Venue & Game Details
Conference: College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW), NCAA Division III
Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM CT
Venue: Francis Olympic Field, St. Louis, Missouri (Capacity ~3,500, turf surface)
Broadcast: CCIW Digital Network / ESPN Gamecast
Weather Forecast (St. Louis, MO)
Temperature: ~80°F (27°C) at kickoff
Conditions: Mostly sunny, light winds (6–9 mph)
Precipitation:
Impact: Excellent football weather; no major disruptions expected
Injury Report (Projected)
(Note: D-III programs rarely release official injury reports; this is based on recent availability trends)
North Central Cardinals:
QB Luke Lehnen (dual-threat, 192 pass yards & 70 rush yards vs WashU in 2024) healthy and starting.
WR corps intact, led by Jack Rummell and Thomas Skokna (both topped 100 yards in last year’s meeting).
Defense fully healthy, anchored by LB John Sullivan (2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks vs WashU in 2024).
WashU Bears:
QB Levi Moore (351 pass yards, 5 TDs, 177 rush yards through 2 games) healthy.
WR Makael Carter (167 yards, 8 catches) expected to play.
Defense led by LB Joy Chane (15 tackles, 1 INT) and DB Ryan Schmadtke (1 INT).
Key Player Matchups
North Central QB Luke Lehnen vs. WashU Front Seven
Lehnen’s dual-threat ability stresses defenses. WashU must contain his scrambling lanes.
WashU QB Levi Moore vs. North Central Secondary
Moore has been efficient both passing and rushing. North Central’s elite defense will test his decision-making.
WR Jack Rummell & Thomas Skokna (NCC) vs. WashU DBs
Both receivers torched WashU last year for 100+ yards each.
Recent Team Form
North Central (2025 Season so far)
Record: 2–0 overall, 1–0 CCIW
Results:
W vs Wisconsin-Oshkosh (45–14)
W vs Carthage (62–0)
Strength: No. 1 ranked team nationally, defending national champions.
Weakness: Few—turnovers are the only concern.
WashU (2025 Season so far)
Record: 2–0 overall, 1–0 CCIW
Results:
W vs Rhodes (49–0)
W vs Carroll (41–29)
Strength: Balanced offense (426 pass yards, 400 rush yards in 2 games).
Weakness: Defense has allowed explosive plays in CCIW matchups.
Conference vs. Conference
Both teams are CCIW rivals.
This is WashU’s final season in the CCIW before departing the league.
North Central is riding a 43-game CCIW winning streak entering this contest.
Series History
All-time series: North Central leads 10–1.
At Francis Field (St. Louis): North Central is 6–0.
Recent meetings:
2024: North Central 49, WashU 9 (563 yards of offense vs 145 allowed)
2023: North Central 77, WashU 14
Trend: North Central has won 7 straight, all by multiple scores.
Betting Trends:
North Central is 8-2 ATS in last 10 vs WashU.
WashU games have gone Over in 3 of last 4 due to offensive balance.
North Central has covered in 6 of last 7 road games.
Historical Betting Results (Head-to-Head, Modeled)
2024: North Central -21.5 (covered, won 49–9)
2023: North Central -28.5 (covered, won 77–14)
2022: North Central -17.5 (covered, won 59–20)
2021: North Central -14.5 (covered, won 54–27)
Game Odds
North Central Cardinals – 24
Washington-St. Louis Bears 62
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Friday, September 26, 2025
