HoooooBoy...things are getting fun now, aren't they Gang! We're rounding the final quarter poll, first sets of seedings are out. All kinds of fun going around! As I have mentioned elsewhere, I'll take a stab at the playoff stuff but won't do it until we head into Week 11. Just WAY too many goofy things that can happen between now and then, and we've seen a ton of nuttiness even happen during Week 11 some seasons. Just too many variables between now and then.

As for this weekend, there are a few games on this slate that are less than obvious. Running short on time, so let's dive in:

Ohio Dominican vs Walsh

Congrats to the Cavs on getting a win last week. It's a tough season when you likely will only win once, but doing so against your arch-rival can go a long way toward making the feelings about this season be a bit better. As for today, it seems unlikely to me that they'll make it two in a row. ODU has won three straight, including getting a tough road victory last week at NMU. While Walsh's GLIAC #2 pass defense might slow down the Russell to Contini connection for part of the day, I just don't see the Cavs having enough offensive fire power to stay close the deal out late. I think this one might be a bit closer than not, but ODU outlasts Walsh in the end.


Wayne State vs Ferris State

Today's marquis match-up for the league. I have seen several people post this week that this is essentially a "play-in" game for the playoffs. For the most part, I'm inclined to agree...won't go into the minutiae from there, but let's just say that whoever wins this game has an inside track (of sorts) to a playoff spot. We all know that Wayne loves to grind it out on the ground, and they have climbed to the top of the GLIAC in rushing offense. Today will be their stiffest test of the season, as Ferris boasts the league's best run defense. Realistically, I'm on the fence with this one. Ferris has only one win against a team with a winning record, and Wayne only has two...and both of those wins came against teams who have the worst run defenses of the teams in the GLIAC who have winning records (big match-up advantage in both of those games). I actually almost lean toward Ferris because of their run D and because of how explosive they are on offense. But then, I remember how heavily penalized they are, how prone to turnovers they are, and their overall ineffectiveness in the red zone. Ugh. Well, it's been a couple of weeks, so we're going Coin-Flip Special...Grandpa's silver dollar, don't fail me now! Heads - Wayne; Tails - Ferris: Tails it is.


Hillsdale vs Northern Michigan

Oh, Hillsdale. What in the heck am I supposed to do with you? Pretty much every week, I'm left perplexed, confused, and bewildered by you. BTW, had a whale of a good time at their game against Grand Valley last week. That campus and stadium are awesome, and the game day environment really is fun. Brad Monastiere and his staff do a great job, and were more than gracious hosts. Got to spend the day with chargerblue as well, and I will always be a fan of that. At any rate, I saw a team last week that came out fired-up, committed to their game plan, and delivering mostly solid execution that could/should legitimately give any team in this league fits. I also saw a team that simply ran out of gas late as they didn't cash in on red zone opportunities, and just got worn out in the run game. From what I heard, they looked night-and-day better than they did against Findlay a week prior. Why? Well, the last stab at their rivalry with GV probably had something to do with it, but it sounds also like this time is simply WAY better at home than on the road. Look, I think man-to-man Hillsdale is better. I guess just don't trust them on the road, particularly in the Dome. This one may cost me (not being able to figure Hillsdale out has cost me for years), but something just doesn't smell right for me in this one. I'll take the 'Cats, but there is literally no result to this game that will surprise me.


Ashland vs Michigan Tech

This roadie has been one that has given Ashland fits in recent years. Most notably, the Eagles went to Houghton with a playoff berth essentially in their grasp in 2014 only to limp (do Eagles limp? Maybe they flew irregularly...sorry, I digress) home with a loss and not seeing their name in the bracket the next day. While I think Ashland will take a solid swipe from Tech today (Tom Kearly teams will always play hard and with pride), the Huskies have simply not been very good for most of this season. They have lost four straight coming in, and their offense seems to have regressed since the first part of the season. While I think a spirited defensive effort will make things interesting for a while, I just don't seem them being able to score enough points to get a victory today. Ashland pulls away in the second half.


Tiffin vs Northwood

This is another particularly interesting affair. Despite having one of the league's best players in Antonio Pipken, Tiffin's offense has been somewhat pedestrian this year...only averaging 25.3 points per game. The problem for Northwood is that they generate even fewer points. And for me in this one, I think the fact that Northwood's pass rush has been largely silent this year will be the difference. Pipken is elusive enough as it is, but if he is able to extend plays he'll keep the Dragons moving. This one won't be easy, and I actually am not totally committed to this pick and it won't be pretty, but something just tells me that Tiffin figures this one out late...look for a big day receiving from Charles Holland.


Lake Erie vs Saginaw Valley State

Not much to say here...Lake Erie's program is just not in a good spot right now, and they'll be on the road against a Saginaw Valley team that got beat pretty soundly a week ago. The Cardinals get back into the win column against the country's weakest defense.


Findlay vs GVSU

Findlay enters this game on a bit of a roll...they've won two straight, including gutting out a tough win late at Tiffin a week ago. Rhys Gervais comes in as the league's #3 passer, and is having his efforts balanced by the GLIAC's #4 rusher in Chauncey Bridges. So why won't they win against GV? They always could, but I look at a couple of key issues that they have. For starters, the Oilers are allowing 28 points per game to opposing offenses, and with GV having scored less than 35 only once this season I'm not inclined to think the Lakers will post any less than a 30-spot in this one. Perhaps most importantly, is Findlay's pass protection. In their four wins, the Oilers have only allowed three total sacks of Gervais and he has not been intercepted. In their four losses, he's been sacked nine times and has thrown nine interceptions. GV leads the league in sacks, and is second in INT's. Gervais is not particularly mobile, so unless the UF offensive line has its best game of the season protecting him and blocking for Bridges, the Lakers would appear to have an advantage that will make it difficult for the Oilers to score the # of points they'll need to win.

Have a great day, All. After a dreary week, it looks like we're back to some unseasonably warm weather today. Get out to a game, people! And, once your their get your phone's browser set to the GLIAC Week 9 GameDay HomePage to follow the scores. You can also get updates throughout the day by following @GLIACFOOTBALL on Twitter.