UW-La Crosse favored despite lower rank in WIAC trip to Eau Claire

Versus likes UW-La Crosse to win on the road here even though the Eagles sit 54th in Division III, well below UW-Eau Claire's 21st. The gap in record explains part of that disconnect, La Crosse is 3-4 and Eau Claire 5-2, but the underlying grades tell a different story. La Crosse carries an A in power, offense and defense, with ranks of 20th, 22nd and 18th, and an 8th ranked strength of schedule, all stronger than Eau Claire's A- grades and ranks in the 37-to-40 range.

La Crosse has also been remarkably hard to blow out, with no loss this season by more than 8 points, even while going 1-4 in one-score games, a mix that suggests a team whose results have run worse than its play. Eau Claire has trended the opposite direction, climbing 56 spots in the Versus rankings this year after reaching as high as 13th in October, and winning three of its seven games by 21 points or more.

The projection has UW-La Crosse winning 30-22, with a 68 percent chance to take it, in a game that counts in the WIAC standings for both the Eagles and the Blugolds.