After four weeks, things are starting to come clear in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Teams are showing what they are capable of, and in some cases, what they are not capable of.

THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY ARE
  • Kutztown (4-0): The Golden Bears show no signs of slowing down. The questions about them were on defense, but head coach Ray Monica seems to have that issue taken care of.
  • Bloomsburg (4-0): Give the Huskies credit for keeping up despite all the distractions surrounding their town and their campus, not to mention the injury to Franklyn Quiteh.
  • California (3-1): Forget the loss to St. Cloud State. The Vulcans figure to be in the picture now that the offense seems to be clicking under QB Pater Lalich and WR Thomas Mayo.
  • Lock Haven (0-3): Nothing is easy for the Bald Eagles, especially their schedule. Their only hope for a win is Clarion.
  • Millersville (1-3): Other than their narrow win over Lock Haven, the Marauders have done little. They play Cheyney this week, which could be a win. But remember the Wolves beat Millersville last season.
  • Cheyney (1-3): Like Lock Haven, the Wolves just do not have the resources to compete in their own division.


THEY MIGHT BE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY ARE
  • West Chester (2-2): Tough early schedule will make the Rams playoff-ready, should they still be in the race.
  • Edinboro (4-0): The record is nice, but the Fighting Scots have not played anyone yet. Stay tuned.
  • Slippery Rock (3-1): The Rock continues to improve, and it could be a major factor down the stretch.
  • Mercyhurst (3-1): Up and down through four games. The Lakers gave Kutztown a test, but struggled with Notre Dame College.
  • Shippensburg (2-2): A new everything for the Red Raiders in the year 1 A.R (after Rocky). It is still too early to tell how well this offense will hold up. But this could be a dangerous team down the stretch.
  • C.W. Post (1-3): Tough early schedule makes it hard to judge this team.
  • IUP (1-2): Looked great in the opener against East Stroudsburg, looked outmanned against Bloomsburg, and looked awful vs. Slippery Rock. Who knows where this one is going.


THEY ARE NOT WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE
  • East Stroudsburg (1-3): That win over Pace looked semi-impressive. But since then, the Warriors have gone south. Should be better, considering the offensive firepower.
  • Clarion (0-4): By winning four of their last six in 2010, the Golden Eagles seemed poised to turn things around this year. Has not happened.
  • Gannon (1-3): The Golden Knights are struggling all over the place.


GAME OF THE WEEK
West Chester at C.W. Post: (Slim pickings for a game of the week, folks). Maybe on paper, this is not that intriguing of a matchup, but it is a key game in the East Division considering at least four teams have a realistic chance at winning the title.
The key here is for the C.W. Post offense, which erupted last week against Shippensburg, to hang with West Chester. It is possible, I suppose. But it will not be easy. Tailback Thomas Beverly has been limited in his touches recently (12 carries the last two games), and the Pioneers need him to get back to his old self.
The Rams seem to be playing catch-up every season after their annual loss to Delaware and beating Slippery Rock and East Stroudsburg the last two weeks helps. Watch RB Rondell White, who is emerging as a star in the East.
Key stat: West Chester is 0-2 on the road; 2-0 at home.

AN ADDED NOTE
My suggestion last week that the PSAC look into playing games on Thursday nights was met with mixed results. I understand why some would see it as blasphemous to not play college football games on Saturdays, but my suggestion comes at a time when the 16 PSAC schools could use a boost.
Truth is, if everything was going well, there would be no need to change anything. But notion that if it is not broke, it should not be fixed does not apply here. The system is broken. Otherwise, every seat in every stadium would be filled on Saturdays.
The idea was brought about as a way to get the casual fans in the neighboring towns, plus the students on campus, to attend the games. I understand it would be a pain for the parents who sometimes come from hours away, but those fans usually stop coming to games after their son finishes his playing days.
The point is to build a fan base, and the PSAC should do something to do that.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Taking a look at the NCAA statistics web page, the PSAC is well represented.
  • Slippery Rock leads the nation in pass efficiency defense (68.2 rating), and is No. 2 in total defense (194.5 yards per game) and scoring defense (10.0 points per game). [Oddball note: Catawba leads the nation in run defense, giving up just 16.3 yards per game. What is odd is that Catawba is 1-3.]
  • Kutztown is No. 3 in total offense, averaging an astounding 546.0 yards per game.
  • Edinboro leads the nation in turnover margin, at plus-9.


POWER RANKINGS
Based on nothing but my opinion:
1. Kutztown (4-0)
2. Bloomsburg (4-0)
3. California (3-1)
4. Edinboro (4-0)
5. West Chester (2-2)
6. Slippery Rock (3-1)
7. Mercyhurst (3-1)
8. Shippensburg (2-2)
9. IUP (1-2)
10. C.W. Post (1-3)
11. East Stroudsburg (1-3)
12. Gannon (1-3)
13. Cheyney (1-3)
14. Clarion (0-4)
15. Millersville (1-3)
16. Lock Haven (0-3)