Week 8 Power Rankings

And then there were two. Eureka has eliminated themselves from a possibility of playoff contention with their loss this weekend. It now comes down to Greenville and St. Scholastica who will meet in the final week of the season. There are only two weeks left in this season, and for some of you, your career. So get out there and finish this year well, no matter your record (or how I rank your team).

1. Greenville- Despite a slow start this last week going into halftime with a  10-10 tie, Greenville erased any doubt in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 35-13 in the final 30 minutes. The slow start was caused by two first quarter fumbles by Greenville’s running backs, but fortunately the defense was able to hold IWC to just one field goal off of those turnovers. The Panthers offense dominated on the ground, setting a season high with 523 rushing yards while also passing for 149 yards. Their total of 672 yards offensively is the second highest total in the UMAC this season, just behind the 682 yards St. Scholastica put up against the Tigers in week 2 of the season. The Panther remain undefeated and should extend their win streak to 17 games next week against the Westminster Blue Jays.

2. St. Scholastica- The Saints solidified their second place ranking with their 13 point victory over Eureka. After jumping out to an 24-0 lead with just under 5 minutes left in the first half, the Saints held off the Red Devils late attempt at a comeback to remain undefeated. With this victory, the Saints keep their destiny in their own hands with two games remaining. The Saints have been fairly dominant throughout their conference schedule this season, with only Crown, Northwestern, and Eureka slowing their pace. Boasting the best defense in the conference, St. Scholastica has held teams to 14 points or fewer in six of their eight games and they also allow a league low 281.8 yards per game to opposing offenses. The Saints should breeze by Minnesota-Morris this week, preparing for the end of the year matchup with Greenville College, which in all likelihood, will determine who represents the UMAC in the playoffs.

3. Eureka- With a chance for a chance at the playoffs in their reach, the Red Devils cannot close the deal, losing 38-25 to St. Scholastica. Letting the Saints take a 24-0 advantage is never a good way to try and win a game. It looks like Eureka just got outplayed as the ball was marched down the field on the first three scoring drives before the defense seems to have gotten sloppy and given up three 40+ yard scoring plays. The offense didn't help their situation by gaining 10 total yards on six of their first eight drives combined. WIth playoff hopes gone, this Red Devils can take pride in being the first Eureka football team since 1996 that will finish with a winning record

4. Northwestern- In this week's win over Westminster, the Eagles put together the most complete game they've played so far this season, despite giving up more points than they should have. But as a young team, they have been steadily improving as the year has gone on. Better than everyone below them but not quite as good as anyone above them. The Eagles have earned this fourth spot, not necessarily by being good enough, but just by not being as bad as the teams below them. We did not expect them to win the championship, and they won't. But so far this team has played better than we expected after losing so many starters to graduation, and I expect as they mature, this young team will be much better next season.

5. Crown- Welcome to the top five. I've seen the potential all season and the Storm are finally beginning to live up to it. I say beginning to because I believe there is still a lot more growth to be done for this young team. The passing game has room for improvement but most of their weak areas - mental errors, strength, miscommunications - are due to lack of experience, youth, and trying to find the best lineup. Crown is well coached and I believe if they can hold onto this recruiting class, will no longer be looked over when considering the top teams in the UMAC.

6. Minnesota-Morris- Losing to Martin Luther, despite being +4 in the turnover margin is disappointing to me. But despite the loss, I still believe the Cougars match up better against the teams ranked higher than the Knights do, so therefore they will hold this position. Morris switched up their quarterback again, opting to go with Donnie Mavencamp for the majority of the snaps over Caleb McLaren. Again, I'm not sure the reasoning, but the switch didn't work. The Cougars even put in a third quarterback, apparently trying to outdo last year's two QB system. With all the promise this team had at the outset from returning so many starters, they really have not met the expectations.

7. Martin Luther- The Knights three wins this season come against teams who are a combined 4-20, none of whom have a winning record, while their four conference losses come against teams who are a combined 25-7, with all of these teams having a .500+ win percentage. Rothe & Friends had two 100 yard rushers for the third time this season with Matt Olson joining his QB in the 100 yard club. Rothe picked up his fumble habit from early last season again, losing 4 of 5 fumbles to the Cougars. The Knights face two opponents who currently have sub .500 win percentages, so they could pull off a couple more wins.

8. Iowa Wesleyan- Halloween is coming up this week, but last Saturday anybody watching was confused about which team was wearing which costume as the team known as the Panthers was wearing orange and the Tigers were wearing black and purple. From the onset the game between the Tigers and Panthers was very Freaky Friday-esqe. The Tigers held a 17-10 lead just seconds into the second half and it had me wondering if maybe Brendan Chambers and Zandro Diaz had bumped heads before the game and swapped abilities. However, the Tigers couldn’t keep up all the Hocus Pocus and eventually succumbed to the Panthers 45-14. The offense is doing fairly well for the Tigers, but the defense is leaving something to be desired, giving up 672 yards is rarely ever going to allow your team to win. But as I've said all season, this team plays with heart and I believe they just need a few years of recruiting to become a respectable team in the UMAC.

9. Westminster- The Blue Jays last Saturday played the same uninspired football we've seen all season. They manage to not put up a fight while not getting completely blown out at the same time. It's like they go into these games playing just for their dignity and not to actually get a win. What we thought at the beginning of the year was a team with potential has turned out to be just that, a team with potential. Maybe next year they will beginning to reach it.

10. MacMurray- Not much to be said here, same issues I have been addressing all season - some decent athletes with poor execution and decision making. I do not know if its coaching or player committment or both, but something will need to improve here before this team can make an impact on the UMAC. I hate beating a dead horse but a dead horse is about all this MacMurray team could beat.