It’s the next to last week of the D-II regular season, and as a result all sorts of fun things are about to happen. Last week, three teams won divisional titles outright and berths in their conference championship games; one of the two remaining divisional races features a three-way fight resting on the results of two games. One team also won an outright conference title last week, and you can find out all about that following the jump, which follows this rather large list of games involving ranked teams, playoff implications, and conference titles at stake:
bold indicates team will win their conference title outright with a victory.
bold italics indicates team could win their conference title outright with a victory, depending on other results.
normal italics indicates team will win a share of their conference title with a victory.
#18 West Alabama at #1 Delta State (Gulf South)
#9 Washburn at #2 Pittsburg State (MIAA)
#3 Northwest Missouri State at #25t Missouri Western
1-8 Western State at #4 Colorado State-Pueblo (Rocky Mountain)
#20 West Texas A&M at #5 Midwestern State (Lone Star)
#6 Saint Cloud State at 6-3 Bemidji State (Northern Sun North)
#7 Winston-Salem State at 7-2 North Carolina-Pembroke
1-7 Pace at #10 New Haven (Northeast-10)
#11 West Virginia Wesleyan at 3-6 Charleston (WV) (WVIAC)
#12 Bloomsburg at #13 Kutztown (PSAC East)
#21 Albany State at 2-7 Fort Valley State (SIAC East)
#24 Wayne State (MI) at 7-2 Indianapolis
7-2 Minnesota State-Mankato at 3-6 Southwest Minnesota State (Northern Sun South)
7-2 Morehouse at 6-3 Kentucky State (SIAC East)
7-2 North Greenville at 6-3 Wingate
6-2 Ouachita Baptist at 2-6 Southeastern Oklahoma State (Great American)
1-8 Cheyney at 5-4 Long Island-C.W. Post (PSAC East)
I have composed a handy primer for playoff formats and guidelines, because we’re getting very very close to starting to hand out bids.
CENTRAL:
SUPER REGION 1 – #2 Winston-Salem State, #5 Elizabeth City State
NORTH DIVISION CHAMPION: Elizabeth City State
SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPION: Winston-Salem State
The matchup for the CIAA championship game is now set, with one more week of regular-season games to go. ECSU will take on WSSU at Durham County Stadium, Durham NC, at 1pm ET on 11/12.
In a week where everyone’s going to be on cruise control for the most part, look for wins from ECSU, Johnson C. Smith, Bowie State, and Saint Augustine’s. Virginia State will probably lose a non-conference game with FCS Gardner-Webb, Virginia Union/Fayetteville State is too close to call, and Winston-Salem State meets North Carolina-Pembroke in what may be a trap game for the undefeated Rams. They should win, but they need to watch out.
GREAT AMERICAN:
SUPER REGION 4 – #8 Ouachita Baptist
Eliminated: Southeastern Oklahoma State, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Arkansas Tech, Southern Arkansas, Harding, Arkansas-Monticello, East Central
Could go this week: Henderson State
Ouachita survived a tough game on the road at Harding, and in so doing eliminated everyone but Henderson State from the race, as it’s now guaranteed the conference champ will only have one conference loss. Ouachita will win the title outright with a win at SE Oklahoma State. If they lose, the winner of the Ouachita/Henderson State game next week is the inaugural GAC champion.
In other action, Henderson should beat NAIA McKendree out of conference, while Arkansas-Monticello, SW Oklahoma State, and East Central should grab victories.
GREAT LAKES IAC:
SUPER REGION 3 – #4 Saginaw Valley State, #6 Ashland, #7 Wayne State (MI), #8 Indianapolis, #10 Hillsdale
Eliminated: Tiffin, Lake Erie, Northwood (MI), Northern Michigan, Ohio Dominican, Michigan Tech, Ferris State
Could go this week: Grand Valley State, Findlay
Saginaw Valley upset Wayne State, which throws everything into the blender at this point. What’s certain: Indianapolis plays Wayne State. If Indianapolis (or Saginaw Valley) win, Grand Valley is gone with a loss, but that’s not likely at Northwood. If Hillsdale beats Findlay, Findlay is gone. Nobody else can be eliminated from a chance at a share of a division title this week.
Indianapolis or Saginaw Valley would clinch a share of the North with a win if the other loses. In the South, Wayne State, Ashland, and Hillsdale all have the opportunity to claim a share if they win and the other two both lose. The only possibility among these we can term “sort of likely” is for Saginaw Valley to clinch, as they should definitely beat Northern Michigan while Indianapolis may well lose to Wayne State (that’s a tossup at this point). All three of the South teams face potential upsets this week, so it’s possible someone might emerge to claim a share there.
GREAT LAKES FOOTBALL:
SUPER REGION 3 – nobody ranked
CONFERENCE CHAMPION:: Urbana
Urbana shelled Missouri S&T, and thereby ran the (very short) table to claim the final GLFC championship. One more meaningless conference game remains (MUST should handle Saint Joseph’s), and then everyone will toddle off to the new GLVC next year. In non-conference play this week, Urbana should win; Kentucky Wesleyan, who managed to lose 36-0 to a winless team last week, will not.
GREAT NORTHWEST:
SUPER REGION 4 – #9 Humboldt State
Eliminated: Simon Fraser, Dixie State, Central Washington
Could go this week: nobody
CLINCH ALERT: Western Oregon (can clinch share of title)
The two big kids won, eliminating Central Washington and setting up their own showdown next week. Western Oregon will lose this week, out of conference, to FCS Montana. Humboldt should handle Dixie State; if they get upset, Western Oregon claims a share of the title. If they win, the winner of next week’s game wins the title outright. Central should take down Simon Fraser in the remaining game.
GULF SOUTH:
SUPER REGION 2 – #1 Delta State, #3 West Alabama, #4 North Alabama, #6 Valdosta State, #10 West Georgia
Eliminated: nobody
Could go this week: North Alabama, Valdosta State, West Georgia, West Alabama
CLINCH ALERT: Delta State
Well, that was one way to turn things on their head. West Alabama upset North Alabama, and West Georgia upset Valdosta State. That means Delta will win a share of the conference title with an expected win over West Alabama this week, and would claim it outright if North Alabama avoids another upset, this time at West Georgia. If Delta loses, North Alabama’s still gone with a loss, but everyone would remain alive going into the final week otherwise.
And yes, all five GSC teams are ranked in the Super Region 2 top 10. Crazy. However, Valdosta State is now in danger of missing the playoffs; despite being in the top 6, the highest-ranked SIAC team is Albany State at #7, and they’d get in over Valdosta via earned access. If that happens, it will go over reeeeeeal well, as the two teams are bitter non-conference rivals.
LONE STAR:
SUPER REGION 4 – #2 Midwestern State, #5 Abilene Christian, #6 West Texas A&M
Eliminated: Texas A&M-Commerce, Eastern New Mexico, Angelo State, Incarnate Word, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Tarleton State
Could go this week: West Texas A&M, Abilene Christian
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Midwestern State (clinched share of title)
The leaders all held serve Saturday, but things are getting settled one way or another this week when Midwestern State finishes their conference schedule by hosting West Texas A&M. If Midwestern wins, they finish running the table and claim the title outright. If WTAMU wins, they’ll share the title with a win over Commerce next week; Abilene Christian would also be able to grab a share with wins over Kingsville and Incarnate Word. All of that is very, very likely… except for Midwestern losing to West Texas, that is.
All the other games in the conference are toss-ups, while Tarleton should handle D-III Millsaps.
MID-AMERICA:
SUPER REGION 4 – #1 Pittsburg State, #3 Northwest Missouri State, #4 Washburn, #7 Missouri Western, #10 Central Missouri
Eliminated: Lincoln (MO), Truman, Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Missouri Southern, Central Missouri
Could go this week: Missouri Western, Washburn, Northwest Missouri State
CLINCH ALERT: Pittsburg State
Last week’s results didn’t veer from plan, so we’re set up for this week’s big showdown between Pittsburg State and Washburn. If Pittsburg wins, they claim a share of the title, and Washburn and Missouri Western are gone. NW Missouri State would also be done for should they lose to Missouri Western, handing Pittsburg the outright crown. Even if Washburn wins, Missouri Western is done with a loss, and that would tie the top of the standings at 7-1 with all three leaders facing probable wins next week.
NORTHEAST TEN:
SUPER REGION 1 – #1 New Haven, #7 Southern Connecticut State
Eliminated: Pace, Saint Anselm, Stonehill, Assumption, American International, Bentley
Could go this week: Merrimack
CLINCH ALERT: New Haven (can clinch share of title)
New Haven took down Merrimack, which didn’t eliminate them but did wipe out Assumption, Bentley, and American International (despite wins by the first two and a week off by the latter).
New Haven’s almost certainly going to throttle Pace this week, thus removing Merrimack from the conversation and securing a share of the title. Southern Connecticut State will remain alive as they’re idle, but would have to win next week over Merrimack and hope New Haven stumbles; unfortunately, the Chargers have Saint Anselm next week, so it’s pretty certain they’re going to run the table.
NORTHERN SUN:
SUPER REGION 3 – #3 Saint Cloud State, #5 Minnesota-Duluth, #9 Minnesota State-Mankato
Eliminated (North Division): Minnesota-Crookston, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Bemidji State
Eliminated (South Division): Upper Iowa, Concordia-Saint Paul, Southwest Minnesota State, Wayne State (NE), Winona State
Eliminated (conference title): Minnesota-Crookston, Northern State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Upper Iowa, Concordia-Saint Paul, Southwest Minnesota State, Mary
Could go this week (North Division): Northern State, Mary, Minnesota-Duluth
Could go this week (South Division): Augustana (SD)
Could go this week (conference title): Winona State, Augustana (SD)
CLINCH ALERT: Saint Cloud State (North Division, share of conference title); Minnesota State-Mankato (South Division outright, share of conference title)
SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPIONS: Minnesota State-Mankato (clinched share of title)
Saint Cloud and Mankato won the showdowns atop each division last week, and Mankato’s win was good for a piece of the prize in the South.
In the North, Saint Cloud would also grab a share of a division crown with a win over inconsistent Bemidji, or a very unlikely loss by Duluth to Crookston. If both happen, they’d win the division outright. Down south, Mankato should clear the outright title by beating Southwest Minnesota State; failing that, should Wayne State beat Augustana (toss-up), it’s just as good.
For the conference race, either Saint Cloud or Mankato (not both) could clinch a share of the overall conference title by winning while the other loses. A win by either eliminates Augustana and Winona from contention; should Duluth lose, they’re done as well. Every other game on the conference slate I’ve not yet mentioned could go either way.
PENNSYLVANIA:
SUPER REGION 1 – #4 Bloomsburg, #6 Slippery Rock, #8 California (PA), #9 Kutztown
Eliminated: East Stroudsburg, Cheyney, Lock Haven, Clarion, Mercyhurst, Millersville, Shippensburg, Gannon, Indiana (PA), Edinboro, California (PA)
Could go this week: Kutztown, Bloomsburg, Long Island-C.W. Post
CLINCH ALERT: Kutztown (Eastern Division), Bloomsburg (Eastern Division), Long Island-C.W. Post (Eastern Division)
WESTERN DIVISION CHAMPION: Slippery Rock
Slippery Rock did what they needed to do, knocking off Mercyhurst and clinching the West. C.W. Post stunned Bloomsburg on Saturday while Kutztown shut out West Chester, leaving three teams tied in the East at 5-1.
The East title will be decided one way or another on Saturday. If Kutztown beats Bloomsburg, they win the division, and that game could really go either way. If Bloomsburg wins, C.W. Post should win the division, as they really have no excuse to lose to Cheyney. If Bloomsburg wins and C.W. Post loses, Bloomsburg gets the nod. Clear enough?
Slippery Rock, of course, would like to know who’s going to win, as they’ll be traveling there next week for the State Game. It would be most convenient if C.W. Post were the East winner, as that would actually fit the schedule as already set; otherwise, Post will end up hosting Gannon or Lock Haven next week to replace Slippery Rock.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN:
SUPER REGION 3 – #1 Colorado State-Pueblo, #2 Nebraska-Kearney
Eliminated: Western State, Fort Lewis, Colorado Mesa, New Mexico Highlands, Western New Mexico, Adams State
Could go this week: Chadron State, Colorado Mines, Nebraska-Kearney
CLINCH ALERT: Colorado State-Pueblo
The four teams on top all won, which pressed the eject button on WNMU and Adams State. Either Chadron or Colorado Mines is done this week, since they play; Mines is favored. They’re both gone, however, if CSU-Pueblo beats Western State, and that seems almost a foregone conclusion. Nebraska-Kearney would also be eliminated with a loss and a Pueblo win, but Kearney shouldn’t have any trouble with Fort Lewis. Adams State should beat Mesa, while WNMU/NMHU is a toss-up.
SOUTH ATLANTIC:
SUPER REGION 2 – #2 Mars Hill
Eliminated: Catawba, Tusculum, Brevard, Carson-Newman
Could go this week: Newberry
Mars Hill recovered from their stumble against Lenoir-Rhyne, and eliminated three teams in the process. They are idle this week, and Wingate is out-of-conference, so the only team that can actually be eliminated this week is Newberry, a likely loser at Lenoir-Rhyne. Should Newberry pull off the upset, a four-way tie at 5-2 is not out of the question.
SOUTHERN IAC:
SUPER REGION 2 – #7 Albany State, #8 Morehouse
Eliminated (East Division): Clark Atlanta, Benedict, Fort Valley State
Eliminated (West Division): Lane, Tuskegee, Kentucky State, Stillman
Could go this week (East Division): Morehouse, Albany State
CLINCH ALERT (East Division): Morehouse, Albany State
WESTERN DIVISION CHAMPION: Miles
Miles ground out a mind-numbing 9-7 win over Stillman, and captured the West Division title. Albany State and Morehouse both won, which means Albany State will take the East Division title with a likely win at Fort Valley State, or if Morehouse loses at Kentucky State (which would be a mild upset, but not a great shock). If Albany loses and Morehouse wins, Morehouse takes the crown. In other games, Miles and Stillman should win; Lane/Benedict is a toss-up.
Miles will face either Albany State or Morehouse at 3pm ET on November 12 at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta GA in the inaugural SIAC Championship Game.
As the rankings are currently constituted, Albany State would still make the playoffs under earned access, costing Valdosta State a bid.
WEST VIRGINIA:
SUPER REGION 1 – #3 West Virginia Wesleyan, #10 Shepherd
Eliminated: Seton Hill, West Liberty State, West Virginia State, Charleston (WV), Fairmont State
Could go this week: Glenville State, Shepherd, Concord
CLINCH ALERT: West Virginia Wesleyan
The only surprise was Glenville State losing to Charleston; despite the loss, Glenville remains theoretically alive. However, West Virginia Wesleyan should have no trouble with Charleston this week, and that will earn a share of the conference title and get rid of both Glenville and Shepherd. Should Concord lose to West Liberty State (not at all likely), they’d be eliminated as well, and WVWU would claim the outright conference title. If Wesleyan loses, the loser of the Glenville/Shepherd game is gone anyway; Shepherd should win that one. Fairmont should pound West Virginia State, and Seton Hill is probably losing a non-conference meeting with Urbana.
INDEPENDENTS:
SUPER REGION 2 – #5 North Greenville, #9 North Carolina-Pembroke
North Greenville won again, which keeps them in line for a playoff bid. This week, they have a task ahead of them as they visit Wingate, a game they very well could lose if they’re not prepared. UNC-Pembroke also has a golden opportunity; they’ve moved into the regional rankings at #9, and a win against visiting undefeateds Winston-Salem State would provide a huge boost in profile. It’s not likely, but it isn’t ridiculous either, so it’s worth keeping an eye on.
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
SUPER REGION 1
#6 Slippery Rock at #3 West Virginia Wesleyan, winner at #2 Winston-Salem State
#5 Elizabeth City State at #4 Bloomsburg, winner at #1 New Haven
SUPER REGION 2
#7 Albany State at #3 West Alabama, winner at #2 Mars Hill
#5 North Greenville at #4 North Alabama, winner at #1 Delta State
SUPER REGION 3
#6 Ashland at #3 Saint Cloud State, winner at #2 Nebraska-Kearney
#5 Minnesota-Duluth at #4 Saginaw Valley State, winner at #1 Colorado State-Pueblo
SUPER REGION 4
#9 Humboldt State at #3 Northwest Missouri State, winner at #2 Midwestern State
#8 Ouachita Baptist at #4 Washburn, winner at #1 Pittsburg State