Bethel has an opportunity to set the tone early in the MIAC when it travels to St. John's. MIAC photo by BJ Pickard

As the first month of the season winds down, conference play heats up with big games in the ASC, OAC, PAC, and elsewhere. Three Top 25 matchups highlight the weekend in Division III football and our Quick Hits crew is here to expeditiously break down the weekend's top games. 

Our regular crew is Greg Thomas, Pat Coleman, Ryan Tipps, Adam Turer, Frank Rossi, plus a guest. This week our guest panelist is the Managing Editor and Co-Founder of True To The Cru, Riley Zayas.

— Greg Thomas

Which game is the Game of the Week?

	Greg's take: No. 7 Hardin-Simmons at No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor. If Hardin-Simmons is going to break through in the way I predicted in 20 Questions, now is the time. A Cowboy win here could reveal another title contender while a Crusader win could put UMHB right back to the top of the next Top 25.
	Pat's take: No. 3 Mount Union at No. 21 John Carroll. I look at this game not as one with upset potential necessarily, but as a comparison to the UW-Whitewater/Berry game I was at last week. If this game is more competitive than that one, then JCU may belong a little higher on our pecking order.
	Adam's take: No. 13 Bethel at No. 6 St. John's. The winner has the inside track to the MIAC crown. Bethel's defense has been one of the most impressive units in the nation so far this season.
	Ryan's take: No. 7 Hardin-Simmons and No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor. Lots of great games on tap this weekend, but there are only two or three other conference clashes nationwide that I look forward to as much as this one.
	Frank's take: No. 7 Hardin-Simmons at No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor. Pool A and Pool C implications. The saga of the last two meetings. The rivalry. There’s a reason I’m heading there to cover the game this weekend.
	Riley's take: It does not get any bigger than this. Not in the ASC, maybe not even in Region 6 this year. UMHB, ranked No. 2 squares off against No. 7 Hardin-Simmons in a battle of unbeatens, neither of whom have been tested for an entire game yet this season. The winner of this annual meeting has gone on to win at least a share of the ASC title every year since 1998.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to be upset?

	Greg's take: No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor. If you believe, as I do, that the gap between the top five and the rest is significant, then this definitely counts as an upset. Nobody plays the Cru tougher more consistently than Hardin-Simmons even though Hardin-Simmons last beat UMHB in 2015. To get out of Belton with a win, the Cowboys will need to be one notch better offensively than they have been so far this season.  Maybe two notches.
	Pat's take: No. 6 St. John's. I know we don't always take Top 25 vs. Top 25 games here, but I feel there's a chance that No. 13 Bethel may be able to steal a win in Collegeville.
	Adam's take: No. 22 Heidelberg. I'm still high on Baldwin Wallace, and the Yellow Jackets were able to hang with Mount Union for three quarters in last week's loss.
	Ryan's take: No. 15 Salisbury. Western New England would be an undeated team were it not for some fourth-quarter passing heroics from Utica. Salisbury, by comparison, isn't that kind of offense, and WNE may too easily be overlooked because of the conference they're in.
	Frank's take: No. 6 Saint John’s (vs. No. 13 Bethel). The close Aurora game doesn’t look as strong now, and Bethel knows without St. Thomas in the conference (Division), this is their chance to get some top billing in the MIAC.
	Riley's take: While the Yellow Jackets are at home, No. 16 Randolph-Macon may have a tough go of it against Washington and Lee. Ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards per game (399.3), the Generals’ best weapon is their ground attack. If W&L can grab some momentum early against the R-MU defense, an upset could be brewing in Ashland.

Who will be the leader of the PAC after this weekend's games?

	Greg's take: W&J by a half game over Westminster. I like Westminster to stay hot and beat Grove City. I think W&J will pull off an impressive Cleveland sweep, but if Andrew Wolf doesn't return to the Presidents' offense, CWRU may well put themselves right back in the PAC mix.
	Pat's take: Washington & Jefferson. Alone. Well, tied in the loss column. That's with W&J over Case and Westminster over Grove City, leaving the Presidents one half-game ahead in the standings.
	Adam's take: Washington & Jefferson. The Presidents have a tough task traveling to Case Western Reserve, but fellow unbeaten Grove City faces a tougher opponent on the road at Westminster (Pa.).
	Ryan's take: Tie between W&J and Westminster.
	Frank's take: Both W&J & Westminster. The Presidents should be able to handle Case on both sides of the ball, and while Grove City and Westminster both have great defenses, Westminster’s offense seems to be back on track.
	Riley's take: Washington & Jefferson. Ranked No. 11 in the country, W&J has looked strong through its first three games, and should have little trouble getting past Case Western Reserve. Meanwhile, Westminster (Pa.) appears as a likely candidate to hand Grove City its first loss of the year.

Which game are you following that no one else on the panel is following?

	Greg's take: Huntingdon at Brevard. These teams split a pair of entertaining games in the spring and both should come in to this one feeling a little salty. Huntingdon has had to digest a 48-9 loss to Birmingham-Southern for two weeks while Brevard had to watch Huntingdon play in the USAC title game two weeks after beating the Hawks. No divisional format this time around and the winner here will have the upper hand in the USAC.
	Pat's take: UW-Eau Claire at Albion. Those who have listened to the podcast recently understand why.
	Adam's take: Coe at Wartburg. After being upset by Gustavus Adolphus in non-conference play, the Knights can get their season goals back on track by defeating unbeaten Coe in their ARC opener.
	Ryan's take: Ohio Wesleyan at Allegheny. The NCAC has often been hard to nail down in recent years, and the Gators were surprisingly impressive against Wabash last week after goose-egging against Denison. OWU is undefeated, and this game could add some good clarity.
	Frank's take: Sewanee at Hendrix. With Hendrix’s lack of success so far this season, this appears to be a winnable game for Sewanee - a winless team since 10/27/2018.
	Riley's take: Howard Payne at East Texas Baptist. Howard Payne is the only team in the ASC, besides UMHB and Hardin- Simmons, still undefeated. The Yellow Jackets’ offense has come together against Texas Lutheran and McMurry, but ETBU is certain to be its toughest test yet. Both teams boast tremendous passing attacks; this is likely to be a high-scoring shootout.

How many NJAC teams will remain winless?

	Greg's take: Two. I'm taking Montclair State (vs. WPI) and Rowan (vs. Salve Regina) to notch their victories this weekend.  The wait continues for Kean and TCNJ.
	Pat's take: Three. I see TCNJ getting off the schneid at Nichols -- despite being outscored 90-6 in its first two games -- but I am not as confident about anyone else.
	Adam's take: Three. Tough slate, with multiple matchups against unbeatens. I'll say Rowan squeaks past Salve Regina.
	Ryan's take: Two: TCNJ and Montclair State.
	Frank's take: Three. TCNJ should get bested by Nichols; Salve Regina will win a close game at home vs. Rowan; USMMA should soundly handle Kean; but Montclair State has the upper hand against WPI.
	Riley's take: Three. Montclair State (0-3) finally gets in the win column at home against WPI, but Kean, Rowan, and TCNJ will all have to wait another week to notch the season’s first victory.

How many MIAA teams will remain undefeated?

	Greg's take: One. Alma should take care of business at Martin Luther, but Albion (vs. UW-Eau Claire) and Olivet (at Millsaps) are stepping up in weight class quite a bit.
	Pat's take: One. Alma is the safest pick of this group. I am always interested to see how teams in the lower half of the WIAC fare against contenders in less nationally renowned conferences and I believe Olivet may be better than Millsaps but that game is in Jackson, Mississippi, not Jackson, Michigan.
	Adam's take: One. Alma will be the conference's only unbeaten heading into league play.
	Ryan's take: Two: Alma and Olivet.
	Frank's take: All three. Seems like Albion, Alma, and Olivet all hold edges over UW-Eau Claire, Martin Luther, and Millsaps, respectively.
	Riley's take: Two. Olivet and Alma are both on the road, but remain perfect on the year. Albion runs into trouble against UW-Eau Claire, also undefeated this season, suffering their first loss of the season.

Got picks? Put them in the comments!