September 25th, 2026 1:05pm
We will be over a quarter of the way through the regular season once Saturday is over, and the teams are starting to separate at the top. Harding and Henderson State are looking like the clear top two teams in the Great American Conference, while East Central is still holding strong with an unblemished record and will more than likely be 4-0 when the Tigers host Harding in Week Five.
But before we get to that matchup, let's see how these games might play out this week.
Saturday Slate
Southern Nazarene (0-3) at Southeastern Oklahoma State (2-1)
Southeastern Oklahoma State has a chance to get another win after a wild victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State last week. The Savage Storm trailed late in that game before putting together a game-winning drive in the final minutes, moving to 2-1 on the season.
Southern Nazarene, meanwhile, is still looking for its first win after opening the year with three straight losses. The Crimson Storm have shown some fight, including last week's game against East Central, where they stayed within striking distance into the fourth quarter, but allowed ECU to pull away late.
Southeastern has already shown it can win games in a few different ways, and playing at home should help here. SNU will have its chances, but I think the Savage Storm's defenase does enough to keep the Crimson Storm from hanging around for too long.
Southeastern Oklahoma State 28, Southern Nazarene 14
Northwestern Oklahoma State (0-3) at East Central (3-0)
East Central is sitting in a pretty good spot heading into this one. The Tigers are 3-0 and have found ways to win three very different games to start the season, and now they get a Northwestern Oklahoma State team that is still searching for its first win.
The Rangers have had a rough start to the year, but they have shown some offensive improvement. After being shut out by Harding in Week One, Northwestern put up 29 points against Arkansas Tech before scoring 37 against Oklahoma Baptist last week.
That should give East Central something to pay attention to, but the Tigers have been one of the more consistent teams in the conference so far. Sergio Kennedy and the East Central offense have continued to produce, and I expect them to have another strong afternoon at home, even if it does come down to a shootout, they will have the upper hand.
East Central 42, Northwestern Oklahoma State 21
Henderson State (3-0) at Southern Arkansas (1-2)
Henderson State is coming off another win, this time where they had to work a little harder than expected, but the Reddies are still 3-0 and have looked like one of the best teams in the conference through three weeks.
Southern Arkansas has had a bit of a roller coaster to start the season. The Muleriders opened with a shocking loss to Oklahoma Baptist, bounced back to beat Southern Nazarene, then ran into Harding last week. Now they get another one of the conference's top teams.
The biggest question here is whether SAU can keep up with Henderson State's offense. The Reddies have scored at least 35 points in every game this season, and they have shown they can put pressure on teams quickly when things start going their way.
Southern Arkansas is at home and should be able to make some plays, but I think Henderson State has too much offensively to come away with anything other than another win.
Henderson State 45, Southern Arkansas 24
Arkansas Tech (2-1) at Arkansas-Monticello (0-3)
Arkansas Tech will be looking to bounce back after getting handed its first loss of the season by Ouachita Baptist last week. The Wonder Boys had won their first two games by a combined 11 points before struggling to get anything going offensively against the Tigers.
Now they get an Arkansas-Monticello team that is still looking for its first win. The Weevils have shown they can move the football, but they have also struggled to keep opponents off the scoreboard, allowing 77 points over their last two games.
This feels like a good opportunity for Arkansas Tech to get back on track. The Wonder Boys have already shown they can win on the road, and I expect their offense to have a better day against a UAM defense that has given up some big numbers early in the season.
Arkansas Tech 35, Arkansas-Monticello 21
Southwestern Oklahoma State (0-3) at Oklahoma Baptist (2-1)
This is probably the hardest game on the slate for me to pick. It is basically strength versus strength, with Oklahoma Baptist bringing one of the better offenses in the conference while Southwestern Oklahoma State has been especially good against the pass on defense.
The problem for SWOSU is that it has not been able to put together a complete game yet. The Bulldogs are 0-3, but two of their losses have come in the final seconds. They nearly came all the way back from a 17-0 halftime deficit against Southeastern last week, but were unable to bleed enough time off the clock at the end, giving the Savage Storm one final possession.
Oklahoma Baptist, meanwhile, bounced back from its loss to Henderson State in a big way last week, putting up 55 points against Northwestern Oklahoma State. Brady Bricker and the Bison offense have shown they can put points on the board, but SWOSU's pass defense will give them a much different challenge.
I honestly don't know which way I want to go with this one yet. If SWOSU's defense can slow down the Bison offense, this could turn into another one of those games that comes down to the final few minutes.
Oklahoma Baptist 28, Southwestern Oklahoma State 24
Harding (3-0) at Ouachita Baptist (2-1)
On paper, Harding should win this game. The Bisons are 3-0, have been one of the most dominant teams in the conference, and have won each game by at least three scores.
But there is one thing that makes me hesitate a little bit. The last time Harding lost a conference game, it happened at this exact stadium two years ago.
Ouachita has also given itself some momentum heading into this one. After opening the season with a loss to East Central, the Tigers have won back-to-back road games against Southeastern Oklahoma State and Arkansas Tech. They now get to come home and take their shot at the No. 2 team in the country.
Harding is still the team I expect to win, but Ouachita has already shown it can play well in games like this. If the Tigers can keep the Bisons from getting comfortable early, this could be a much more interesting game than the records suggest.
Harding 38, Ouachita Baptist 21