GRINNELL, Iowa – The Illinois College football team was picked to finish third in a new-look Midwest Conference South Division on Thursday morning in the MWC Preseason Poll, released ahead of the MWC Football Media Day. The University of Chicago and Lake Forest College have swapped divisions starting with the upcoming 2019 season, so the Foresters will disappear from the IC schedule for the time being while the Maroons will now be a yearly staple of the Blueboy schedule.
The slight favorite in the South Division coming into the season is Monmouth College, who finished with 66 points and seven first-place votes in the poll of the conference's head coaches. Chicago was one spot and one point behind the Fighting Scots in second place with 65 points and the remaining five first-place votes.
Illinois College ran a strong third place in the poll with 46 points. Further down the line, Knox College was fourth with 33 points, Cornell College was fifth with 30 points and Grinnell College was sixth with 12 points.
In the MWC North Division, reigning MWC champs St. Norbert College was a unanimous favorite to repeat as division champions. The Green Knights gathered up 72 points and all 12 first-place votes in the poll. Ripon College was second with 52 points while Lake Forest was right behind with 51 points. Macalester College took fourth place with 40 points. Rounding it out was Lawrence University in fifth with 24 points and Beloit College in sixth with 13 points.
The Blueboys kick off the 2019 season with a game under the England Stadium lights on Sept. 7 against visiting Rhodes College at 6 p.m. Following a road game at Nebraska Wesleyan University and a bye week, IC will play a pair of crossover games against MWC North foes that essentially function as non-conference games as they won't affect the South Division standings. The Blueboys will battle Ripon at home on Sept. 28 before traveling up to Lawrence University on Oct. 5.
The South Division season starts off at home a week later when Illinois College hosts Cornell on Oct. 12. Later in the season, IC will celebrate Homecoming against Knox on Oct. 26 and then host Chicago for Senior Day on Nov. 9. On Nov. 16, all six South Division schools will host a game against a North Division squad to be determined based off of conference finish.
The full preseason voting results are below:
| School |
Points (First-Place Votes) |
| North Division |
|
| 1. St. Norbert |
72 (12) |
| 2. Ripon |
52 |
| 3. Lake Forest |
51 |
| 4. Macalester |
40 |
| 5. Lawrence |
24 |
| 6. Beloit |
13 |
| South Division |
|
| 1. Monmouth |
66 (7) |
| 2. Chicago |
65 (5) |
| 3. Illinois College |
46 |
| 4. Knox |
33 |
| 5. Cornell |
30 |
| 6. Grinnell |
12 |
