A quiet week before the storm
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D3football.com
It was a usual week for the Division III football teams in the South region.
There were no monumental upsets, like in Week 7. In fact, there weren't even any mild upsets, like in most other weeks.
Sewanee remained atop the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings after pounding Millsaps 45-13. Trinity remained a half-game behind Sewanee after pummeling Rhodes 24-0.
In the American Southwest Conference, both Hardin-Simmons and Mary Hardin-Baylor remained undefeated by cruising to easy victories.
But what happened this past weekend isn't what's important anymore. All that should concern anybody now is what Nov. 4 has in store for the South Region.
That's right, it's Clash of the Titans weekend, Division III-style. First up is the SCAC showdown between the two Tigers -- Sewanee and Trinity, that is. While third-place DePauw hasn't technically been eliminated from the running, for all practical purposes this matchup will determine who gets to wear the conference crown.
The University of the South has put together dominating victories against almost every SCAC school it has faced, though it did come up on the short end of a 19-16 score against DePauw. The Tigers' other two losses came against Washington & Lee and Division I-AA school Davidson.
Trinity, which was ranked among the top five programs in the nation for much of the season before slipping up in a conference matchup against Centre. That 25-21 loss a couple weeks back sent the Tigers tumbling down to the No. 15 spot in the polls after the team advanced within one game of the national championship last season, and now have a home date against Sewanee to set up another postseason run.
In the ASC, it will be as monumental a contest if not more, as HSU and UMHB both enter the contest sporting national rankings. Hardin-Simmons, which advanced to the national quarterfinals last season, is solidly entrenched at No. 2 nationally, and has now won 29 consecutive regular-season games. The Cowboys must travel to Belton to take on one of the hottest teams in the conference.
That mark could be challenged by Mary Hardin-Baylor, the surprising third-year program which has wasted no time in making its name. The Crusaders' undeniable option offense has rolled up 2,243 yards offense on the ground, 529 more than its nearest competitor. UMHB has already picked up key victories against McMurry and Howard Payne, and has set itself up to be in a position to make the postseason even if HSU takes the conference title.
No matter how things go, it is going to be a make-or-break weekend in the South Region. If they didn't know any better, fans in Belton and San Antonio might think the playoffs were starting a couple weeks early.
Games of the Week
Sewanee at No. 15 Trinity, 2 p.m.
Top two teams, each with one conference loss. 'Nuf said.
No. 2 Hardin-Simmons at No. 20 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 2 p.m.
It doesn't get any bigger than this. Period.