No. 1 Pittsburg State (2-0, 2-0) at Southwest Baptist (0-2, 0-2)Prediction: Brown scores TDs in 2 of the 3 phases and Pitt rolls. Pittsburg State 44 SBU 14

Nebraska-Kearney (0-2, 0-2) at No. 5 Missouri Western (2-0, 1-0) Prediction: Missouri Western continues their hot start. MWSU 31 UNK 21

Fort Hays State (0-2, 0-2) at No. 11 Northwest Missouri (1-1, 0-1)
Saturday, Sept. 15; 1 p.m.
Bearcat Stadium; Maryville, Mo.

Don't mess with an angry Bearcat. And like it or not Tiger fans, that's what you're going to have Saturday as Northwest Missouri hopes to bounce back from an ugly defeat at the hands of Central Missouri.

To do that, they'll need better quarterback play, plain and simple. Sure, Trevor Adams went pass-happy when they fell down 31-7 and ended up with a 300-yard day, but if you were at the game (or the ECU game from what I hear), it's evident the passing game is in trouble.

Speaking of trouble, has anyone heard from James Franklin or Jordan Simmons? The two are supposed to be (by my and other's accord) the best RB duo in the league, but are averaging just 3.1 and 3.2 yards per carry, respectively, with 1 TD each.

Hays is not without its own problems. In the most commonly-named backfield ever, true freshman Addie Brown has emerged as the team's leading rusher, overtaking the roles of Andre and Edward Smith, but the team as a whole is averaging under 120 yards a game on the ground.

The Tiger quarterback play has also been spotty at best, with Anthony Shepperd and Tarean Austin sharing time in Game 1 and Austin seeing all the action in last week's thumping to the hands of Washburn.

A quick start is always key against the Bearcats, and that's going to be a problem for Hays, who has a total of just 48 yards of offense in the first quarter in the two games combined.

If any of the Bearcats mentioned above (Adams, Franklin, Simmons) find their game Saturday, it should be another easy win over the Tigers (remember 70-17 last year?), but if not, you never know what can happen.

Prediction: The running game gets it going. Northwest Missouri 38 Fort Hays 20

Northeastern State (0-2, 0-2) at No. 15 Washburn (2-0, 2-0)Prediction: Northeastern is going to find a way to make it interesting. Washburn 33 NSU 27

No. 24 Central Missouri (1-1, 1-1) at Lindenwood (2-0, 2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 15; 6 p.m. CT
Harlen C. Hunter Stadium; St. Charles, Mo.

It's apparent the MIAA loves Central Missouri as much as I talk about Emporia State. Geez, the Mules beat Northwest, they didn't walk on the moon. All 3 MIAA POW honors? Seems a bit much, but hey, I'd tell you Emporia deserved them all.... :)

So now is UCM set up for a trap game? Riding high into eastern Missouri, the Mules face one of the brightest stars so far in the conference this year in Lindenwood QB Ben Gomez. Lucky for Central though, they got a pretty good gunslinger themselves.

Colt(er) Smith, real name Colter - hipster name Colt, has been dominant in the game and a half he's seen action since replacing an injured Mike Peterson and is listed atop the depth chart as we head into Week 3.

The Wood's defense has been stellar thus far, but they've seen nothing like Smith, who stands 6 foot 5 and 240, and LaVance Taylor, a versatile back who's been a star so far in his sophomore campaign.

Smith might need every inch of his massive frame, as the Lions come into the game with 10 sacks, the most in the MIAA.

A win here puts Central in a really good spot as they move past what was the toughest two-week opening stretch in all of Division II and into the softer portion of their schedule (Pitt in 3 weeks is the only top-tier team left).

A win for Lindenwood puts them on the map immediately, and not in the few years most fans were expecting.

Prediction: Don't MapQuest St. Charles just yet. Central Missouri 28 Lindenwood 21

Central Oklahoma (0-2, 0-2) at Emporia State (2-0, 2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 15; 1 p.m. CT
Welch Stadium; Emporia, Kan.

Anyone else like what they see out of UCO last weekend? Adrian Nelson looks like a playmaker and Emporia coach Garin Higgins says Broncho running back Joshua Birmigham might be the best running back in the MIAA.

I'm not sure if I buy that, but hey, it's a nice thought. Emporia just needs to do their thing and keep winning the winnable games that make up the first eight on the Hornets' schedule. A matchup with Lindenwood in a few weeks is the only one before then I see the Hornets really having a problem with, but then again, this isn't a seasoned winner in the MIAA. A stumble can seriously hurt their postseason chances.

Prediction: I feel like a stumble is looming in the distance, but it's not ready to come out of hiding yet. Emporia 49 UCO 24

Missouri Southern (2-0, 2-0) at Lincoln (0-2, 0-2)
Saturday, Sept. 15; 2 p.m. CT
Dwight T. Reed Stadium; Jefferson City, Mo.

An effective option-running quarterback (Kellen Cox) and the No. 1 NFL prospect in all of Division II on your defensive line (Brandon Williams)... Do we need to put Missouri Southern on our radar? I'm starting to believe a 4-0 start is possible, if not probable (SBU at home next week), but there's a lot of meat in the beef of the Lions' schedule, and this isn't Zac Dickey.

Remember, Dickey became even more effective once he developed his passing game and John Brown emerged as a star last year, so can Cox do the same? And who will step up in the Southern passing game? Landon Zerkel is an obvious candidate. Heck throw Na'Ronte Threatt in there, just because he's the only other receiver to catch a pass this year.

I like Southern's dominance in time of possession so far, but I'm worried they're getting outscored 20-6 in the fourth quarter.

While Lincoln's two losses don't feel as bad as the weekly demolition derbies they subjected themselves to last year, there hasn't been a whole lot to write home about for the Blue Tigers in 2012. I think Lincoln picks up at least one win this year, but I'm thinking it will be one of the newcomers.

Prediction: If the option is your only option, it's good enough for this week. MSSU 24 Lincoln 13

Northwestern Oklahoma State (0-2, 0-1 GAC) at Truman State (2-0, 2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 15; 7 p.m. CT
Stokes Stadium; Kirksville, Mo.

NOSU, in its first of a three-year transition into D2 under first-year coach Alan Hall, has played two now-ranked teams to open the season. In Week 1, they got thumped by No. 25 Ouachita Baptist 55-3 and last week, they fell to No. 4 CSU-Pueblo 41-24 after briefly holding a 21-20 lead in the third quarter.

Truman is certainly no Pueblo and likely a far cry from Ouachita, so what lies ahead for the Rangers?

You could call Truman's defense stingy, only giving up 14 and 12 points in its first two games, but against SBU and Lincoln, I'm not sure if we're getting a prime example of their abilities. Let's see what happens this week against a Northwestern Oklahoma quarterback (Kyle Jech) that completed 43 of 69 passes last week against Pueblo, both school records and a wide receiver (Andrew King) who caught 14 passes, also a school record.

Prediction: I have a bad feeling about this one, but I gotta stick with my rule of picking conference teams in non-con action. Truman State 27 Northwestern Oklahoma 24

Feedback: Agree with what I have to say? Think I'm an idiot? That's cool, just tell me why. Leave a comment below, hit me up on Twitter @miAARONd2, send me a message on Facebook.com/apheintz or drop a note in my inbox at [email protected].

FACT CHECK: In a previously-published version of this blog, I incorrectly stated J.B. Matthews rushed for 168 yards last week for Northwestern Oklahoma State against CSU-Pueblo. Matthews did rush for 168 yards, but he plays for Pueblo, not Northwestern Oklahoma. It's pretty clear I don't know everything, but I try my best to get what I report right, and I'm sorry for the error.