Two weeks to go, Gang. Looks like the weather is going to be great again...playing with house money at this point, folks. Get out and see a game!

Will post some thoughts next week on the playoffs. Again, still way too much that can happen and there likely still will be next week. BUT, with only one game to go it makes it a little easier to give some semi-legit "if-then" statements.


Wayne State vs Ohio Dominican

Fun...let's get started with one that I have no real idea what to do. I mean, it's easy to look at Wayne at 7-2, at home, and with the league's best run offense and think it's a no-brainer. But, ODU has quietly put together four straight wins and is playing its best football of the season. Admittedly, ODU's win streak has included their beating up on some of the league's less imposing opponents, but the Panthers are actually one of the teams in this league that possess the physicality needed to give Wayne fits...particularly in the defensive front. All of that said, I think Wayne is going to play angry this Saturday after being shown-up a week ago. They're playing for their lives now, and I like them at home.


Ferris State vs Hillsdale

You know, this one actually has "upset special" written all over it. Sure, Ferris brings a far more talented roster to the party...BUT: It's a Nooner, at Hillsdale, and the Chargers have an offense that can give Ferris fits. Not only do they get the ball out quickly to negate a pass rush, but they also know how to possess the daylights out of the ball and limit the number of chances Reggie Bell and Company have with the ball. Ferris needs to avoid turnovers/mistakes in this one, but at the end of the day the Bulldogs simply have way too much speed and Hillsdale's back-end simply may not have the quickness or experience to limit the big plays. Ferris takes this one, but it's a couple of long-distance TD's that make the difference.


Northwood vs Findlay

The Oilers are coming off of a tough loss at Grand Valley, where they hung in for about 52 minutes with the unbeaten Lakers. They played a ball-control style, and did it well. But, I'm not so sure that's really "who they are". I think the Oilers take the lid off of it this week, as Northwood's pass rush simply isn't fear-inducing enough to cause UF to want to limit itself in terms of deep drops, etc. Plus, the minute Northwood gets off schedule, they're in trouble...they simply don't have the explosiveness needed to be able to keep-up or catch-up if/when the Oilers get a lead. Findlay notches the W at home.


Tiffin vs Lake Erie

Look I'm not going to pile on Lake Erie, but it's not a stretch to say that they just aren't very good and I have to wonder if they just aren't praying that the next nine days or so go by REALLY quickly. They simply haven't been competitive since Week 1 and it's hard to believe they will be there. Dragons cruise.


Michigan Tech vs Northern Michigan

The Miner's Cup. Say what you want about the other rivalries in the league (and there are some good ones), this one is heated, nasty, and venomous. It may actually be the rivalry in the GLIAC with the greatest amount of angst. As for this tilt, both teams have underperformed this year. BUT, a win here would go a LONG way toward easing the pain of unmet expectations. So who wins? Well, if there is one team that is semi-impervious to the effects of the SuperiorDome it may well be Tech. But which Tech team will show up? The one that took Ferris to the last seven seconds and used a great last-minute drive to beat Ashland? Or the bunch that lost four straight and only scored 15 points per game in the process? This is absolutely a "throw the records out" type of affair, but for some reason I just feel like Tech will figure things out. NMU's defense has simply been porous for most of the season, and that is their undoing in this one.


Walsh vs Ashland

Ashland's playoff aspirations took a pretty major hit last week. Not sure what really happened up at Tech, but any margin for error the Eagles may have had has vanished. They can still make the bracket, but not with a third loss. SO, this one is pretty important and the Eagles do get the Cavs at home. Walsh simply doesn't move the ball with enough proficiency to be competitive with Ashland for four quarters. Ashland comes out dialed-in and handles their business.


GVSU vs Saginaw Valley State

After running roughshod over folks earlier in the season, the Lakers have had a few tough games of late. They've still figured out how to win them all, but one has to wonder if there is any vulnerability present...particularly in a game like this, where there is a rivalry element and you KNOW that the Cards will bring their best effort of the season. While I think SV will play with a lot of guts, there are two key facets to this game that simply can't be ignored: 1) The Cardinal offense only puts up 24 points per game, and that has included multiple games where the defense and special teams have chipped in with points; 2) SV's run defense has looked a bit shaky at multiple points this year, and gave up big #'s against Wayne State two weeks ago. While SV's defense is certainly opportunistic, it seems hard to buy that they will get enough stops, force enough GV mistakes, and stifle the Laker ground attack enough for the Cardinal offense to generate enough points to win. It's a rivalry and this one will be hotly contested, but the Lakers pull away as the game progresses.


Enjoy the weekend, Folks. Keep up with the scores at GLIAC Week 10 GameDay HomePage, and follow along on Twitter @GLIACFOOTBALL.