have title and playoff implications.
Pat’s take: Albright at Widener. It isn’t quite the culmination of what started as an awful season for the MAC but it’ll be pretty close, with the conference’s last two unbeaten teams facing off. (Albright still must play Delaware Valley the following week.) And this isn’t just because I’ll be there. Albright has the best shot at getting a decent NCAA playoff seed if it wins out, but has the best two teams for last.

Surprisingly close game
Ryan’s take: Carthage at Wheaton. This is a shot in the dark but after getting pasted last year by the Thunder look for the Red Men to keep it surprising close with the No. 4 team in the country. Of course, I’m probably way off base and the Thunder will roll by a double Monkey Stomp.
Keith’s take: Monmouth at Knox. The Scots have outscored the Prairie Fire 173-14 in the past four meetings, going back to a 27-23 game in 2002. The only reason to believe it might be surprisingly close is that its The Bronze Turkey rivalry game, and strange things have been known to happen. Mostly to the trophy though (Google it if you need to read up, they’re great stories).
Pat’s take: Washington and Jefferson at Thomas More. W&J may be content to rest on its laurels and this is a long trip to suburban Cincinnati. Last year Thomas More lost this game on the road 21-12.

Most likely Top 25 team to get upset
Ryan’s take: No. 24 Occidental. The Tigers (6-1) finally lost in the regular season with a resounding thud as the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen sacked Oxy 43-25 last weekend. Oxy will host a solid Chapman Panthers (5-2) squad that has ripped off 4 impressive wins in a row including a 44-30 victory over Cal Lu. I look for Oxy to still be reeling from last weekend and for Chapman to add to the misery.
Keith’s take: No. 18 Bethel. It’s not so much that I think 4-4 Augsburg is a better team, though they have averaged 38.3 points in three games since upsetting still-ranked Wartburg. I just know that it’s tough for players not to look ahead to the game that makes the season — Week 11’s St. John’s game in the Royals’ case.
Pat’s take: No. 16 Muhlenberg. Not that we don’t like Muhlenberg, but homestanding Ursinus is 7-1, 5-1 in the Centennial and playing for its postseason life the final two weeks. Although Muhlenberg ends with a rivalry game against Moravian, this wouldn’t be considered a trap game for the Mules — they know they need this game and the rivalry with Moravian has recently been described as more important to the alumni than the current players. Ursinus averages nearly twice as many yards on offense as Muhlenberg allows on average on defense, so it will be a good test for the Muhlenberg D.

They’ll be on your radar
Ryan’s take: Case Western Reserve, hosting Washington U. In following the Pool B thread of Post Patterns it seems that in order to help increase the Northwest Conference’s case for a Pool B slot a loss by Case Western would be a positive event. Heck I live in the Pacific Northwest so it doesn’t seem too odd to be rooting for a school named Washington University even if said school is from Missouri.
Keith’s take: Illinois Wesleyan. Before they can clash with Wheaton for the CCIW championship, they have to get past Saturday’s game at North Central. The Cardinals, because of two early-season losses, have dropped below the radar but remain dangerous. The Titans’ run is probably up here, but they’ve been proving people wrong ever since the CCIW portion of the schedule started, so why not once more?
Pat’s take: Olivet. The Comets started off 0-3 but against some decent competition: Illinois Wesleyan, Wittenberg and Elmhurst, a combined 16-8. Olivet is 4-1 in the MIAA and plays at Hope (5-3, 5-0) with title hopes on the line.

Will any of the nine teams that have a chance to clinch an automatic bid Saturday fail to do so?
Ryan’s take: Muhlenberg. The Mules have a seven-game winning streak over the Ursinus Bears but there have been some close shaves over that stretch. Both teams’ defenses have been stingy over the season so I see another nip and tuck game with the Bears getting their first win of the decade on the Mules.
Keith’s take: No. I feel fairly confident in all nine teams, from top-10 UW-Whitewater and Mary Hardin-Baylor to off-the-radar Hope and N.C. Wesleyan.
Pat’s take: Well, I’ve already mentioned Hope and Muhlenberg above, so if I were to spotlight someone new, I’d go with Concordia (Wis.). The Falcons’ loss at Greenville was a surprise, at least in terms of the margin of defeat (44-14). Benedictine is coming in strong, with four wins in a row, and if you’re a slave to the common opponents results, Benedictine won at Greenville on Oct. 6.

Which key Pool B game will be more exciting, Whitworth at Linfield or Wash. U. at Case Western Reserve?
Ryan’s take: No contest? Linfield at Whitworth. I’m not even sure how you could justify going the other way on that question. No offense to the UAA but play out in the NWC is just better.
Keith’s take: The big UAA clash lost a bit of its luster when Wash U. lost to Carnegie Mellon last weekend, but the Bears can still spoil the Spartans’ undefeated run and the conference’s chance at a playoff spot. The game in McMinnville, Ore., will be more exciting, because with a 3:30 kickoff Eastern Time, the result of the noon game in Cleveland should be in. Should Wash U. pull the upset, the Wildcats and Pirates will likely be playing for playoff position as well as the NWC title.
Pat’s take: Wash U. at Case Western Reserve, Ryan, because I can watch it for free online and Linfield charges at least an arm, if not an arm and a foot, for video of its games. What, the game’s at Whitworth, not at Linfield? Well, there goes that point. Seriously, both should be good, just in different ways.

Which New York team will help itself most?
Ryan’s take: Union helps out its cause by eliminating Hobart from title contention and set up the home game for all the marbles with RPI the final week of the season. That’s how Union rolls.
Keith’s take: An inside joke. Nice. I’m going to slide over the Empire 8 and say that Alfred rebounds from the Hobart thumping and barely gets past Ithaca to remain undefeated in-conference while a Week 11 showdown with St. John Fisher awaits.
Pat’s take: SUNY-Maritime, which is riding — or being ridden by — a seven-game losing streak heading into its season finale at Gallaudet. Maritime hasn’t won since Sept. 8 and can avenge a loss to the club Bison from 2006.