Wabash's defense outweighs Kenyon's late-season surge in NCAC test

The records sit a game apart, Kenyon at 3-5 and Wabash at 4-4, but that gap undersells how far apart these two sit in the Versus ratings. Kenyon has been trending the right way, climbing to its highest Division III power rank in the program's tracked history after a 59-7 win over Oberlin, its most lopsided result since October 2025. That run has the Lords graded B- across the board. Wabash, though, is a different class of team entirely, with an A- power grade built on an A defense that no opponent has beaten by more than 10 points all season.

The gap shows up in the ranks too. Wabash sits 43rd in power among Division III teams with a 33rd ranked defense, while Kenyon checks in 102nd in power and 99th on defense, with a 106th ranked offense that will be tested by that Wabash front. Kenyon's 27th ranked schedule strength is actually a shade tougher than Wabash's 32nd, so the Lords have earned their climb, but it has not been against competition like this.

This one counts in the NCAC standings, and Versus projects Wabash to win 33-13, continuing a series the Little Giants have dominated for 16 straight meetings. Kenyon's improvement is real, but Wabash's defense projects to be the deciding factor.