St. Norbert, Wis. (0-0) at Wartburg (0-0)

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Where: Waverly (Walston-Hoover Stadium)

Radio: KWAY-AM (1470)

Last meeting: First in the series.

Key stat: Wartburg is 13-1 in its last 14 season openers, while St. Norbert has won eight or more games in each season since coach Jim Purtill's arrival in 1999.

What to watch: Despite graduating quarterback Cody Craig, who threw for 2,755 yards and 30 touchdowns last year, St. Norbert returns its top two backs in seniors A.J. Phillips and Joe Brogni. Phillips, eighth in Division III in all-purpose yardage last year, rushed for 721 yards last year, while Brogni had 301. The Green Knights, who have been to the playoffs seven of the past nine years and won 27 of their last 29 games, averaged 38.2 points per game in 2007. Sophomore Bryan Stoppenbach, who attempted three passes last year, is expected to start at quarterback. … Wartburg, meanwhile, has eight starters back on a defense that never yielded more than 17 points in a game a season ago. The Knights will start three seniors and a junior on the offensive line along with sophomore center Morgan O'Connor. … Wartburg has won five straight against Midwest Conference foes, including a 35-7 win over Monmouth last year.

He said it: "Our team is excited to get started. Throughout preseason, we've shown some very good things from time to time. The thing we're working on is being more consistent on both sides of the ball.

"(St. Norbert) has a tremendous tradition and won a whole bunch of football games for a long time. They have playoff experience, and we expect it to be a great challenge."

- Wartburg coach Rick Willis

Courier's prediction: Wartburg 21, St. Norbert 10

Next up: Wartburg travels to Augsburg College (Minn.) for a 7 p.m. tilt next Saturday.

St. Olaf, Minn. (0-0) at Luther (0-0)

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Where: Decorah (Carlson Stadium)

Radio: KWLC-AM (1240)

Last meeting: St. Olaf scored 17 fourth-quarter points last year to upend Luther, 26-19, in Northfield, Minn.

Key stat: The Oles, winners of four straight over the Norse, have outscored them 81-18 in the second half during that span.

What to watch: Luther will start freshman Chris Reynolds at quarterback. The West Des Moines Valley graduate beat out sophomore Trent Stonerook for the job, while Zac Ruckebeil and Darin Schneider, who started camp as quarterbacks, have been moved to tight end and defensive back, respectively. … Both head coaches - Luther's Mike Durnin and St. Olaf's Jerry Olszewski - are making their respective debuts. Both coached in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last season. Durnin was the defensive coordinator at UW-La Crosse and Olszewski was in the same role at UW-Stevens Point. … St. Olaf returns its top three rushers from an 8-2 squad last year, led by Coty Watkins (653 yards) and Evan Endsley (405 yards).

He said it: "(Chris Reynolds) was the most effective in terms of moving our offense in practices and scrimmages. He has a good arm, excellent feet, and for a freshman, he has outstanding poise on the field.

"This game is going to be a test of well two programs can adjust to new coaches, how well the coaching staffs adjust and game plan on the fly. We anticipate them to run the ball a little more than they did a year ago. They'll be a strong test for us."

- Luther coach Mike Durnin

Courier's prediction: St. Olaf 24, Luther 17

Next up: Luther is off next week before opening Iowa Conference play at home against Dubuque on Sept. 20.

University of Mary (0-1) at Upper Iowa (0-1)

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Where: Fayette (Eischeid Stadium)

Radio: KOEL-AM (950)

Last meeting: University of Mary has knocked off UIU each of the past two seasons, including a 19-14 triumph last year in Fayette on Senior Day.

Key stat: Mary had minus-23 yards rushing in last week's defeat to eighth-ranked Chadron State. UIU, meanwhile, held Drake to 69 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

What to watch: The Peacocks, coming off a 17-13 loss at Drake last Thursday, need to generate more offense in their home opener. UIU's one touchdown against Drake came courtesy of Dominique Jackson's 89-yard punt return, as its offense mustered only 3.5 yards per play last week. Ben Curran threw for 131 yards, but was intercepted twice. … Mary, picked to finish sixth in the 14-team NSIC, surrendered 369 total yards - including 179 on the ground - to Chadron State.

He said it: "We need to run the football more efficiently, and we need to do a better job in the passing game as far as throwing to our own people.

"We played extremely hard on defense. We still need to create more turnovers, but we're a better defensive football team this year.

"Upper Iowa is all about improvement. We're a blue-collar team. We're not going to be able to out-personnel people. We've got to out-work them and out-prepare them. It will be interesting to see our maturation process from week one to week two."

- Upper Iowa coach Mike Knoll

Courier's prediction: Mary 21, UIU 20

Next up: UIU plays at Northern State for a Northern Sun contest next Saturday at 1 p.m.