Catawba coach Curtis Walker felt the weight of the world on his broad shoulders heading into last Saturday's heavyweight matchup against Lenoir-Rhyne. A win was all the Indians needed in order to clinch their first SAC title and playoff appearance since 2007. An impressive 28-14 win over the Bears allowed the third-year head coach to experience weightlessness as his jubilant players lifted their beloved mentor onto their shoulders during the team's celebration.

Despite not securing a SAC championship this fall, Carson-Newman has their sights set on a national championship run. (And why shouldn't they?) A unique veer offense is experienced annually by SAC teams, but when this style of offense is exposed to other teams around the country in different conferences, it can be downright lethal. Running back Damian Baker has been most instrumental in the Carson-Newman attack during their current six game win streak, securing the SAC's Offensive Player of the Year earlier this week. Baker dominated the stat sheet with 1,349 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns, and an impressive 7.3 yards per rush. De'Andre Thomas continues to be steady with his reads under center as the signal-caller. A combination of 1,300 passing yards and nearly 600 rushing yards by Thomas proves my theory that SAC senior quarterbacks tend to lead their teams to the playoffs over the years.

Let's not sleep on what Coach Todd Knight has done at Newberry this season. An opening win against Florida Tech proved monumental at season's end when determining which team would prevail in getting the last playoff nod. Quarterback Raleigh Yeldell was my personal preference for the league's offensive player of the year. Although he missed significant game action due to early season injury, the junior still managed to throw for 13 touchdowns against only a pair of interceptions in eight games. Their four game win streak has allowed the Wolves to earn the seventh and final seed in Super Region Two. All three SAC postseason teams have a combined 17 game win streak heading into this weekend's First Round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.

2015 NCAA Division II First Round Playoff Predictions

How does a 46-14 overall record sound for my inaugural season as the SAC's beloved columnist? I have a strong recognition between what is knowledge and what is wisdom when prognosticating. During Wingate's early season hot streak, it was hard to pick against the Bulldogs once they defeated Catawba in late September. However, it was quite easy to choose teams such as Newberry late in the season who had so much to play for when their opponents did not. In the words of Miles Kington, "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."

3rd seed (9-2) (5-2 SAC) #25 Catawba: 24 6th seed (8-2) (4-1 SIAC) #23 Tuskegee: 14
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The NCAA's Division II Playoff Bracket has this contest slated to begin at high noon, which would be the earliest kickoff time for either team this season. The yardstick measures both teams pretty evenly in terms of scoring defense and offensive preferences. Catawba yields only 14.8 points per game, while the Golden Tigers surrender a little less than 16 points.

Keys to the Game: Catawba quarterback Mike Sheehan has thrown seven interceptions this season and Tuskegee has the capacity to turn pilfered passes into instant points. The Golden Tigers lead Division II in defensive touchdowns. There is no question that Catawba offensive coordinator Kevin Brown will know where Golden Tiger senior linebacker Jewell Ratliff is at all times. The University of Kentucky transfer was named the SIAC Overall Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year shortly after their regular season ended. Ratliff accumulated 118 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions during his senior season.

I look for Kyle Kitchens to set the tone with aggressive blitzes off the edge at outside linebacker early and often against Tuskegee quarterback Kevin Lacey. Hurried passes could lead to interceptions by All-SAC secondary members Case Woodard and Mark McDaniel. Catawba's second half rushing ability has worn down their competition the latter half of the 2015 season. I look for this to likely continue in the first round of the playoffs.

2nd seed (8-2) (6-1 GSC) #14 North Alabama: 30 7th seed (7-4) (4-3 SAC) Newberry: 28
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By no means am I picking Newberry to pull the upset on the road at historical Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, AL, but like Lee Corso always says on College Gameday, it will be "Closer than the experts think." The Wolves tied Carson-Newman by placing 11 players on the all-league team announced by the conference's Rock Hill headquarters on Wednesday. That fact alone puts concern in the minds of Lion fans. With that being said, North Alabama has tons of confidence right now in late November. Senior quarterback Luke Wingo was tabbed as the Gulf South Conference's Offensive MVP after passing for 2,636 yards and 21 touchdowns. It was the school's first offensive player of the year recipient since quarterback Cody Gross won the award in 1995. (He is their current offensive coordinator as luck may have it.)

Keys to the Game: Both teams are more than capable of playing ball control, or at least attempt to do so, as each squad has a 1,000 rusher. In fact, North Alabama's senior rusher Lamonte Thompson was voted to the GSC's all-conference team for all four years of his career. If any team in the SAC is built to knock off a GSC team, it is certainly Newberry. The Wolves have serious speed at the skill positions to convert on third and long should their ground game not gain traction. Home field advantage is going to be a huge asset to North Alabama. Braly Municipal Stadium was once the annual site of the Division II national championship for countless seasons and is still one of college football's special gems.

5th seed (8-2) (5-1 SAC) #22 Carson-Newman: 27 4th seed (5-4) (3-3 GSC) #17 Valdosta State: 24
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Saturday's contest against Valdosta State will mark the 15th NCAA playoff appearance under the "Who's Who of Coaches" in Carson-Newman's Ken Sparks. This series always seems to be a popular one over recent memory. If you do recall the 2012 playoffs pitted these two teams together in the quarterfinals. The Blazers defeated Carson-Newman 48-26 at home, and eventually went on to beat Winston-Salem State 35-7 in the national title game on ESPN2. Running back Cedric O'Neal was sensational as a freshman back in 2012, ultimately dooming the Eagles and other opponents that stood in his way. O'Neal recorded 194 yards and three scores against Carson-Newman in 2012, and tallied 140 yards and a touchdown in the national championship win. Needless to say, he is now a senior and has not slowed down at all with 14 rushing scores this year.

Keys to the Game: The Blazers were the last team to defeat Carson-Newman in a first round matchup back in 2008 in a close 24-20 contest. My prediction is banking on the lack of experience against the veer option for Valdosta State. Sure, the Eagles are 2-14 when playing on the road in the playoffs, but I feel Carson-Newman's offense is simply rolling right now. Florida International transfer quarterback EJ Hilliard has been exceptional at times this season for Valdosta State. His touchdown to interception ratio stands at 16-4 on the season, and he is nimble in the pocket should his protection collapse. It would not surprise me the least bit if this game needed overtime.