The Best and the Rest: Week 6

Two weeks ago, a fellow MIAA scribe told me, “Only UNO can beat UNO.” On Saturday, about 30 minutes before kickoff at Yager Stadium, another fellow beat writer stopped by to chat about the conference — specifically Nebraska-Omaha’s dominance of it. The general consensus seemed to be that the Mavericks were just a few hours away from another statement game.

That turned out to be the case, though in the complete opposite manner that me and just about everyone else seemed to expect. I kept tabs on the live MIAA scoreboard (thanks northwestbearcats.com) throughout Western’s loss at Washburn. When Northwest went up 14-0, I figured it was just a slow start for the Mavericks. At 21-0, a little buzz started in the press box, and the final score was met with disbelief and amazement.

When I told Washburn coach Craig Schurig on the field afterward of what Northwest had done, he was just as shocked as the rest of us.

Two weeks ago in Maryville, I saw nothing that indicated Northwest’s defense was capable of shutting out even a middle-of-the-road MIAA team. Now, I’m fighting the urge to talk about a Northwest rematch with Abilene Christian. While Pittsburg State was impressive in its own right against Central Missouri and remains undefeated, the top spot in this week’s power rankings has to go to Northwest by virtue of an upset that was as thorough as it was stunning.

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1. (4) Northwest Missouri (4-1, 3-0) — Consider the Bearcats worthy of the No. 1 spot in the MIAA coaches’ preseason poll once again

2. (3) Pittsburg State (5-0, 3-0) — This Saturday should be the Arrowhead Classic’s most anticipated matchup since the No. 1 vs. No. 2 game in 2004

3. (1) Nebraska-Omaha (3-1, 2-1 MIAA) — Last Saturday was the Mavericks’ first regular-season loss since Nov. 4, 2006

4. (2) Central Missouri (4-1, 2-1) — I apologize for last week; I got a little intoxicated drinking the Mules Kool-Aid

5. (5) Washburn (3-2, 1-2) — The Ichabods’ quarterback play has to improve before they can be considered a serious threat to the top three

6. (8) Missouri Southern (3-2, 1-2) — The next five games on the Lions’ schedule are very winnable; time to see if this really is their breakthrough year

7. (6) Emporia State (3-2, 1-2) — Hornets kicker Matt Perry made four field goals Saturday but missed an extra point that proved the difference in Southern’s 19-18 win in Emporia

8. (9) Missouri Western (1-4, 0-3) — The Griffons are probably the best 1-4 Division II team in the country, and it looks as if relief is finally on the way in the form of Fort Hays State

9. (10) Truman State (2-2, 1-2) — The Bulldogs became only the third team to win at Hays the past two seasons, joining Western and Northwest

10. (7) Fort Hays State (2-3, 1-2) — 4-1 seemed like a definite possibility after the Tigers’ upset of Washburn, but losses against Emporia and Truman leave the Southern contest in two weeks as the only remaining contest in which Hays seems evenly matched