Ashland @ Davenport

Not much to say here, Gang. AU's D is elite, and Davenport's O is still a work-in-progress. Kind of a similar story on the other side of the ball as well. These are the sorts of match-ups the Eagles seem to feast on, and it's hard for me to believe we won't see something significantly lopsided here.


Northwood @ Tiffin

I wonder if Tiffin is going to replace Hillsdale (for a year, anyway) as the team that "I just can't pick their games worth a damn". Not only did I whiff on them knocking off Wayne last week, but by the looks/sounds of it the Dragons dominated. How does a team barely beat a struggling, fledgling club one week and then smoke a team that they probably weren't favored against the next? I just don't get it. I still think that Northwood is a bit better than what they showed at GV last week, and I am just dying to roll with an upset special in this one...but I'm a chicken and I'm sticking with the Dragons.


Wayne @ Ferris

Sheesh. What do we do with this one? Wayne is not >= to Ashland, but they aren't a creampuff either. I have to think they'll be ticked after getting shoved around at Tiffin last week, and will come out fired-up in this one. And while I think Wayne is better than what they showed last week AND a legit outfit in this league, there's really no way to get around the notion that Reggie Bell's status is the biggest factor impacting his game. If he plays, one has to believe that he'll be effective enough to impact the game favorably for Ferris. If he doesn't, has another week of first team reps for whomever Coach Annese is going to start at QB done enough to get them rolling with a game plan that can move the ball more effectively than they did a week ago? I'm kinda back to where I was last week...if Bell plays, Ferris wins. If he doesn't, the complexion is changed...I don't think to the point where Wayne is suddenly favored, but perhaps to a coin flip? That logic still favors the Bulldogs so I'm rolling with them but there is "obviously" a whole lot of mystery heading into this one.


Northern @ Tech - The Miners Cup Game

I have mentioned before that there are other rivalries in this league that get more pub, but I could argue that none carry more angst or venom that this one. This game means darn near everything to both clubs and to their part of the State, and their records entering truly mean nothing. The last three games in the series have been decided by a total of ten points, including last year's 2OT affair. Tech's held the Cup since reclaiming it in 2010, and Northern's new staff would LOVE to put this stake in the ground in their first season. So how does it shake out? Well, Tech obviously has shown a greater ability in recent years to win close games, so if things are tight late (recently history suggests they will be) that certainly favors the Huskies. Both teams are better at running it than throwing it, and are averaging north of 190 yards per game on the ground. Neither team has been great at stopping the run, although Tech has been a bit better at it yielding about 60 yards less per game. Where Tech appears to have a real advantage is via the air. They don't sling it much, but they are far superior in defending the pass...yielding nearly almost half as many yards as Northern. In the Wildcats defense, they have faced two of the better offenses in the country thus far, and I'm still not sure if Tech can really exploit NMU's weaknesses. I guess in the end it comes down to Tech being at home and showing a greater proclivity to win close ones. Honestly, no result would truly surprise me.


SVSU @ GVSU - 7:00PM - Battle of the Valleys

Here's another "throw out the records" deal. Even when the Cardinals were in a rebuilding year two seasons ago, they went to Lubbers and fought to within a TD. And of course, last year's epic 3OT shoot-out at Wickes simply added to the lore of this rivalry. Despite having lost two straight, Saginaw enters this one as a team who is far more competent in terms of offensive balance than what GV has seen the last few weeks. In addition, they are stout up front and are toward the top end of the league in only giving up 139 yards per game on the ground. While this will be the best offense GV has seen in a while, I think the same is decidedly true for SV: how will their D hold up to a more advanced set of weapons than they have seen to date? Add in this being in Allendale, and the fact that GV has appeared to be more consistent defensively since Week One, and the trending seems to favor the Lakers. This is another one where no result would surprise me, but it's hard not to take GV at home here.


Should be a great day weather-wise to get out and see a game. Be sure to following along at The Week 5 GLIAC GameDay HomePage, and on Twitter @GLIACFootball.