Already a game key to the D1AA playoffs has been played, and it's good news for Lindenwood-Belleville.

The independent D1AA program, based in Belleville, IL, defeated Wisconsin 36-14 over the weekend, and while that game isn't enough to secure an at-large bid for the Lynx to the D1AA playoffs in the fall, it goes a long way to accomplishing that goal.

"We really looked at the first two weeks of our season as must-wins," said Lynx head coach Joe Lippert. "We definitely didn't want to come out of those two weeks 0-2. The guys understood we really needed to put in an effort, because as an independent team, every game counts."

While a team in a conference can take it easy in a non-conference game, because winning the conference is what it's all about, an independent team is judged on the totality of its performances. Losing to Wisconsin, a strong D1A team, wouldn't have been the end of the world, but a blowout might have been.

Instead, led by No. 8 Tinashe Muchena, who is also the captain, the Lynx pulled away to beat the Badgers. Lippert had praise for Muchena's leadership, but added that the team as a whole could play better.

"We gave up way too many penalties," he said. "It's our first game, so we'd expect a lack of sharpness, but we had maybe 18 penalties, and most of them were offside - they were avoidable. That's definitely an area where we need to improve."

It doesn't get any easier as the season moves on. Lindenwood-Belleville has Indiana this coming weekend, and then later on will take on top small college Iowa Central CC (never an easy win), and highly-regarded D1AA teams Middle Tennessee State, Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas. then they play defending national D2 champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, followed by D1A teams Arkansas State and Lindenwood.

In order to get an at-large bid to the playoffs, L-B will almost certainly have to beat the non-D1A teams on its schedule. Losses to Arkansas State and Lindenwood probably won't hurt the Lynx, and neither will a competitive loss to Indiana - and that's because last weekend's defeat of Wisconsin did much to bolster Lindenwood-Belleville's playoff chances.