There are four games on tap this weekend, and honestly, I have no idea who's the favorite in any of them. For the first time, we have a set of games that all feature opponents that match up well (or at least evenly) with each other.

#17 Shepherd (4-1, 2-1) at West Virginia Wesleyan (5-0, 2-0)

Both of these teams are missing some key personnel, which makes this game that much more interesting. We already know that Shepherd DB Keon Robinson will not be returning this season, and it doesn't look good for DB D.J. Scott either. The result is Shepherd's defensive secondary will be hurting against the best quarterback in the WVIAC. Tommy Addison left early in last week's loss at Concord, and I don't know yet what his status is for this week either. But the bottom line is that Shepherd was indeed the team that beat Shepherd last week thanks to five turnovers. Yes, Concord deserves all the credit in the world for what they were able to do, but five turnovers were what really cost the Rams. Don't expect that to happen again this week.

West Virginia Wesleyan, meanwhile, took a comfortable 27-6 halftime lead and got a bit too cozy, giving up 350 passing yards to someone that I can't call any better than a mediocre quarterback. The result was a 37-26 win that was much closer than it should have been. WR T.J. Benners did not play for the Bobcats last week, a surprise that could have an impact this week. West Virginia Wesleyan needs to have both Jon Meadows and Benners out on the field to take advantage of Shepherd's biggest weakness right now. They also need some answers to the huge number of penalties they've been racking up as well as the kicking game: Phillip Warner missed three field goals all within 30 yards, and I don't think field conditions were the reason for his misses.

Both of these teams can stop the run. Can either of them stop (or slow down) the pass? It doesn't look like it. Expect a shootout in this one that could go either way.

Prediction: Shepherd 41, West Virginia Wesleyan 35


West Virginia State (1-3, 1-1) at West Liberty (0-5, 0-3)

We expected West Virginia State to struggle coming into this season. The same cannot be said of West Liberty. But the difference is one team has had far more continuity this year, and that's the one with one in the win column right now. QB Ricky Phillips has done pretty much what I expected this season: shown good abilities with his arm but struggled at times when the offensive line hasn't given him time. Last week, RB Fabian Payne really showed that now the Yellow Jackets can also run, something we didn't see all of last season. And when the offense was shut down completely in the second half, the defense made key stops to win the game for the team. I really expect much of the same script this week.

West Liberty, meanwhile, has no leadership on offense. Then again, that's easy to have when you've had five differerent starters at center over the five games so far this season. Ben Rogers has looked pretty good (by comparison) in recent games, but then again, all of his playing time has come late in games where the result has already been decided. There were some improved signs of life last week, including some potential from the running game, but I haven't seen enough to really feel confident in them yet.

West Virginia State's defense has made huge strides since a game one blowout loss to Johnson C. Smith. Don't expect many points in this one: West Liberty knows that they'll need a big day from their defense in order to win.

Prediction: West Virginia State 20, West Liberty 17


Charleston (0-5, 0-3) at Seton Hill (0-5, 0-3)

Both of these teams have to be disappointed after having chances to win last week and not being able to finish. Charleston's 19-14 loss to Fairmont State seemed all too typical of the Golden Eagles this season: no offensive momentum. Jordan Roberts was fine, but it was Maurice Leak's repeated success on quarterback draws that gave Charleston a chance against Fairmont State (along with the Falcons' issues with penalties that I talked about yesterday). But please, will someone at wide receiver step up? The offense has to be able to score at least 20 points sometime this year if Charleston is to win a game.

Meanwhile, Seton Hill bounced back nicely at halftime and had several chances for the game winning touchdown against West Virginia State, but it just didn't happen. Why? Well, it wasn't because being down 27-7 at halftime was too much to overcome, especially as the Griffins held West Virginia State to just five net offensive yards and no first downs in the second half. The big problem is too much reliance on an inconsistent passing game, which was necessary on third down all game. Only twice, out of 18 times, did Seton Hill have a third down and manageable distance (five yards or less). Not surprisingly, the Griffins only converted four of 18 third downs all day. If they can get more production out of the running game (and I think they will this week), they can win against a Charleston team whose own offense is stopping themselves.

Prediction: Seton Hill 17, Charleston 14


Game of the Week
Concord (3-2, 3-0) at Glenville State (2-3, 2-0)

Yes, you saw that right: my game of the week is NOT the Shepherd-West Virginia Wesleyan matchup that I expected to be a battle of unbeatens and that I expected I'd be seeing in person. Instead, I'll be making my first ever trip to Glenville to see this battle of underdogs that are vying to stay in the lead for the conference title.

Concord had their best all-around performance of the year last week, even without a great day on the ground, as I predicted. They didn't need much from the running game with Zack Grossi throwing for over 250 yards by halftime. What impressed me most, though, was the way that there are new faces popping up each week among the receiving corps. Before the season started, I expected a bigger showing from Randall Hawkins. Well, last week we finally got it. Garrett Hammett was another name that wasn't on my radar at all, and he had a huge role in Concord's victory. Linebacker Joe Greenway has been the name that's been easy to mention from before the season started on defense, but how about fellow LB Jake Lilly? Only last week did I really start buying Concord as a team that can play defense as well as offense to the level of a conference championship contender.

Glenville State, meanwhile, has simply been the most improved team in the conference from week 1 to the midpoint of the season. If this team were now given the same four turnovers that Carson-Newman gave them (field position and all), I feel confident that, against just about any defense in Division II, they could score more than just 13 points. On offense, they keep adding true leaders every week, and after last week, you'd better add Jakhari Murphy to the list of offensive stars I've already named this season. But can they play defense? That's what cost them the game at UNC Pembroke earlier this season, and while 14 points looked pretty good last week against West Liberty, that's also partially because of the Hilltoppers' offensive ineptitude this season.

Both of these teams can score, but from what I've seen, one is clearly better on defense. They say that defense wins championships, and while it's too early to say that about the Mountain Lions, I think that at least gives them the edge in a high-scoring affair.

Prediction: Concord 35, Glenville State 31


Follow Me on the Road

Along with the usual comment block below and email, you can also follow me on Twitter @Byko this weekend as I hit the road for the first time this season. Plus, as long as internet access is available, I'll be liveblogging from Glenville starting sometime between 12:30 and 12:45. Watch this blog for the liveblog link later this week.