Commentary
Aside from the difference in ranking, the East Tennessee at Mercer game is important in the conference. The two are among four that have only one loss in conference (Chattanooga and Western Carolina are the other two). The loser will fall out of that tie, with little time to make it up. (FWIW: Mercer plays Alabama on November 16).
By the luck of the schedule, Western Carolina plays Chattanooga this weekend. Again, the loser will fall out of the one-loss tie. The conference title will be decided in the three weeks after this game. That’s crucial since the SoCon seldom gets more than one at-large bid.
As mentioned above, UT Martin is just out of the Top-25 in the current STATS poll.The Skyhawks and their opponent, Tennessee State, are tied one game back from the leader, SE Missouri. UT Martin won its game against SEMO earlier, while Tenn State has yet to play them. Wins from here on out and a loss by SEMO would give UTM the tie-breaker over SEMO.
South Carolina State and North Carolina Central are the only teams in the MEAC with no conference losses. Thus, the winner will have a leg up as they go into the title stretch.
The Harvard at Dartmouth game is another one that’s crucial in the late-season conference standings.
The records on paper for Hampton and Villanova are not that different. But when you try to assess their records, a couple of points stand out. First, two of Hampton’s losses were to top teams in the CAA … neither of which Villanova had to play. In fact, with half the regular conference season behind them, these teams have no common opponents … zero, zip. Even odder fact: Aside from playing each other, these two teams will complete their season having played just one common opponent. The tie-breakers in one of these super-conferences must get really interesting.
It’s probably too late for Monmouth to play any role except spoiler, but Rhode Island cannot afford a stumble, with Richmond neck-and-neck in the conference title race. And the Hawks have pulled off some upsets before.
The North Dakota at Indiana State matchup is another game where the underdog can really play only a spoiler role. But a home-field upset by the Sycamores would be a major blow to any chance for UND to get an at-large bid … they would fall into the potential limbo of (7-4) final record teams. And Indiana State’s dismal record is a bit misleading … their three wins have all been at home.
