UPSETS RESHUFFLE AFCA DIVISION III COACHES’ POLL

WACO, TEX.— Losses by six teams in last week’s Top 25 have caused a major shake-up in the AFCA Division III Coaches’ Poll.

The top three are unchanged as No. 1 Mount Union rolled past Heidelberg, 62-2. No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor improved to 4-0 with a convincing 61-19 win over McMurry (Texas). No. 3 St. John’s (Minn.) is 5-0 after escaping with a 10-7 win over Carleton. Wheaton moves up two spots to No. 4 with a 29-7 win over Millikin. Wisconsin-Whitewater jumps from No. 8 to No. 5 after downing then-No. 4 Wisconsin-La Crosse, 35-28.

Capital is up one spot to No. 6 after the Crusaders downed Marietta, 27-0. Central (Iowa) is up two spots to No. 7 following a 31-14 win over Buena Vista. Ohio Northern climbs three spots to No. 8 after a 27-14 win over Otterbein. Washington & Jefferson vaults to No. 9 after the Presidents dispatched St. Vincent, 64-6 on Saturday. Wartburg climbs six spots to No. 10 this week after the Knights handed Iowa Conference rival Dubuque its first loss of the year, 34-17.

No. 11 Trinity (Texas) is 4-0 and climbs three spots to No. 11 after a 44-14 win over Birmingham-Southern. Wisconsin-La Crosse tumbles to No. 12 after its loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater. No. 13 Salisbury jumps up five spots and improves to 5-0 after a 62-14 win over Newport News. St. Olaf also climbs five notches to No. 14 after rolling past Concordia-Moorhead, 59-19. No. 15 Wabash moves up five spots after a 54-20 win over Earlham.

No. 16 Wesley rebounded from its first loss of the year a week ago to blank Huntingdon, 28-0. No. 17 Rowan is 3-1 after a 40-18 win over Western Connecticut. St. John Fisher tumbles from No. 5 to No. 18 after the Cardinals were upset by Hartwick, 31-28. No. 19 Occidental improved to 3-0 with a 28-27 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday night. Mount St. Joseph is up three spots to No. 20 after a convincing 37-0 win over Anderson.

No. 20 Baldwin-Wallace fell 11 spots this week after dropping a 20-17 overtime decision to John Carroll. No. 22 Alfred is the first of three consecutive newcomers to this week’s rankings. The Saxons defeated Norwich, 45-21 on Saturday. No. 23 Rensselaer debuts this week after its 37-14 win over Susquehanna. St. Norbert vaults into the Top 25 at No. 24 after a 49-14 win over Knox. No. 25 Bridgewater falls 10 spots this week after a 38-31 upset at the hands of Hampden-Sydney.

Conference Breakdown: Ohio (Mount Union, Capital, Baldwin-Wallace, Ohio Northern), Wisconsin (Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wisconsin-La Crosse), Atlantic Central (Wesley, Salisbury), Iowa (Central {Iowa}, Wartburg), Minnesota (St. John’s, St. Olaf), New Jersey (Rowan), America Southwest (Mary Hardin-Baylor), Empire 8 (St. John Fisher, Alfred), Heartland (Mount St. Joseph), Illinois-Wisconsin (Wheaton), Liberty (Rensselaer), Midwest (St. Norbert), North Coast (Wabash), Old Dominion (Bridgewater), Presidents (Washington & Jefferson), Southern California (Occidental), Southern Collegiate (Trinity).

Head-to-Head
No. 1 Mount Union visits No. 8 Ohio Northern and No. 3 St. John’s (Minn.) hosts No. 14 St. Olaf in this week’s match-ups of ranked teams.

Ohio Northern is the last team to defeat Mount Union in the regular season. The Polar Bears defeated the Purple Raiders, 21-14, at Mount Union in 2005, snapping Mount’s 11-year regular season winning streak. Mount Union won last year’s meeting, 49-7.

No. 3 St. John’s hosts up-and-coming No. 14 St. Olaf in Collegeville, Minn. this weekend. The winner will hold at least a share of first place in the MIAC.

St. John’s won last year’s meeting, 37-21.

Poll Points
Mary Hardin-Baylor rolled up 509 yards in total offense in its 61-19 win over McMurry on Saturday ... Wheaton cornerback Pete Ittersagen recorded a team-high 12 tackles in addition to four pass break-ups and a forced fumble in the Thunder’s 29-7 win over Millikin ... Wisconsin-Whitewater rallied from a 28-10 deficit to defeat Wisconsin-La Crosse, 35-28 ... Capital’s defense has yet to allow a touchdown this season. The lone touchdown scored on the Crusaders was on a fumble return ... Central (Iowa) quarterback Tim Connell threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in the Dutch’s 31-14 win over Buena Vista ... Bobby Swallow threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns in Washington & Jefferson’s 64-6 win over St. Vincent.