NAPERVILLE, Ill. – North Central was predicted to win a seventh-straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) football title according to a preseason poll announced Tuesday.

The Cardinals (10-2, 7-0 in 2011) won the poll with 48 points including six first place votes after their second-straight 7-0 season in conference play and third outright CCIW title in four years (North Central shared the title in 2006, 2007 and 2009).

Wheaton (8-2, 5-2) placed second in the poll with 43 points including two first place votes. Illinois Wesleyan (9-2, 6-1), coming off an NCAA playoff appearance, was third with 36 points. Elmhurst (6-4, 4-3) finished fourth with 32 points.

Augustana (2-8, 2-5) placed fifth with 21 points, followed by Carthage (5-5, 2-5) with 19 points, Millikin (4-6, 2-5) with 18 points and North Park (3-7, 0-7) with seven points.

The preseason poll was announced in conjunction with the CCIW’s fourth-annual coaches’ chat held August 6-7.

Voting in the preseason poll is done by the CCIW’s head football coaches. Each coach votes for the seven other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (seven points for first, six for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.

2012 CCIW Football Poll

Rank	Team	Points	First Place Votes
1	North Central	48	6
2	Wheaton	43	2
3	Illinois Wesleyan	36
4	Elmhurst	32
5	Augustana	21
6	Carthage	19
7	Millikin	18
8	North Park	7