We're going into week five with a few storylines.

Western Oregon is going for it. Big time. This is not breaking news a month into the season. Everyone knew this by taking a look at WOU's schedule during the offseason. It didn't start well - a convincing loss to at Grand Valley team that is now 1-3 - but has continued to get better with three GNAC victories including a shutout of Dixie State last week and a close win over a Central Washington squad that had won the previous 14 meetings. Abilene Christian looms next.

Central Washington is looking for win No. 1. Still. Nobody on the team was anywhere near being born the last time the Wildcats went 0-3 (1980). The Wildcats began with a season-opening loss to a highly-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville team that is now 2-2 and out of the top 25. Despite forcing Humboldt State into three turnovers late in the game the Wildcats then lost to their rival in front of a national TV audience, 38-36. Then of course, the aforementioned loss to WOU. What's not disputable is the fact that the Wildcats are at home for the next three weekends.

Humboldt State came into the season with perhaps the most buzz in the GNAC and so far, has not disappointed. The 'Jacks are solid on offense, very good on defense and are undefeated at 3-0 on the season. Fans are noticing the product on the field as well. While HSU has played just once in the friendly confines of the Redwood Bowl this season, that one game produced an overflow crowd of 7,000 rabid fans that stormed the field after the win over CWU. That same attendance shouldn't be expected every week, but it certainly sets the bar high for this weekend.

Simon Fraser and Dixie State have taken their lumps this year, going a combined 2-6 thus far this season. Offensively, both are relatively one-dimensional (SFU relies on the run; Dixie relies primarily on the pass), although SFU continues to lead the GNAC in rushing yardage per game with 222. To say Dixie has problems protecting the quarterback is an understatement. The Red Storm has suffered 25 sacks on the year, the worst in Division II.

We're nearly at the halfway point of the regular season and that's a good thing for the entire league. The Lumberjacks and Wolves are hopeful the momentum continues. The Wildcats, Clan and Red Storm are crossing their fingers that this weekend begins a change in momentum. In two days, we'll see what comes true.

Western Oregon (3-1) at #8 Abilene Christian (2-1)

Western Oregon continues to pile it on this season, taking its third brutal road trip (Grand Valley, Dixie State and now Abilene Christian) of the year. Unlike the Grand Valley contest, WOU can do some major damage within Super Region 4 and at the same time, significantly bolster its potential playoff credentials. Of course, it's not as though the travel itself is the only difficult part of the weekend.

Abilene Christian comes in with another sound program this year, its only blemish a 23-17 decision to the current No. 2 team in the land, North Alabama. The Wildcats needed nearly all of the 60 minutes allotted in the season-opening win over Tarleton State and cruised in a 31-17 victory over Angelo State last weekend.

Mitchell Gale is following last year's stellar performance under center with 320 ypg (fifth in the country), seven scores and a respectable 12.5 yards per completion. But Gale has shown a bit of vulnerability, throwing for four picks in three games already this year and completing just 55% of his passes, both different than his sophomore year. Gale will see a WOU defense that boasts 6-1, 200-pound DB Bryce Peila, who's already picked off four passes (top five in the nation) and 6-3, 235-pound LB Scotland Foss (six TFL, including three sacks; 1 pick, 1 fumble recovery).

The Wildcats don't have one major standout in the backfield or at receiver, but they do have a committee of talent that can hurt any team. Despite battling early-season injuries, Daryl Richardson is netting 49 ypg behind Gale with two touchdowns. A healthy Richardson has emerged in each game so far this season, even though he has just one start to his resume in 2011.

According to the stat sheet, Gale doesn't necessarily have a favorite target, as five different receivers have between 10 and 14 receptions so far.

By comparison, Western Oregon is similar to Abilene in that the Wolves don't have a go-to back, but so far produce a respectable 157 ypg rushing, thanks to a line anchored by 6-4, 300-pound Jason Slowey. Quarterback Evan Mozzochi might not have the overall credentials Gale has, but he's thrown for seven touchdowns and rushed for three more scores on his own. Mozzochi isn't small either, at 6-4, 230 pounds, he looks more like an oversized linebacker than a quarterback. Trevor Gates has emerged as WOU's main threat in the air. Despite being undersized, his 5-9 frame has hauled in 21 passes for 356 yards and two scores this season. His 89 ypg average is second in the GNAC.

Defensively, ACU's Aaron Whiteside garnered plenty of attention during the preseason and so far, the accolades are supported by his play. Whiteside had just nine tackles on the season, but he creates havoc on nearly every play. The 6-2, 285-pound defensive end has five tackles for loss, including one sack, he hurries the quarterback, which has resulted in a number of incomplete passes due to his pressure. When those opposing quarterbacks do connect however, it's been for big yards. ACU's defense is yielding 342 ypg in the air, but just four touchdowns to show for it, which means the Wildcats might be prone to big plays against them, but not at the goal line.

The Wildcats are slow out of the locker room, getting outscored in both the first and third periods (by 22 points), but redeeming themselves by that margin and then some in the second and fourth quarters (33 points). By contrast, Western Oregon has done an excellent job of pouring it on early, outscoring its opponents by 33 points in the first quarter alone.

Both teams are penalized pretty consistently. Western Oregon averages 10 penalties for 90 yards. ACU gets nailed 11 times for 85 yards over its three games. Some penalties are called against aggressive playmakers and to a point those are the nature of the beast. However, if a team is constantly getting flagged for a late hit or jumping off the line too quickly, adjustments need to be made. In the case of this contest, it looks as though both teams need to be aware of the issue.

In order for Western Oregon to get the win, the Wolves will have to decide which team will show up: The team that put 56 points on the board (against Dixie's 0) last week, or the team that only scored 14 points total (still a win) against a Central Washington team that committed five turnovers? The same goes for ACU, even in a loss, the Wildcats showed that they could hang with one of the best teams in the nation two weeks ago in UNA. Of course, this is the same ACU team that took the final lead of the game against a 1-3 Tarleton team at the 1:09 mark of the fourth quarter during Labor Day weekend.

It's good that Western Oregon has gotten the Grand Valley contest out of the way. Now the Wolves can go into another unfamiliar and hostile environment like Shotwell Stadium in Texas and have experience to fall back on having dealt with 15,000 fans in Michigan a month ago. Intangibles such as that, coupled with the fact that the Wolves can get out on teams early could lead to a huge upset. Of course Abilene is tough at home and has a roster full of players used to a big-game atmosphere. But there's a reason why Western Oregon scheduled this game: in order to be considered as a contender for the playoffs, they need to prove their worthiness with a win against a contender. They'll escape with the "W" in Texas, 30-24.

Central Washington (0-3, 0-2 GNAC) vs. Simon Fraser (1-3, 0-3)

Central Washington needs a win in a bad way. It's looking for momentum and after a bye week, it has to be one of the hungriest teams in the nation to prove its 0-3 record is a fluke.

Simon Fraser, on the other hand, is still looking for its first-ever GNAC win and the Clan will have to be firing on all cylinders and will need CWU to continue its sluggish start in order for SFU to sneak out with a victory in Ellensburg.

The Wildcats have not had much success offensively as a team, although there have been a few bright spots here and there. Their offensive inconsistencies (a league-worst 17.7 ppg) have plagued the squad off and on throughout the last couple of years. Despite bringing back most of last year's starters and a few reserves back on the defensive line, it's clear that the team's rush defense isn't the same as the past couple of years. To make matters worse, CWU announced that DEs Andrew Oney and Tyrell Nielson will be out due to injuries. DB Genesis Fonoimoana is suspended indefinitely. SFU's Bo Palmer and Gabriel Ephard will try and capitalize on that.

Palmer leads the league in rushing yards, tallying 125 ypg with four touchdowns. Ephard is averaging 66 ypg on roughly 10 carries a contest. While Palmer has been the more consistent of the two, both have shown they can run against good teams in Western Oregon and Humboldt State. That doesn't mean the Clan will win though.

While the Wildcats have established a consistent running attack, quarterback Ryan Robertson has found two good receivers to rely on in Anthony Spain (22 receptions, 102 ypg) and Justin Helwedge (17 receptions, 67 ypg). Robertson is averaging 263 ypg for the 'Cats. Conversely, Trey Wheeler for SFU has thrown more than 100 yards in one of four games this year.

Central Washington will finally get the monkey off its back on Saturday, defeating the Clan 31-9.

Humboldt State (3-0, 2-0) vs. Dixie State (1-3, 1-1)

After three weeks of not playing at home Humboldt State is back on site. Dixie State however, is experiencing the difficulties of a road trip as its first four games were at home base.

The Lumberjacks have set the tone early for themselves and the rest of the GNAC. They're undefeated, they have the league's top running back, they have multiple receiver weapons thanks to a very efficient quarterback and defensively, they're holding teams to less than 16 ppg (15th nationally) and 300 ypg (30th nationally).

Dixie on the other hand has to get better against the run and they'll have to do it against probably the most productive back for the GNAC in a while in Lyndon Rowells. Dixie yields nearly 200 ypg on the ground (worst in the GNAC), but interestingly holds teams to less than 160 ypg in the air (best in the GNAC). HSU quarterback Mike Proulx comes into the game averaging a shade more than 305 ypg in the air.

Humboldt State beat Dixie 28-3 and 49-14 last year and this year's result in the teams' first meeting won't be much different. Lumberjacks, 34-10.

Jon Guddat covers the GNAC for D2football.com.