The two kings of the early season both got all they could handle as Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State took the league leading Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State teams to the brink. What do those games mean for the rest of the league?
Well, with another week down, here's where everyone lands:
These are not standings, but rather, an indication of weekly momentum. Follow us all season as we reveal our weekly rankings each Tuesday. Be sure to sign up for a free account right here and join the conversation below.
2017 record: 5-1 | Last week's rank: 1
Hayden Hildebrand was uncharacteristically erratic but made the plays to win down the stretch against SFA's eight-man zones. Central Arkansas has looked mortal for a couple weeks and they'll certainly need their star quarterback to avoid turning the ball over if they plan to remain unbeaten.
Now, the Bears get to face the same team that almost took out the second place Bearkats on the road. If they can get past Northwestern State things get really interesting when they host McNeese. The path is not easy but UCA is more than capable of running the table.
2017 record: 5-1 | Last week's rank: 2
A week after the Kats struggled to put away SFA in the Battle of the Piney Woods, Northwestern State had them on the ropes before choking it away late. Sam Houston State pulled a rabbit out of a hat but they're going to need their defense to start playing like a top 25 team if they have any aspirations beyond the regular season.
They'll need to do with without PJ Hall, the star of their win over SFA, after the senior was suspended. The good news for the Bearkats is they avoid McNeese and ought to be the clear favorites in each of their remaining contests.
2017 record: 5-1 | Last week's rank: 3
McNeese got a week off and will look to make some headway in the season's stretch run. Their contest next week with Central Arkansas could be the game of the year but they can't overlook Incarnate Word in this weekend's trap game.
The third of the ranked teams in the league, McNeese has full intentions of making a run at another league title. If the old adage that "defense wins championships" rings true, it is the Cowboys title to lose.
2017 record: 4-2 | Last week's rank: 4
Without Chase Fourcade at 100% and against another signal caller having a career day, Nicholls found a way to dispatch Abilene Christian. They did it with two touchdowns but kicker Lorran Fonseca was the MVP with a perfect five-for-five day kicking.
Another team with just one conference loss, Nicholls enjoys the benefit of the easiest schedule down the stretch with their hardest games coming against Southeastern and SFA. They'll get a week off before returning to action against Incarnate Word in San Antonio.
2017 record: 4-3 | Last week's rank: 5
Everyone knows that Southeastern likes to run the ball but so far nobody has really figured out how to stop it. The Lions ran all over Houston Baptist and their relatively impressive defense and racked up over 500 yards of offense with just six pass completions. I keep saying the one-dimensional offense will come back to bite them but so far it really hasn't as SELA has charged to four-straight wins.
It has been an easy scheduling stretch for the Lions and they'll finally be tested in the coming weeks with McNeese, Sam Houston State and Nicholls all on the schedule ahead. First, though, they're at Abilene Christian in what should be an intriguing matchup for both teams.
2017 record: 2-5 | Last week's rank: 7
SFA finally moves past the unforgiving three-straight contests against ranked opponents and gains a position depsite the loss to league-leading Central Arkansas. The Lumberjacks have looked better and better in each of their last three contests despite playing more and more difficult opponents. Suddenly, despite their record, SFA seems as if they should be favored in all of their remaining contests minus a date with Nicholls in November.
Sporting maybe the youngest team of the bunch, SFA fans will be wondering what might have been the last two weeks if not for losing quarterback Foster Sawyer - but for now they will need to keep riding the arm of sophomore replacement Jake Blumrick. They'll also be looking for a big win on homecoming against HBU this weekend.
2017 record: 1-5 | Last week's rank: 8
It's not that Abilene Christian looked particularly bad in their loss to Nicholls, but what SFA and Northwestern State did to the top two on this list is enough to boost the stock of both the Demons and Lumberjacks.
Northwestern State dominated the early part of their contest with Sam Houston State but fell apart in the final minutes as the Bearkats rode big plays in their comeback victory. It was enough to probably earn the Demons the title of "best five-loss team in the country," but that's hardly a consolation. NSU has shown a lot of fight in this tough stretch but it won't get any easier as they host UCA this weekend.
2017 record: 2-5 | Last week's rank: 6
The Wildcats do not have an awful team and they've shown some tremendous growth. At some point, they need to steal a win. There is no easy victory between now and the end of the season with SELA, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State and Central Arkansas all on deck. Bookies might have ACU winless the rest of the way but somehow I doubt that actually happens.
Don't sleep on their ability to play spoiler in the league title race. Southeastern hasn't played a lot of difficult competition lately and the Wildcats just might be the right matchup to humble some folks in Hammond.
2017 record: 1-5 | Last week's rank: 10
The battle of bottom feeders finally yeilded a win for the Cardinals of Incarnate Word. Derrick Mitchell ran wild with 133 yards and a couple scores while his offensive unit gained 465 yards on the day. It might be the highlight of the whole season with an absolutely brutal schedule coming up but for now we'll give them credit for the W and a boost in our rankings.
This weekend they're on the road in Lake Charles to face McNeese. Don't hold your breathe.
2017 record: 1-5 | Last week's rank: 9
Ugh. I really wanted to believe in Houston Baptist. I really did. For much of the season, their defense really hasn't looked bad at all. The problem for the Huskies is that this team is loaded with seniors and a few years of futility are probably ahead. Worse, even with those veteran players, they can't seem to find the win collumn.
Even the otherwise solid defense looked exposed against Southeastern as they were powerless to stop the Lions' rushing attack. They head to SFA this weekend for a contest that could be both rainy and ugly in Nacogdoches.
2017 record: 1-5 | Last week's rank: 11
Yep. They're still here. Lamar had their best opportunity to win a game this season and couldn't find a way to top Incarnate Word. They still get a crack at HBU but right now they look well on their way to a winless season in conference play under their new coaching staff.
Oh well, growing pains are part of program building. The Cardinals should feel no shortage of it again this weekend in Huntsville when they take on Sam Houston State and their prolific offense.
