The day was Sept. 5, 2009.

Pittsburg State had just knocked off their second straight opponent, dismantling Chadron State 41-13 in the Jungle. A week before, the Gorillas took it to Central Oklahoma 42-13, also in Carnie Smith Stadium.

I was at both of those games. They were the first two games I attended as a representative of D2Football.com. I haven't been back to Pittsburg since.

The fall of Pitt State from a perennial MIAA power to conference bottom feeder (consecutive seasons of 3-6 MIAA records) was purely fascinating and can only be matched by their rise back to the top of not only the conference, but all of Division II.

I'm finally ready to go back to Gorilla Country, where undefeated (8-0, 7-0) Pitt State, who sits on top of the Super Region 4 rankings, welcomes Washburn (8-1, 6-1), who sits at No. 4 in SR4 (top six teams make the playoffs). Despite two straight losses in those down years for Pitt, they still dominate the all-time series 60-21-1 and have won 27 of the last 31.

Don't tell Ichabod head coach Craig Schurig that though. He's won four of his last six against Pittsburg, where he spent 10 years as the offensive coordinator under legend Chuck Broyles. His Washburn sqaud hopes they can put out a better all-around performance than they did two weeks ago against Northwest Missouri, when they gave up 14 points and amassed minus-4 yards in the fourth quarter on their way to a 52-28 loss in Maryville.

The enormity of this game is hard to describe, but the great part about covering this conference, is it might not even be the biggest game of the day.

Nope, as Washburn and Pitt are getting underway, Northwest and Missouri Western will be kicking off at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph.

The Bearcats, SR4's No. 3 seed, 8-1 overall and 7-1 in conference, need a win to keep pace with the Gorillas and Ichabods, while SR4 No. 7 Western, (7-2, 5-2) needs a win to stay alive in the playoff chase.

And you can't forget about those pesky UCM Mules, who (about a month late) droppped out of the D2Football.com Top 25 this week. They head to 7-2 (Independent) Lindenwood to test the waters on the eastern side of the state before LU joins us in the MIAA next year. At 6-3, 5-3 and No. 10 in SR4, Central needs to win out and get a whole lot of help, but hey, antything can happen.

In other games, 1-8 Lincoln heads to 2-7 Truman, 4-5 Emporia heads to 6-3 (Independent) Southwest Baptist and 3-5 Missouri Southern heads to 3-6 Fort Hays. Those games might be more interesting than you think, and I'll tell you why later.

But for now, let's get into this week's pivotal games in the playoff chase. I've already listed teams' records and SR rankings, so the only rankings you'll see here are positions in the D2Football.com poll.

No. 9 Washburn at No. 2 Pittsburg State
Saturday, Nov. 5; 2 p.m.
Carnie Smith Stadium; Pittsburg, KS

There's not a cooler campus venue in all of Division II and I'm looking forward to making my return trip there.

There's certainly a lot to say about the offensive weapons in this game, much like any big time matchup in this conference. Washburn QB Dane Simoneau leads the nation's fourth-rated passing attack, and Pitt QB Zac Dickey and RB Briceton Wilson, third and fourth in the MIAA in rushing, are the force behind the nation's third-rated rush offense.

Both teams are Top 10 nationally in total offense and scoring offense, and while both rely heavily on their above strengths, other weapons are present as well. This is an aspect of the game I think Washburn has an advantage in. Sure, I love the potential of Pitt WR Jon Brown and the plays he can make, but add him to Dickey and Wilson, and you have three guys to worry about (I'll give you another half in WR Andrew Castaneda).

But with Washburn, Simoneau has a lot of targets to pick from. DeJuan Beard and Ronnel Garner have combined for 1400+ yards and 20 touchdowns, plus you have guys like Tore Hurst with a 17.3 yard-per-catch average and five trips to paydirt and fullback Greg Schoenberg catching the occasional pass out of the backfield.

Then there's the running game, with Justin Cooper and Sean McPherson, a unit that has ammased over 1450 yards and scored 16 times.

Now, when we're talking defense, that's a whole new story. And while Gorilla linebacker Nate Dreilling is obviously a beast, it's all about the whole unit on this Pitt defense. From the line to the d-backs, they are a big reason Pittsburg has been able to turn things around so quickly.

It helped them overcome their five-turnover debacle against Truman State by forcing four of their own, and allowed Dickey and company to climb back into the Fall Classic in a game that was nearly out of control in the first 10 minutes.

When you combine this type of blanketing defense with a Washburn team that has so many ways to hurt you, but has been unable to consistently bring the pain through four quarters, I start to develop an opinion on how this game is going to turn out.

If Washburn plays, for all four quarters, to their potential, they're tough to beat. But I don't see it happening. What I do see is an interesting game almost like the Fall Classic, in which Pitt plays the role of the early dominator, with the 12th man playing a role in some early Washburn miscues, then the 'Bods finding their stride. Simoneau has what it takes to bring them back, but I think the Gorillas do just enough to hold them off and win in an exciting game.

Prediction: Pittsburg State 41 Washburn 33

No. 3 Northwest Missouri at Missouri Western
Saturday, Nov. 5; 2:05 p.m.
Spratt Stadium; St. Joseph, MO
MIAA TV

I've been there for the last two times these bitter rivals have met, and I'm a little bummed I won't be in St. Joe for this one. To me, this game comes down to dynamic duos. For the Bearcats, you've got James Franklin and Jordan Simmons, the pair of underclassmen running backs who have dominated games this year. Simmons can hurt you through the air and in the kick game, while Franklin just straight runs the ball wherever he wants at times.

For the Griffons, their dynamic duo is on their defensive line and comes in the form of David Bass and Ben Pister. When these two guys are on their games, there IS NO stopping them. A rowdy crowd is going to get these guys amped, and I do not envy the Northwest offensive linemen who have to block these guys play after play.

The questions about this game are under center for both teams. Who will play for Northwest, and does it matter? Both starter Blake Christopher and backup Trevor Adams have proven themselves worty this year, and head coach Adam Dorrel is expected to announce Friday if Christopher, plagued by injuries nearly all year, will get the nod.

For Missouri Western, can Travis Partridge continue to improve under center? If so, and you throw in defending MIAA Offensive Player of the Week Michael Hill at running back, watch out Bearcats.

This rivalry is intense, and the mere 40 miles between the schools make for what will be an electric atmosphere, but the fact remains Northwest owns you, Missouri Western. Remember last year with all the hype about how the game was going to be a close one? Maybe the Griffs can pull out the big road victory? That ended in a 42-0 beatdown, and I see something similar happening here.

I'll tell you now; If my boys Bass and Pister can get into the Bearcat backfield and force a bad throw or two or knock a ball loose, it will be different, but I think Northwest comes out swinging and the Griffons have trouble realizing what hit them before it gets out of hand.

Prediction: Northwest Missouri 44 Missouri Western 28

Central Missouri at Lindenwood
Saturday, Nov. 5; 1:30 p.m.
Hunter Stadium; St. Charles, MO

Lindenwood, an indpendent this year as they transition from NAIA, has won 26 consecutive games at home. That streak ends this week. Sure, their win over Texas A&M Kingsville a few weeks back was impressive, but as iffy as Central has looked at times, they know how to take care of business against most teams.

Players to watch on Lindenwood are QB John Uribe (2002 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs), WR Andrew Helmick (45 catches, 711 yards, 10 TDs) and linebacker Chris Howard (72 tackles, 5.5 TFL).

Prediction: Central Missouri 55 Lindenwood 24

Emporia State at Southwest Baptist
Saturday, Nov. 5; 1:30 p.m.
Plaster Stadium; Bolivar, MO

Well, it's week three of four for Southwest Baptist as they try to prove themselves worthy in the MIAA. The first two weeks haven't gone so well (though they did beat Hays earlier in the season). It's kind of interesting they played a really good Missouri Western team (31-24 loss) a lot tougher than they did a sub-par-at-best Missouri Southern team (68-28 loss), but I think the struggles for the Bearcats continue.

Ah Emporia, if you could have beaten Hays like Southwest Baptist did, you'd be looking at the prospects of having a winning season, and my preseason prognastications wouldn't have looked so out of line. At 4-5, it's still possible, sure, but a season finale against a Northwest team vying for playoff positioning doesn't bode well for them.

Any way you stack it, I think Emporia comes out on top here. These Hornets are just THAT close to being a real contender in this league.

Prediction: Emporia State 35 Southwest Baptist 24

Missouri Southern at Fort Hays State
Saturday, Nov. 5; 2 p.m.
Lewis Field; Hays, KS

Except for a really nice Hays running game, all the upside in this game falls on Missouri Southern. Neither team is a lock in a game like this, but Southern, who lives and dies on their top-notch defense, has shown they can beat the other little guys and even play with the big boys in this conference (they led at one point against Central, Washburn, Western and Emporia).

Yes, that means they're known to blow leads, but I dont' see it happening this week.

Prediction: Missouri Southern 31 Fort Hays 20

Lincoln at Truman State
Saturday, Nov. 5; 1 p.m.
Stokes Stadium; Kirksville, MO

Believe it or not, Lincoln has a chance to climb out of the basement. A win here would mean they have the same record (2-8, 1-8) as Truman, with the head-to-head. It's not a bad wish, but it's not going to come true.

It's really hard to find a whole lot of anything either of these teams do well. Truman punts well, has made 13 of 14 field goals and doesn't get penalized much, so there's that. Lincoln has a decently-rated pass defense, but that's only because they're not even in most games by the end of the first quarter so their opponents have no need to pass. So yeah, if you find something, let me know?

Advantage - Truman.

Prediction: Truman State 10 Lincoln 7

Bowl Games

As many of you know, the MIAA is affiliated with two bowl games - The Mineral Water & The Kanza. The teams with the best conference records who do not make the playoffs get the invites. The Mineral Water is against a NSIC team and the Kanza matches up with the LSC, who both select teams in the same way the MIAA does.

It might just get interesting if the MIAA sneaks four teams into the playoffs. That's terribly unlikely, but there are a few scenarios where it could happen.

Let's assume the fourth team is Missouri Western and Central Missouri is on the outside looking in. Now I'm making some assumptions in the following sentences, but I think they're fairly safe ones. The Mules will be the next-best finishing team in the conference, so they'll get their pick.

If the pick the Kanza, played in Topeka, Kan., that leaves Emporia State. If they can't upset Northwest Missouri, we run into the same situation as last year, where the MIAA is not able to supply an above-.500 team for the Mineral Water Bowl, a stipulation in the contract. That gives the organizers of the game, played in Excelsior Springs, Mo., the option to pick whomever they want. They could stick with Emporia, go with another MIAA team (unlikely to me - no attractive options) or pick a team outside the MIAA. A team that came up in conversation last year before the MIAA went with Pitt State was Southwest Baptist, who will finish no worse than 6-5 (though again, the record doesn't matter once they get the option, they can pick whomever they want).

SBU is not a bad option, because it would give them a winning team without "really" stepping outside of the MIAA. Last year, they considered teams from other conferences, but they wouldn't tell me who or how far, if at all, they got into conversations with them.

So that's a whole lot of speculation about something that isnt' very likely to happen, but a little food for thought for you.

Note: I'm assuming UCM would pick the Kanza because the LSC generally offers a more interesting matchup, though I really have no other reason. If they were to choose the Mineral Water Bowl, Emporia would get the invite to the Kanza, because it does not have the above-.500 stipulation.

Chicken

I almost forgot. I put it in the title of this post, so I better mention it. After the Pitt-Washburn game Saturday, I'm heading out for some famous Pittsburg chicken, though I haven't decided if I'll head to Chicken Annie's or Chicken Mary's. Any suggestions would be appreciated, as I've never been to either.

To suggest one or the other, or just to give me crap for writing something you hate or praise for saying something you love, leave a comment below, @ me on Twitter @miAARONd2, message/friend me at Facebook.com/apheintz or email me at [email protected].