After securing playoff bid, winning conference in win over No. 7 team in DIII, UW-La Crosse football ranking unchanged

After surviving against the seventh-ranked team in the nation last weekend, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse football team’s position in the Top 25 remained unchanged.

The Eagles (8-1, 6-0 WIAC), who nearly blew a 24-point second-half lead to UW-River Falls on Saturday, are still ranked fourth on D3football.

But it’s like that line from the movie Tommy Boy, when they’re playing checkers and Tommy yells that it’s hard to win when you, “Never move your back row!”

UW-La Crosse can’t move out of the No. 4 spot because the top of the food chain hasn’t changed, either.

The Top 3 teams in the nation are remain undefeated, led by defending National Champions, North Central (9-0), which received all 25 first-place votes. It won 83-26 last week and has scored 69 or more points four times this season.

Mount Union, who lost the national title last year 28-21, remains in second. Wartburg (10-0), which beat UW-La Crosse 14-6 in the first round and made it to the Final Four, is third.

The Eagle’s only loss this season came to then-No. 6-ranked Hardin-Simmons, which is now 19th in DIII.

UW’L’s 31-28 win against UW-River Falls (7-2, 4-2) — which dropped the Falcons to No. 11 — came after senior Jack Kelly blocked the tying field goal in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.

The win gave UW-L an automatic bid to the DIII playoffs and all but secured the WIAC title outright — the Eagles would have to lose to 1-8 UW-Stevens Point to wind up with a share of conference.

The only other ranked UW team is UW-Whitewater, at No. 5. They would share the WIAC title with a UW-L loss and a win over UW-Eau Claire (2-7, 1-5).

TOP PHOTO: UW-La Crosse quarterback Keyser Helterbrand drops back to pass against UW-Stout on Sept. 30, 2023. (PHOTO: Jim Lund)