Chicago projected to roll past Cornell IA by 19 in Midwest Conference play

Versus projects a 36-17 final in Chicago's favor, giving the Maroons an 87 percent chance to win and putting a 19-point margin on a game that counts in the Midwest Conference standings. That gap lines up with where the two sit in Division III: Chicago is 123rd overall and Cornell IA is 190th, a 67-spot difference the model is leaning on heavily.

Chicago brings a C+ offense and a C defense into the matchup, backed by two straight shutouts and a streak of outscoring its last four opponents by an average of 13 points while going 3-1 over that stretch. The Maroons have also posted a winning record in nine straight seasons, a sign of the kind of steady program Versus is pricing in here.

Cornell IA is 2-3 and has been outscored on average over its last five games, going 2-3 in that span. The Rams did snap a drought by beating Ripon for the first time since October 2024, but their D+ grades across offense, defense and overall standing suggest this Midwest Conference test is a difficult one to clear. Both teams carry a strength of schedule rank near the bottom of Division III, so neither has faced much to challenge those numbers yet.