The first Regional Rankings were released on Monday. The Mountain East Conference may only have one representative in the playoffs following Notre Dame's unexpected loss to WV Wesleyan. The Falcons aren't completely out of it just yet. A couple of PSAC teams ahead of them may find themselves on the outside looking in; and Notre Dame has a season finale at Indianapolis. A huge win at Indy in the final week may turn enough heads at the NCAA to put Notre Dame in the playoff bracket. I anticipate Shepherd being able to win out, but most had Notre Dame defeating WV Wesleyan as well.


Shepherd @ WV Wesleyan
12:00

The Bobcats put Shepherd on notice last week with their win over Notre Dame College. Notre Dame--who often scored 40+ points per game--was held to 13 points last week. WV Wesleyan sacked Malik Grove six times; and the defense had 11 tackles-for-loss. Working against WV Wesleyan this week is Shepherd is much more balanced. Shepherd may not score the 50-ish points they became accustomed to, but I am confident in saying that WV Wesleyan's offense cannot keep pace with Shepherd.

Shepherd 33, WV Wesleyan 14



UVA-Wise @ Virginia-Lynchburg
12:00

Virginia-Lynchburg is a private school with a huge focus on religious studies. The Dragons have been dominated in other D-II action; losing to Newberry 55-7 and Florida Tech 44-0. Even with a couple of turnovers, I predict the Cavaliers from UVA-Wise will be able to win this intra-state contest.

UVA-Wise 42, Virginia-Lynchburg 13



Concord @ West Liberty
1:00

The Mountain Lion offense is coming alive, averaging around 30 points over there last three games. They are coming off of an out-of-conference win against UNC-Pembroke. The Hilltoppers are trying to move past the heart-breaking overtime loss to WV State. The Yellow Jackets needed two fourth quarter touchdowns just to tie the game.

Concord can be scored on. They had a four-game stretch where they allowed between 44-49 points per game. Of course that same stretch was played against offensive powerhouses Notre Dame, Shepherd, Glenville State and WV State. West Liberty is in a rut where they simply find ways to lose a game.

Both teams are 2-6 for the season, and the fight is to stay off the floor in the conference standings. Concord is finding some personality around quarterback Adam Fulton and I see them picking up one more win this week on the Hilltop.

Concord 30, West Liberty 28



Notre Dame @ Charleston
1:00

The road doesn't necessarily get an easier for Notre Dame as they go up against another tough defense in Charleston. The Golden Eagles are also riding into the stadium on a two-game win streak. I imagine the Falcons still feel down after the loss last week to WV Wesleyan. I don't see Notre Dame scoring the usual 45 points, but I see them winning another here just to keep things interesting and their playoff chances alive closing on the huge showdown at Indianapolis.

Notre Dame 29, Charleson 20



Glenville State @ Urbana
1:00

Both schools are 3-5 overall, 2-5 in conference play. The winner scoots closer to a .500 record while the loser finds itself near the bottom of the conference standings. Urbana was a rebound game for both Notre Dame and Shepherd. The two schools averaged 46.5 points against the Blue Knights while limiting Urbana to just 7 offensive points. The Pioneers have held their last two opponents under 20 points, and they are also looking for a rebound game offensively.

While Urbana has the playmakers, Glenville State gets this one done.

Glenville State 28, Urbana 21



WV State @ Fairmont State
4:00

Fairmont State bounced back from their back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Shepherd with a win over Glenville State. WV State was on the ropes against West Liberty last week, but the Yellow Jackets managed to get the job done in the 4th quarter and overtime. WV State is on a four-game winning streak and poised to have a winning record. Unfortunately, they can be scored on and Fairmont State has capable weapons. Also, the Falcons' defense can be very tough. While I'm excited WV State is playing good football, I see Fairmont State getting it done at home.

Fairmont State 31, WV State 28


I didn't forget. Look for a Week 8 recap coming to a blog near you in the not-too-distant future. Did I mention, the Regional Rankings are out