Nothing untoward happened in Week 9, which means we’ve got another conference champion in the books and a big moving day coming Saturday. Stuff and things after the jump.
A note on the NAIA playoffs: all conference champions who finish the season ranked in the top 20 of the NAIA poll earn automatic bids. Since the poll matters, no automatic bids can be determined until the final poll on November 14. Having said that, it’s almost a certainty that one playoff spot has been claimed:
Carroll (MT) (Frontier Conference champion)
Mid-States:
at #3 St. Xavier 41, #16 Walsh 10
#7 St. Francis (IN) 63, at Olivet Nazarene 7
#12 Marian 20, at Taylor 6
#13 McKendree 50, at Quincy 21
at #15 William Penn 70, Peru State 6 (non-conference)
Malone 34, at Trinity International 0
at St. Francis (IL) 56, Waldorf 10
at Grand View 73, Iowa Wesleyan 6
St. Ambrose idle
Saturday:
In the Mideast division, things are very clear. The winner of the St. Francis (IN)-St. Xavier game wins the division.
In the Midwest Division, McKendree wins if both St. Francis (IL) and William Penn lose this week, and Penn wins next week, regardless of whether McKendree wins next week or not. They also win any scenario in which they win next week, unless St. Francis (IL) beats Quincy and Penn, in which case St. Francis wins. St. Francis also wins if they beat Penn and McKendree loses next week. Penn wins if they beat Quincy and St. Francis, and McKendree loses next week.
That leaves one final completely ridiculous scenario: If St. Francis and Penn both lose this week, McKendree loses next week, and Penn defeats St. Francis, there is a three-way tie at 5-2 which cannot be resolved head-to-head. I have no information on successive tiebreakers, so I don’t know who wins the division in this extremely unlikely instance. I strongly suspect William Penn comes out on top (the other two contenders have lost crossover games, while Penn has not).
#7 St. Francis (IN) (8-0, 5-0) at #3 St. Xavier (10-0, 6-0)
#12 Marian (7-2, 3-2) at Malone (2-6, 1-4)
#14 William Penn (8-1, 4-1) at Waldorf (2-7, 0-5)
Trinity International (3-7, 1-5) at #21 Walsh (6-3, 2-3)
Quincy (0-9, 0-5) at #23 St. Francis (IL) (6-3, 4-1)
Olivet Nazarene (0-9, 0-5) at Taylor (5-4, 3-2)
Grand View (5-3, 3-2) at St. Ambrose (4-4, 2-3)
#13 McKendree (7-2, 5-1) and Iowa Wesleyan (3-7, 3-3) idle
Heart of America:
#4 MidAmerica Nazarene 56, at Central Methodist 28
#5 Lindenwood 40, at Benedictine (KS) 24
Baker 12, at William Jewell 9 (OT)
at Evangel 41, Avila 37
Culver-Stockton 38, at Graceland 33
#9 Missouri Valley idle
Saturday:
MANU wins the conference title with a win this week, or with a Missouri Valley loss next week. Missouri Valley gets the crown with wins this week and next and a Lindenwood loss. Otherwise, it’s Lindenwood’s trophy, unless both MVC and Lindenwood win this week and next, which leaves a three-way tie. I don’t know who gets the tiebreaker there.
#9 Missouri Valley (7-1, 7-1) at #4 MidAmerica Nazarene (9-0, 9-0)
Graceland (1-8, 1-7) at #5 Lindenwood (7-1, 7-1)
Evangel (3-5, 3-5) at Baker (5-4, 5-3)
Benedictine (KS) (5-4, 5-4) at Peru State (3-6) (non-conference)
William Jewell (3-6, 3-5) at Culver-Stockton (1-8, 1-7)
Central Methodist (2-6, 2-6) at Avila (2-6, 2-6)
Great Plains:
at #8 Morningside 43, Hastings 7
at #14 Northwestern (IA) 16, Dakota Wesleyan 10
#25 Midland Lutheran 31, at Briar Cliff 10
at Concordia (NE) 24, Dordt 7
Nebraska Wesleyan 34, at Doane 14
#1 Sioux Falls idle
Saturday:
At this point, there is only one situation in which Sioux Falls can fail to at least tie for the conference title, and if that happens with any team (or combination of teams) that it’s able to happen with, SXF wins the tiebreaker in all situations. The one situation which leads to Sioux Falls failing to win the conference title would be for Sioux Falls to lose this week against winless Dordt, and to lose next week against Concordia while Morningside beats Dakota Wesleyan. That would give the championship to Morningside.
#1 Sioux Falls (8-0, 8-0) at Dordt (0-9, 0-9)
Concordia (NE) (4-5, 3-5) at #15 Northwestern (IA) (6-2, 6-2)
#20 Midland Lutheran (7-2, 6-2) at Nebraska Wesleyan (4-4, 4-4)
Briar Cliff (2-7, 1-7) at Dakota Wesleyan (4-4, 4-4)
Doane (2-6, 2-6) at Hastings (3-5, 3-5)
#8 Morningside (8-1, 8-1) idle
Kansas:
at #6 McPherson 40, Tabor 14
#10 Ottawa 49, at #23 Kansas Wesleyan 45
at St. Mary 38, #19 Friends 35
at Sterling 26, Bethany (KS) 7
Southwestern (KS) 52, at Bethel (KS) 14
Saturday:
McPherson has beaten both Ottawa and Friends already. That means that Friends cannot win the conference title now, as they cannot get clear of McPherson. Therefore, Ottawa must win out while McPherson loses twice; otherwise, McPherson is the KCAC champion.
Bethel (KS) (0-8, 0-7) at #6 McPherson (8-0, 7-0)
#10 Ottawa (7-1, 6-1) at Bethany (KS) (4-4, 3-4)
Kansas Wesleyan (5-3, 4-3) at #25 Friends (6-2, 5-2)
Sterling (5-3, 4-3) at St. Mary (2-6, 2-5)
Southwestern (KS) (2-6, 2-5) at Tabor (2-6, 2-5)
Dakota:
#11 Dickinson State 45, at Minot State 13
at #18 South Dakota Mines 24, #24 Black Hills State 20 (2OT)
at Jamestown 19, Valley City State 13
at Mayville State 21, Dakota State 14
Sunday:
Dickinson wins the conference title with a win. Should they lose and South Dakota Mines win, SDSM wins the title. Should both win, they’ll share it, and both teams will likely make the playoffs; should both lose, it’s a four-way tie, and it’s possible none of them will.
all games part of the Dacotah Bank Dakota Athletic Conference Bowl, Fargodome
#11 Dickinson State (8-1, 6-1) vs Black Hills State (6-3, 5-2)
#16 South Dakota Mines (7-2, 6-1) vs Minot State (5-4, 5-2)
Jamestown (4-5, 3-4) vs Mayville State (2-7, 1-6)
Valley City State (3-6, 2-5) vs Dakota State (0-9, 0-7)
(season complete)
Frontier:
at #2 Carroll (MT) 42, Montana Western 3
at Rocky Mountain 48, Montana Tech 38
Eastern Oregon 39, at Montana State-Northern 36
Saturday:
Carroll has won the conference title.
#2 Carroll (MT) (8-0, 8-0) at Montana Tech (4-5, 4-4)
Montana Western (0-9, 0-8) at Eastern Oregon (5-4, 5-3)
Montana State-Northern (3-5, 3-5) at Rocky Mountain (4-5, 4-4)
Mid-South:
In the East, Georgetown wins the division if they beat Lindsey Wilson. Outside of that, there are too many possibilities to go into until we get through this week’s games.
at #20 Cumberland (TN) 29, Union (KY) 18
at #21 Georgetown (KY) 58, Virginia-Wise 29
at Shorter 42, Webber International 14 (non-conference)
Bethel (TN) 40, at Faulkner 38
at Lindsey Wilson 9, West Virginia Tech 7
at Belhaven 24, Cumberlands (KY) 21
Southern Virginia 45, at Kentucky Christian 28 (non-conference)
Campbellsville and Pikeville idle
Saturday:
Belhaven (4-5, 1-4) at #18 Cumberland (TN) (7-2, 3-1)
#19 Georgetown (KY) (6-2, 5-0) at Lindsey Wilson (4-5, 3-1)
Campbellsville (5-4, 3-1) at Virginia-Wise (3-6, 3-1)
Faulkner (3-5, 2-2) at Cumberlands (KY) (5-3, 3-1)
Union (KY) (5-4, 2-2) at Shorter (5-4, 2-2)
Kentucky Christian (0-9, 0-5) at Bethel (TN) (3-5, 2-3)
West Virginia Tech (2-7, 1-3) at Pikeville (0-8, 0-4)
Central States:
#17 Northwestern Oklahoma State 44, at Southwestern Assemblies of God 7
at Langston 31, Lincoln (MO) 21 (non-conference)
Oklahoma Panhandle State 34, at Southern Nazarene 31 (non-conference, technically)
at Bacone 54, Texas College 6
Saturday:
NW Oklahoma State won the conference title last week. Now they need to hang on to their top-20 ranking to secure a playoff bid.
Oklahoma Panhandle State (5-3) at #17 Northwestern Oklahoma State (6-2, 5-0) (not a conference game)
#24 Langston (5-3, 2-1) at Texas College (0-8, 0-3)
Southern Nazarene (5-4, 2-1) at Bacone (3-6, 2-2)
Haskell (1-7) at Southwestern Assemblies of God (1-7, 0-4) (non-conference)
Independents:
at Shorter 42, #22 Webber International 14
Azusa Pacific 38, at Southern Oregon 13
at Lambuth 42, Central State (OH) 6
at Linfield 38, Menlo 0
Southern Virginia 45, at Kentucky Christian 28
North Greenville 21, at Notre Dame (OH) 14
at #15 William Penn 70, Peru State 6
at North Carolina Central 20, Edward Waters 7
Haskell idle
Saturday:
#22 Azusa Pacific (5-3) at Lincoln (MO) (1-8, D-II)
Webber International (5-4) at Southern Virginia (3-5)
Edward Waters (0-7) at Lambuth (3-5)
Southern Oregon (2-6) at Menlo (3-6)
Benedictine (KS) (5-4) at Peru State (3-6)
Notre Dame (OH) (2-7) at Kentucky Wesleyan (4-5, D-II)
Haskell (1-7) at Southwestern Assemblies of God (1-7)