Titans Picked To Finish Second In WIAC Football Standings
Defending co-champion UW-Oshkosh is predicted to finish second in the race for the 2021 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football championship, according to a preseason poll conducted by the league's eight head coaches and sports information directors.
UW-Oshkosh, which had its 2020 season canceled due to the global coronavirus pandemic, compiled a 6-1 WIAC record in 2019 while earning its third league championship in five years. The Titans tallied an 8-3 overall record in 2019, including a 38-37 overtime loss to Central College (Iowa) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
UW-Oshkosh claimed a piece of the 2019 WIAC title by defeating previously unbeaten UW-Whitewater, 27-20, in the regular season finale. The home victory also gave the Titans the league's automatic berth into the Division III postseason.
In addition to defeating UW-Whitewater, UW-Oshkosh also outscored UW-Eau Claire (31-3), UW-Platteville (24-20), UW-River Falls (41-20), UW-Stevens Point (20-7) and UW-Stout (26-23) during its 2019 WIAC schedule. The Titans' only conference loss was a 31-3 decision at UW-La Crosse.
UW-Whitewater (13-2 overall record, 6-1 WIAC record in 2019), which shared the 2019 conference championship with UW-Oshkosh, is favored to win this year's league title. The Warhawks return 47 letterwinners, including nine starters on offense and three on defense, from a 2019 squad that lost a 41-14 result to North Central College (Ill.) in the Division III national championship game.
UW-Platteville (7-3 overall record, 4-3 WIAC record in 2019) is picked to finish third in the conference standings this fall, UW-La Crosse (7-3, 5-2) fourth, UW-Stout (4-6, 3-4) fifth, UW-Stevens Point (3-7, 2-5) sixth, UW-Eau Claire (3-7, 1-6) seventh and UW-River Falls (2-8, 1-6) eighth.
UW-Oshkosh, which has won 48 of its last 56 WIAC games, will host four league opponents in 2021 – UW-Whitewater on Oct. 16, UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 23, UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 6 and UW-River Falls on Nov. 13. The Titans play conference contests at UW-Platteville on Oct. 2, UW-La Crosse on Oct. 9 and UW-Stout on Oct. 30.
UW-Oshkosh has 38 letterwinners returning this fall, including 10 who received All-WIAC recognition in 2019 – quarterback Kobe Berghammer (Newcomer of the Year), cornerback Kollyn Beyer (Second Team), placekicker Jaydon Haag (First Team, Special Teams Player of the Year), defensive end Brandon Hughes (Honorable Mention), linebacker Tory Jandrin (Honorable Mention), tight end Justin Kasuboski (First Team), defensive end Brandon Kolgen (Second Team), defensive tackle Trenton LaCombe (Second Team), linebacker Nick Noethe (First Team) and center Mike Olsen (First Team).
The Titans begins their 126th football season at Huntingdon College (Ala.) on Sept. 4. UW-Oshksh is ranked nationally in three Division III top 20 preseason polls – ninth by both D3football.com and Lindy's Sports and 16th by College Football America.