1. Shepherd 7-0, 7-0 DII

The Rams are again at the top of the Mountain East as they have beaten all comers this year. They still have games against West Liberty, Fairmont State and Urbana. All three of those teams are around .500 for the season so if Shepherd is able to take care of business, they would secure the top seed in SR1.

2. Bowie State 7-1, 7-0 DII

The Bulldogs have been the surprise team of the CIAA. Their most recent victory over Virginia Union will help their strength of schedule. They will close out the season with Lincoln and Elizabeth State. If they do make the CIAA championship game, they will have a strong shot at hosting in the first weekend of the playoffs.

3. Charleston 7-1, 7-1 DII

The Golden Eagles have won six games in a row after defeating Urbana last weekend. They have three games left against West Virginia Wesleyan, Alderson Broaddus and UVa-Wise. The only loss for Charleston was in Week 2 to current Mountain East leader Shepherd. Charleston is in a good position to host a playoff game if they are able to win out.

4. Slippery Rock 7-1, 7-1 DII

The Rock is again near the top of the PSAC West and taking care of business. They boast wins over New Haven and East Stroudsburg outside of their PSAC West rivals. Their only loss was to Seton Hill in Week 4. They face one more major test against Clarion in two weeks after they face Edinboro this weekend. If they win out, they will play in the PSAC championship game and mostly likely earn a berth in the playoffs.

5. Assumption 7-1, 7-1 DII

The Greyhounds have been the best team in the NE-10. They have won five games in a row and are currently the front runner to host the NE-10 championship game. They boast a non-conference win over Kutztown and also defeated in conference rival New Haven. If Assumption wins out over Bentley and Stonehill, they will solidify their resume and will need some help from the teams above to host a playoff game.

6. Clarion 7-1, 7-1 DII

The Golden Eagles suffered their first loss of the season last weekend to California. They still face tough tests with Indiana and Slippery Rock. If they are able to win out, they will play in the PSAC championship game and most likely earn a spot in the playoffs. If they stumble over the next two weeks, they will likely be out due to their weak schedule in PSAC crossover games.

7. Virginia Union 6-2, 6-1 DII

The Panthers suffered a tough loss to Bowie State last weekend and are right on the bubble of the playoffs. Their only loss was to D1 FCS member Gardner-Webb before last weekend so they are strong in Division II games. They will close out the season with games against Elizabeth City and Virginia State.

8. Gannon 6-2, 6-2 DII

The Golden Knights are part of the tough PSAC West and their two losses are to teams ahead of them in the standings. They have won three games in a row and have a formidable schedule to close out the season. They will face California and IUP over the two weeks and will need one of the teams ahead of them to stumble down the stretch.

9. IUP 5-2, 5-2 DII

The Crimson Hawks have their work cut out for them in the final two weeks of PSAC West play. They will play Clarion and Gannon, two teams ahead of them in the regional rankings. They have lost to Kutztown and Slippery Rock so IUP will need a lot of help to vault up. But if they win out, they might be able to get to number seven in the regional and make the playoffs.

10. New Haven 5-3, 5-3 DII

The Chargers struggled in early October but have righted the ship in a big way. Consecutive losses to Merrimack and New Haven might have cost them a playoff spot unless they win out and hope for some earned access. New Haven has losses to Slippery Rock and Assumption on their resume but their strength of schedule will take a hit with games against Pace and St. Anselm before a potential match up in the NE-10 championship game.


One thing that stands out is that there are no PSAC East teams in the initial rankings. Shippensburg has the best overall record at 6-2 but the division's struggles in out of conference games this year is evident. Bloomsburg and West Chester are perennial playoff participants but their 5-3 records have them outside of the rankings.

The Mountain East and CIAA seem to be the power players in the region this year with the top three teams. The PSAC West might be the best division as they boast four teams in the regional rankings. And the NE-10 has two teams in the rankings who appear to be destined to play for the championship.

The only match up of regionally ranked teams will be when IUP travels to Clarion this weekend. The loser of that game will be outside of the playoff picture and the winner will live to see another week.

Here is the breakdown of conferences in the rankings:
PSAC -4
CIAA -2
Mountain East -2
NE-10 -2

As is always stated every year, win the games on the field and don't let the committee determine your fate.