Got a chance to watch A LOT of MIAA football on Saturday. Some of it good. Some of it bad, but all of it a good time. What I like about Week 3 is I think you finally begin to see what a team is made of. Trends form out of the peaks and valleys you see in the first two weeks, and a clearer picture begins to develop about a lot of things.

There's still a lot to learn, and any trends spotted after the third week of MIAA football are subject to change at just about any minute.

Here's today's scores (home teams in caps) and the listed attendance at each game

Pitt State 52 SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 9 - 1,859
NORTHWEST MISSOURI 48 Fort Hays 10 - 6,379
EMPORIA STATE 42 Central Oklahoma 14 - 4,861
Missouri Southern 21 LINCOLN 14 - 1,257
WASHBURN 24 Northeastern State 20 - 5,671
MISSOURI WESTERN 38 Nebraska-Kearny 14 - 5,916
Central Missouri 35 LINDENWOOD 28 - 3,830
TRUMAN STATE 63 Northwestern Okla. State 21 - 4,531


5 storiesPittsburg State still the team to beatNorthwest plays musical QB and gets the ground game goingNewbies still looking to get on the board.Three of the wildcards are still in playNo need for upset alert5 starsMichael Hill Tyler Eckenrode LaVance Taylor John Brown Ben Gomez - His video game numbers were against suspect competition, but the Lindenwood QB was good at time Saturday against UCM, beginning 9 of 10


5 teams that CAN win this conferencePittsburg StateCentral MissouriEmporia StateMissouri Western. The Griffons look the part of a 7-0 team, but then end the season at Pitt, at Emporia, vs Washburn and at Northwest Missouri. The Partridge and Hill combination is looking like one that can carry Western a long way in those games.
5. Washburn . Another beefy ending to a season with a lot of baked goods on the front end, but I think that only helps the good teams get better


And yes, that leaves out Northwest Missouri, so I figure I better talk about that. The Bearcats have already lost to one of the above teams, and unlike any of them, still have four of them left on the schedule. Right now, there's too many questions on this team, mainly at quarterback, to see them coming back from an early hole to take home an MIAA title this year.

Feedback

I know there's storylines I'm not considering. I could name you about 5 more potential stars I left off my list, and I'd love to hear what team you would take off the list of could-be MIAA champions if you want to put Northwest on it. So hit me up with your thoughts by leaving a comment below, dropping me a note on Twitter @miAARONd2, sending me a message on Facebook.com/apheintz or getting at my inbox at [email protected].