Southwest Minnesota State (6-4) at Augustana (4-6)
The past would suggest that Augie is the favorite, but this year SMSU has risen up and asserted itself offensively to the point in which they are the highest scoring offense in the league. This combination of the top rusher in the most dangerous receiver in the league has propelled SMSU to a position where a Mineral Water Bowl Game should be in their future....just needing a win over Augie. Easy stuff right. Eh....not so much. The Augustana defense has been stout, keeping Winona to 285 yards last week. Winona has an explosive offense, so that's quite the feat.

However, the Vikings offense might be more challenged to score points than they've been already this year due to injuries at the quarterback position. Both the #1 and #2 went down last week, but I'm told they are both going to try and go this week. If not, they pull the red-shirt off local star (and true freshman) Chase Marso. This would seemingly be a waste for Marso, but stuff happens.

Ok, back to the game. I think Augie is too challenged offensively both with their QB situation and with their inability to facilitate any real rushing game. The SMSU defense is bad (sorry Mustangs fans, I said it), but even with them being a defense who can give up lots of points I just don't see Augie scoring enough to keep up with what could very well be an explosive SMSU offense....even with Augie being one of the better defensive squads in the league.

I think Augie could prove to be tough for a great offense (see the UIU game), and Augie is at home, but I think SMSU just has the ball rolling in the right direction too much at this moment....and with Augie, I really don't know what type of offensive production they will bring to the party. If Augie does a lot of zone read with the QB running, I think they could find a lot of success against the Mustangs defense. However, Augie seems compelled to throw a lot of short passes and hasn't looked to run the QB as much as I had expected (given the skill set). All said, I'm taking SMSU in a hard fought game, pulling it out 24-17.

Minnesota-Crookston (2-8) at Mary (5-5)
I really don't see a lot here to convince me that Crookston will give Mary much of a game here. Any signs of life for the Golden Eagles seemingly ended on their own field in a 28-0 loss to an under-performing Wolves team. I like Mary to win comfortably and finish the year with a winning record. Mary 38-10.

Minnesota State-Moorhead (4-6) at St. Cloud State (9-1)
Moorhead comes storming into this battle with the Huskies riding a winning streak and looking like their offense is pretty legit. Problem is, they now face the #1 defense in the conference in terms of scoring defense. Moorhead comes into this game with a fair amount more confidence than in past year, but SCSU has been rolling..and they continue here. SCSU 45-24.

Sioux Falls (5-5) at Wayne State (2-8)
USF comes into the season finale on a 2 game losing streak with losses to UIU and a thumping at the hands of MSU-Mankato. Coming into this year I knew that USF would find themselves doing some heavy lifting with a significant rebuilding project. While the USF Coaches would never call it that, as a fan it was apparent that this many freshman starters and most of the production from last year gone = rebuild. I mentioned to friends that I'd be happy with a 6-5 season this year, with a win over Augie....while the young guys cut their teeth and set a strong foundation for the program in the years that follow. With a win at Wayne on Saturday, that's accomplished.

While I don't associate Wayne State with being at the bottom of the conference (right now they are in the standings), I'm really not sure what to expect from them on Saturday. Wayne played UIU to a 24-21 game last week and Charlie Davidson at running back averages 119ypg, so they still have some fight in them. This could be an ugly game for the while as neither team has executed on offense especially well in the last few weeks. When you have a 5-5 team and a 2-8 team, that can happen.

I think that Matt Young gets the start in this one and has more room to operate than he saw last week while running for his life against the Mavs. Young can make plays with his arm and his feet, and I expect him to find the NSIC's leading TE pass catcher over the last 2 years (Austin Van Hove) and the leading ball catcher last year in the conference in Carrington Hanna. Young has some weapons to throw to. That's good because I'm not sure we see Nephi Garcia in the finale as I'm thinking he might very well still be dealing with the killing of his brother. Brady Rose filled in admirably, but he doesn't have the wiggle that Garcia displays, truth be told.

I would imagine that Coach Aldrich would love to get revenge on USF after losing such a high profile game to them last year at the KO. I'm not sure he gets his wish. I like USF and their offensive weapons to win the day, gimme 38-20.

Minnesota-Duluth (9-1) at Northern State (4-6)
Kinduva interesting game. You would certainly think Duluth rolls here, but this feels like a trap game with the playoffs seemingly a week later for the Bulldogs. I'm going to assume that they take care of business and finish the regular season strong, running all over Northern. I do think the Wolves put up a fight, but then UMD goes on a run in the second half, winning 55-30.




Minnesota State-Mankato (10-0) at Upper Iowa (6-4)
This game could be more testy for the Mavs than most are making it out to be. UIU has a pretty high upside offensively and is one of the better teams in the conference on the other side of the ball. The bad part is for the Peacocks is that the Mavs are just a bad match-up for them. The Mavs front four will stop the dangerous UIU rushing game, along with getting pressure on the QB which will likely cause turnovers. If UIU can find a way to play clean football and produce some splash plays in the offense, they can stick around in this one and vie for an upset. While I respect the Peacocks offense, I have more faith in the Mavs defense to come through and disrupt the Peacocks from good execution.

UIU is physical upfront on defense and could hinder Mankato's ability to run over the opponent, again. Jon Wolf can hurt ya through the air though and Carter could very well have a big game as he might be needed more in this one than in some others. If Carter isn't being leaned on here, that means that the Mavs are having their way upfront and running the football downhill.

I think UIU can challenge the Mavs, but I just dont see the #1 tripping up in Fayette. I'm looking for UIU to start off hanging with Mankato, but for them to get worn down over the course of the game and to see some big turnovers blow this one open in the second half. I got MSU winning the conference out-right, beating the Peacocks 48-20.

Bemidji State (2-8) at Minot State (2-8)
Ummm. Yeah. This isn't exactly a captivating match-up at this moment. BSU is having a letdown year and Minot has struggled since joining the conference. Without delay, I like the Minot offense to show a little more than Bemidji, ending the season with a win, 21-20.

Winona State (6-4) at Concordia-St. Paul (4-6)
This game looks a lot better on paper (6-4 vs 4-6) than it really is. Winona has a potent enough offense to handle any of the bottom half teams, while CSP is in a storm right now and nobody on their team has an umbrella. I could be completely wrong but I'm not sure the Bears compete in this one. It's really too bad to see how much promise this year had for Concordia. It's hard to believe that they were ranked in the Top 25 earlier this year, given the collapse. Winona will be willing to put their foot on the gas in this one. Winona State 58-20.


The Final Game for one of my favorites..
There will be a lot of Seniors who will be playing their last game on Saturday, but for me there is one player that I will miss seeing more than others. Carrington Hanna. I know that I've talked about Hanna plenty in the past, but more than any other player he's been instrumental in the successful transition that USF has made from the NAIA to NCAA Division 2. Anytime I see Hanna after the games he can always be heard saying "yes sir", "thank you sir", etc. He's a very respectful young man, and it's all the more personal for me as my boys (3 and 6) completely worship Carrington. When running around in the backyard my oldest says he's Hanna when he catches the football.



(pictured here at his final home game, with USF Head Coach Jed Stugart)

With that, I will miss not seeing #2 out there next year..and I'm pleased that he's been such a fine role model for my boys.