Welcome to the new MIAA, where after two weeks, yearly cellar dwellers Emporia State, Truman State and Missouri Southern are tied atop the standings and Northwest Missouri is without a conference victory.

Right where we thought we'd be, right?

Well, once you look at who each team has played, it's not that big of a shock, but it sure is interesting, isn't it?

It also makes for an awfully interesting High 5.

For those new to the blog, each week until the Regional Rankings come out, I offer an entirely meaningless ranking of the Top 5 teams in the conference. I try my best to throw out any pre-conceived notions, expectations and historty, and base it entirely on what's happened this year.

So in compiling this list, I try to look at what 2-0 teams have done it best and decide which 1-1 teams deserve a spot over a 2-0 team, and if so, which ones?

So here it goes:

1. Emporia State - I hope you're still reading. And no, nobody at Emporia State has offered me any money or any other incentives for my non-stop praising of the Hornets. But hey, I call 'em like I see 'em. ESU didn't just beat Kearney, they took them to a back alley and handed them a beatdown of epic proportions. Sure, the Lopers got some shots in toward the end, but this was an absolute shellacking. Emporia now leads the MIAA in scoring and is in the top half of every single statistical category, other than punting and kickoff coverage (which could lead to problems). QB Tyler Eckenrode and WR Shjuan Richardson are both playing like Player of the Year candidates and with their schedule, both should continue to put up big numbers.

2. Washburn - Another team that has put together two complete games, the Sticky Ickies don't get any extra points for thumping Fort Hays, but do for giving up a total of just 334 yards passing in two games, plus allowing only one sack. Quarterback Mitch Buhler is no Dane Simoneau, but he's proving worth his keep as a replacement to a Washburn legend.

3. Pittsburg State - This isn't a knock on the Gorillas, I promise. I put them at No. 1 in my D2Football.com Top 25 poll, and I think they're deserving of the honor, but those polls are based a lot on last year and expectations, and like I said above, I'm trying to stay away from those. Pitt was outright flat after halftime on Saturday night and almost let Central Oklahoma sneak back into the ballgame. But don't get me wrong. I still expect the Gorillas to be in the thick of the conference title hunt until the end, and the Anthony Abenoja to John Brown connection is turning into quite the highlight reel.

4. Missouri Western - You gotta like the quarterback-running back combo of Travis Partridge and Michael Hill. The latter has had his breakout performance, now once the former has his, I'll turn that into love. I'm not super-impressed with their performances as a whole, with the UCM game lacking the nail in the coffin and the Jewell game probably not providing an accurate measure of ability. I have a strong feeling I'll be moving the Griffons up in coming weeks.

5. Central Missouri - If it weren't for head-to-head, I'd put UCM over Missouri Western. The Mules' victory over Northwest on Saturday didn't just break a nine-game losing streak to the Bearcats, it rejuvenated their chances at a conference title and/or playoff spot. Colter Smith, the backup coming into the year, looks like he could be one of the conference's top QBs, and I'm liking what I've seen from running back LaVance Taylor. If this list was about the last 6 quarters, I'd have Central at No. 1.

Yup, that means no Northwest Missouri in my High 5 for what I'm sure is the first time in the three years I've been doing it.

Truman, Lindenwood and Southern all got consideration, but Truman and Lwood played Lincoln (automatic deduction) and Southern has been solid, but isn't wowing me.

I wanna hear what you think. Am I crazy for putting Emporia on top? Do the Bearcats deserve on the list? Where would you put Pitt State? How about MoWest? Leave a comment below, hit me up on Twitter @miAARONd2, send me a note at facebook.com/apheintz or drop me a line in my inbox at [email protected].