- Whitewater (6-1)[3-1 in WIAC]
Week 7 result: W vs. Platteville 29-19
Whitewater might not be kings of Division III anymore, but they have not left their throne in the WIAC unguarded. This game was played in the air, with over 240 passing yards for each team, while they were only able to combine for 214 on the ground. This coming after a 268-yard rushing performance for Whitewater against Stout the week prior is somewhat surprising, but it just makes this team more difficult to beat.
Week 8 matchup: @ River Falls
- River Falls (6-1) [3-1 in WIAC]
Week 7 result : W vs. Eau Claire 73-21
Usually when you give up 21 points, it means it was at best a close game, and at worst a rough loss. Not for the River Falls Falcons. A whopping 73 points put poor Eau Claire in their place. The Falcons led 42-0 not even halfway through the second quarter, and finally took their foot off the gas, letting Eau Claire score before going back to work. It’s always nice to cross the 10-touchdown threshold, but the Falcons will have to bring some of those touchdowns into a new week as they get their shot at the kings of the WIAC.
Week 8 matchup: vs. Whitewater
- La Crosse (5-1) [3-1 in WIAC]
Week 7 result: W vs. Oshkosh 44-13
A less dominant performance than River Falls, but still quite the offensive spectacle out of the Eagles, as they were able to put 14 on the board in each quarter before settling for only a safety in the fourth. Quarterback Junior Kyle Haas stolen the show, throwing for four touchdowns and just four yards shy of 400, with fellow Junior Jack Janke accounting for 186 of them. It was a nice rebound for an Eagles team coming off a rough loss to Platteville, and could be a sign of what we could see against Stout this week.
Week 8 matchup: vs. Stout
- Platteville (5-2) [2-2 in WIAC]
Week 7 result: L @ Whitewater 29-19
When you have a shot at the king, you better not miss, and unfortunately, the Pioneers only dug their graves in Whitewater. What was looking like a comeback for the ages after a 16-point third quarter to make it a one-point deficit, the Warhawks flew away with a 15-point fourth quarter of their own to put it away. Platteville was able to match Whitewater in the passing game, but they couldn’t hang on the ground, rushing for only 75 to the Warhawks’ 139. But above all else, turnovers were the cause of death, with five (three INTs) on the day for the Pioneers. They head back home reeling from a fairly winnable game against the cream of the crop, but they’ll have a chance to get back on the winning path against Oshkosh.
Week 8 matchup: vs. Oshkosh
- Stout (5-2) [3-1 in WIAC]
Week 7 result: W vs. Stevens Point 42-22
After a brutal defeat at the hands of the Warhawks, Stout rebounded to have a stellar homecoming against the Pointers. A fairly even share between the air and the ground lent the Blue Devils to show what they had against Oshkosh two weeks prior. And that is in an extremely large part to quarterback Senior Adam Moen, who led both in passing and rushing for the team (over 110 on the ground). The defense wasn’t able to force as many turnovers as they did against Oshkosh, but they held their ground, rebounding nicely after giving up 34 to Whitewater. This week though they’ll have a shot to climb out from the bottom half of the list and shift towards the top with a key matchup against La Crosse.
Week 8 matchup: @ La Crosse
- Oshkosh (4-3) [2-2 in WIAC]
Week 7 result: L vs. La Crosse 13-44
It’s a rarity to see a team use all three timeouts in the first quarter, let alone the first half, but somehow Peter Jennings did just that on Saturday against La Crosse. Oshkosh got jumped on early, in contrast to their last road game against Stout where they put up 16 to open the game. One improvement from that contest was the lack of turnovers against the Eagles, though it didn’t seem to help. Quentin Keene was held to under 200 yards passing after back-to-back weeks with over 300, and Ben Vallafskey wasn’t able to make up for it, only rushing for 66 yards and not reaching the endzone for the first time all season. The road trip for the Titans will continue on in Platteville, hopefully with the return of Senior wideout Londyn Little.
Week 8 matchup: @ Platteville
- Eau Claire (3-4)[0-4 in WIAC]
Week 7 result: L vs. River Falls 21-73
When you give up 73 points, 42 of which were scored before the second half of the second quarter, there aren’t a lot of positives to draw. Only one turnover team-wide is definitely a positive, but compounding this with a now-four-game losing streak is absolutely brutal, especially considering how close they were to giving Oshkosh a run for its money just a week prior. They enter a matchup with the only other winless team in conference play in the WIAC (who also happens to be on a four-game losing streak of their own), so a shot at redemption is on the table.
Week 8 matchup: @ Stevens Point
- Stevens Point (3-4)[0-4 in WIAC]
Week 7 result: L @ Stout 22-42
This has not been a fun season for the Pointers. Scratch that, it hasn’t been a fun decade for the Pointers. Pre-COVID can get kind of fuzzy for some, but Pointer fans know it all too well, as 2019 marks the final time Stevens Point won a game in a WIAC contest. And after starting 3-0, they’ve crumbled to 0-4 with the introduction of conference play in the 2025 season. But Stevens Point has a reason to feel excited entering the week, as they look in the eyes of another team winless in WIAC play this season, another team that is on a four-game skid of their own in Eau Claire. Even though it isn’t the most attractive matchup of the weekend, it could end up being the most impactful for the fans involved. And man, how can you not be romantic about football?
Week 8 matchup: vs. Eau Claire
NOTE ABOUT RANKINGS: Rankings don’t follow one or two key factors other than winning and losing. The phrase “What have you done for me lately?” describes my thought process fairly well, as I only consider results from the current season, and thus rankings aren’t created until a full month of football has passed.
