Don't mistake this week's column as a Friday News Dump. Although I do admit it might have a slight political spin to it.

Rival is the name of the game this Saturday. Election Day certainly showcased rivalry from the state and national level, but these final SAC match ups are just as adversarial and some as old as the institutions themselves. Catawba's tussle with Lenoir-Rhyne dates back to 1907 while Carson-Newman's filibuster against Tusculum began in 1904. Only 50 miles and one hour of drive time separate Mars Hill and Brevard. Although not a true historical rivalry exists between Newberry and Wingate, this clash will decide if there is a sole SAC champion or a shared crown between the two teams.

As the conference heads into this final weekend of the regular season, a couple of "firsts" are just now occurring. Newberry entered the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll earlier this week as the first and only SAC member to be ranked all season.

Another "first" took place at the conclusion of last weekend's games when Carson-Newman, Catawba, and Mars Hill all suffered defeats and incurring six losses for each team. Only Newberry (9-1) and Wingate (8-2) will have winning records in 2016. Carson-Newman performed as well as a lame duck against North Greenville in their 34-24 loss. And it certainly didn't take a grass root's effort for Tusculum to up-end the Indians 38-28. Mars Hill was close to disrupting the balance of power against the Bulldogs, but their 15-0 run late in the fourth quarter came up short in Wingate's 42-39 win.

Newberry scored a pork barrel of points in their decisive 49-7 win over Limestone. The Saints managed only seven first downs and were out-rushed 258 to 27 yards by the Wolves. Brevard kept it close against Lenoir-Rhyne, but no recount was needed in the 14-7 victorious margin by the Bears.

Week 11 2016 SAC Football Schedule
Last Week's Prediction Record (4-1)
Overall Prediction Record (39-17)

Brevard (1-9)(0-6 SAC) at Mars Hill (4-6)(2-4 SAC)
Saturday, November 12th. 1:00 PM
Mars Hill, NC

Mars Hill: 45 Brevard: 14
The Scoop: An impressive stat in Mars Hill's hard fought loss to Wingate a week ago was running back Jamel Harbison having more passing yards than ground yards. A 49-yard scoring toss to Keshaun Taylor topped his 43 yards on 12 carries. The Tornados last chance to grab a conference win is now before their transition to Division III. The forecast is cloudy at best for a possible Brevard win.

Carson-Newman (4-6)(2-4 SAC) at Tusculum (3-7)(2-4 SAC)
Saturday, November 12th. 1:30 PM
Greeneville, TN

Tusculum: 27 Carson-Newman: 24
The Scoop: Tusculum normally trades points with the Eagles at home, the usual signs of a healthy rivalry. In 2014, Carson-Newman stormed Pioneer Field for a 55-35 win, and in 2012, the Eagles also won 66-36 at Tusculum. This year's Carson-Newman team is not the normal Eagle unit we are accustomed to seeing on the gridiron. I sure do hope that Ken Sparks can right this ship.

Catawba (4-6)(4-2 SAC) at Lenoir-Rhyne (3-7)(3-3 SAC)
Saturday, November 12th. 2:00 PM
Hickory, NC

Catawba: 31 Lenoir-Rhyne: 21
The Scoop: Slowing down Lenoir-Rhyne rusher Nelson Brown is of course of great emphasis for Catawba this weekend. The Bears have struggled with finding a consistent passing game, but Jarrod Kellar is capable of hitting short curl patterns and building confidence as games have progressed. The same can be said for Catawba's air game, where Reid Carlton has thrown more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (6). Look for senior running back David Burgess to end his career with a huge output.

Wingate (8-2)(5-1 SAC) at Newberry (9-1)(6-0 SAC)
Saturday, November 12th. 3:30 PM
Newberry, SC

Newberry: 34 Wingate: 33 (OT)
The Scoop: Last but not least is the most recent "Game of the Year" in the SAC. Whether Newberry wins or loses this contest, they will still at least have a share of the conference crown and will garner a berth into the postseason. Wingate, on that same token, whether they win or lose, will not make the postseason. A one-loss Tuskegee was able to scramble a game with Virginia State on Saturday at noon. Without that late addition by Tuskegee, Wingate potentially was looking at grasping the #7 and final seed in Super Region II. Tuskegee is currently ranked sixth in the region and only has one loss.

Last week, Wingate quarterback Kyle Johnson launched over 400 yards and 5 touchdowns while fellow senior Jordan Berry hauled in over 200 yards and three scores. The only other quarterback in our league that can match numbers like Kyle Johnson's last week is Newberry's Raleigh Yeldell. The presumed SAC Offensive Player of the Year has averaged nearly 310 yards per game, already eclipsing the 3,000 yard passing mark and 33 total touchdowns. I can foresee overtime in this one.