Central eighth in regional football rankings

PELLA—Central College debuts at No. 8 in the initial NCAA Division III football regional rankings.

The Dutch are 7-1 with two regular-season games remaining.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (7-0) holds down the top spot followed by American Rivers rival Wartburg College (7-0). Central plays host to Wartburg Saturday in Pella at 1 p.m. at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.

Chapman University (Calif.) (7-0) is third and the University of Redlands (Calif.) (7-1) is fourth.

The rankings are determined by the Division III Football Championship Committee and are used as the basis for selection to the playoffs. The 32-team field will be announced Sunday, Nov. 17. The American Rivers is among 27 conferences whose champion receives an automatic berth, with five teams selected at-large.

NCAA Division III West Region rankings
1. Wis.-Whitewater 7-0
2. Wartburg 8-0
3. Chapman (Calif.) 7-0
4. Redlands (Calif.) 7-1
5. Saint John’s (Minn.) 7-1
6. Bethel (Minn.) 7-1
7. Linfield (Ore.) 6-1
8. Central 7-1
9. Wis.-Oshkosh 6-2
10. Martin Luther (Minn.) 7-1