Well, Gang...we've made it to the end of another long and winding road. Hard to believe eleven Saturdays can come and go so quickly, but being an old guy I guess I should be used to time flying right past me. It should be a beautiful weekend weather-wise here in the Midwest, so hopefully everyone can get out and enjoy themselves...and maybe even take in a ball game!


Findlay (6-3, 6-3) at Walsh (2-7, 3-7)

It should be unique treat for the Oiler seniors...they get to play their final collegiate game at the Hall of Fame. Pretty cool in our book. The question from there becomes whether or not they can get a win over the home-standing Cavaliers. Walsh has represented itself pretty darn well in their first GLIAC season, especially defensively...they rate second in the league in scoring defense, and third in total defense. Not too shabby, but they'll face an offense that is loaded with playmakers on Saturday, and the weaker portion of their D is likely the secondary. We could see a big final game for Clay Belton and his band of big play recievers.

The other piece of the puzzle is Findlay's defense playing better on their "off" game. What do we mean? Well, the Oilers have alternated being either "on or off" over the past six weeks. In their on games, they've given up 16 points an outing. In their off games, it's been 49 points per game. They're due to be "off" if the pattern continues this week, but they should get a bit of help from the fact that Malone has mustered less than 20 points per game on the season. With Findlay's ability to make big plays and the fact that Walsh continues to struggle on offense, we like the Oilers in this one...but we also like it to be interesting. Findlay 22, Walsh 18.


Northwood (4-5, 5-5) at Hillsdale (6-3, 6-4)

The two private schools in the North Division will conclude the slate with 2012 installment of the "Pat Riepma Bowl". Riepma was a standout player at Hillsdale, and in his early coaching career was an assistant at his alma mater. He then went on to build Northwood into a perennial GLIAC power and playoff contender. Riepma is still at Northwood as the AD, and there may not be a finer GLIAC Man out there. We'd love to know if he really is OK with whomever wins this one, although we'd hardly fault him either way!

In any case, this year's versions of the Timberwolves and Chargers saw promising results escape them over the past month. The Woodies finally halted their five-game losing skid last week after opening 4-0. Hillsdale, on the other hand, had control of their own destiny in the North and possibly in the playoff race...but two straight losses have dashed those hopes. Now, it's about pride for both of these clubs...the Woodies can get to the good side of .500, and the Chargers don't want to see one of their all-time greats go out on a three-game skid.

So who gets it done? Well, we have to say we were perplexed at how ineffective Hillsdale was offensively last week. It's been a long time since we've seen such a poor output, and it's hard for us to see that being repeated again...especially back within the confines of Muddy Waters. While Mark Morris has made large leaps forward in play at QB for Northwood, we're still not sure if NU can play the kind of game that has troubled HC's defense of late, and that's power. This should be an entertaining affair, but it's just so hard for us to see Hillsdale dropping three straight. Hillsdale 27, Northwood 22.


Michigan Tech (6-3, 6-3) at Wayne State (5-4, 5-4)

These two might be even better examples than Hillsdale (talked about above) of clubs that are wondering "what happened to our season"? The Huskies humming along at 5-1 before a pair of road losses derailed any postseason plans they might have had. They rebounded nicely last week by clobbering Hillsdale, and even that had to be a surprise. We know we were wide-eyed at how lopsided that result was. For Wayne, a 4-1 beginning which included a great win over Hillsdale (how do they keep popping into this post?) has been overshadowed by dropping three of their last four. The Jewel of The Lodge will get it's last chance for a wild time for 2012 on Saturday...will the Warriors cash in on the fact that Tech hasn't won a road game in over a month?

To do so they will have to slow down a resurgent Tech ground game that came alive last week. The Husky "committee" racked-up 192 yards on the ground, and that doesn't bode well for a Warrior defense that has been, well, "not good" against the run of late. Over the last six weeks Wayne has been giving up 245 yards per game rushing. If Tech can do anything similar to what they did a week ago, they immediately have the advantage...and that advantage becomes even bigger if the Huskies can parlay well-timed play-action passes from Tyler Scarlett off that run game. Tech has to avoid the turnovers, because Wayne will cause them (they were +2 in their loss at GV last week), but even if they turn it over the onus then falls on the Wayne offense to cash in on them, and that has been far from certain of late. The Warriors had a couple of big chances to keep their game against GV tight and paced how they want...they didn't get it done and wound up playing from behind and that just isn't their strong suit.

We actually like this to be another tight game. The Wayne defense will do its part, and Tech is just never quite the same when they cross the bridge. That said, we like Tech to be able to grind it out on the ground and eek out a win. Michigan Tech 28, Wayne State 24.


Notre Dame (2-7, 3-7) at Ashland (9-0, 10-0)

Sometimes match-ups are just plain simple: Ashland comes in with the #2 scoring offense in the GLIAC and a shot at an unbeaten regular season. Notre Dame enters with the worst scoring defense in the league and is leaving the league for a new conference next fall. The cards look a bit stacked, here, no?

Well, there is a touch more to it than that. Notre Dame really has played better in spots than their three wins might indicate, especially considering that three of their seven losses came by five points or less. And since Ray Russ returned at QB the Falcons have continued to improve...especially of late as Russ has thrown for 551 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two weeks, with both games notched as NDC victories. So are we calling upset here?

Umm...not exactly. Look, NDC's kids have shown most of this year that they play hard for 60 minutes and that they should be taken seriously. That said, there has been no club in the GLIAC that has been more machine-like than Ashland. Taylor Housewright has run the Eagle offense to near perfection, and AU's defense has been stout time and again. While we think NDC will do what they can to make this one interesting, we respectfully submit that it would take Ashland coming out insanely flat for them to trip-up here. The Eagles have too much to play for, and they won't lose sight of that. Ashland 40, Notre Dame 20.


Ferris State (5-4, 6-4) at Northern Michigan (3-6, 4-6)

After winning three of four against some of the top outfits in the league, Ferris closed their home slate a week ago by dropping one to a Northwood club that hadn't won since the Equinox. To close out the year with a win, the 'Dawgs will have to enter the "ThunderDome" and try knock-off a red-hot Northern club that has found new life since the insertion of Cody Scepaniak at QB. With this tilt matching Scepaniak against Ferris' Jason VanderLaan, the game could wind up simply being a dispute over whether "our running QB is better than your running QB".

At face value, the not in that battle would (of course) go to VanderLaan. He averages more than 121 yards per game on the ground, which is fourth-best in the league among ALL rushers. With that said, since Scepaniak took over the NMU controls four weeks ago he's been toting it for 101 yards per outing...and has taken Casey Cotta along with him at a clip of 96 yards per game (Cotta joined the line-up at the same time as Scepaniak).

What's actually funny about this is that while both clubs are going to look to run it, where they have the advantage is in the passing games. Both clubs are in the bottom quarter of the league in pass defense, so the result here might come down to which team passes the ball better. On the level, that's likely an edge to Ferris. We'll take that edge...but boy is it scary. Northern is hot and hot teams are always tough to pick against...especially when they get the home/ThunderDome advantage. We'll go Ferris but it's not a pick loaded with conviction. Ferris 31, Northern 30.


Malone (1-8, 1-8) at Ohio Dominican (6-3, 7-3)

Year number one for Malone will close up in Columbus with ODU who is finishing year number three...and doing so in style. The Panthers have already replicated their seven-win tally from last year, and can run things to 8-3 with a win...and we like their chances to do so as they are presently on a four-game tear and have been scoring more than 45 points per game during that run. That poses a problem for Malone who allows 33+ per outing, and worse yet has only been scoring at 15.8 points per. Any way you slice that, we see the Pioneers having a hard time keeping pace with ODU.

Ohio Dominican pounds things out on the ground at 237 yards per game. Compliment that with young QB Mark Miller playing progressively more efficient each week and we have a hard time seeing the Panthers dropping one here. Ohio Dominican 47, Malone 17.


Lake Erie (3-6, 3-7) at Tiffin (1-8, 2-8)

The Storm will head to Tiffin after winning three of their last five. LEC's ground game has been very productive late using a string of hot-hands in the backfield, and they have also been getting solid QB play from Brendan Gallagher. With that said, they'll have to ramp it up a bit for this one to cover for their defense that is last in the league in total defense and has been giving up more than 40 points per game. Tifin has had their struggles scoring during this season, but the offense has done well since Dan Pitts took over at QB. He's thrown for 307 yards per game the last four weeks, Lake Erie defense that is last in the GLIAC yielding more than 275 yards per game, so provided that the offense can actually finish drives and net points they should be able to make some things happen here.

Lake Erie has won more of late, but for some reason we like Tiffin to play well at home in the finale. Look for a big game from Pitts and Company in the passing game to be the difference. Tiffin 35, Lake Erie 31.


Grand Valley (7-2, 8-2) at Saginaw Valley (6-3, 7-3)

Scheduling the "Battle of the Valleys" on the last weekend of the year has consistently proven fruitful. These two have a rivalry full of tight ball games, and there is always plenty at stake. This year is no exception as the GLIAC North is on the line...a Saginaw win helps them earn a share of the title, while a Grand Valley victory give the Laker the North outright. Of course there are some playoff implications involved as well, with GV's chances of making the field appearing to be a bit better with a win than Saginaw's...and both clubs likely need some help regardless of who wins.

So who does win? Well, the Laker ground game has been relentless of late. Grand Valley has gone "power" the last three weeks and basically haven't been stopped on the ground. Kirk Spencer has done much of the heavy lifting, and the freshman is only 44 yards away from having a 1,000 yard season despite only being the "starter" for a handful of GV's games. The Lakers power run approach has controlled the pace of play very well and allowed them to work in a timely, effective passing game from Isiah Grimes and Crew. So can they control the pace of play enough to keep the Saginaw Valley offense out of rhythm?

That's a big question, because the Cards come in with league's top passing attack. QB Jon Jennings is tops in the league throwing the ball, and Jeff Janis leads the country in receiving yardage. The Cardinals will absolutely have an advantage offensively, as the Laker defense (despite massive improvements the past three weeks) is still far from perfect...and they're working with a patchwork secondary, which is not what you want to have against the Cardinals.

There's no doubt that Grand Valley enters the game with momentum on their side. They've won three straight and each of those victories has been impressive. Conversely, the Cards have dropped two of three so they haven't been especially crisp. Both clubs have had some ball security issues so there isn't much of a trend advantage there. Momentum and the ability to run might make us lean Grand Valley, but questions in the secondary make us wary of whether or not GV can get off the field often enough to keep pace. Well, it's the last regular season game of the year so...you guessed it...coin flip special! Heads GV, Tails SV...Heads it is! Grand Valley 28, Saginaw Valley 27.