MARYVILLE, Mo. — Here’s the plot: Undefeated conference records and national rankings are at stake.

But here is the cast of characters: Missouri Western’s Griffons and Northwest Missouri State’s Bearcats. That’s what really fuels the drama that will be played out Saturday at Spratt Stadium when the two MIAA teams meet in a 1:30 p.m. matchup.

This will be only the second time ever that the two geographic rivals — both 3-0 in MIAA play — enter the game nationally ranked.

“It doesn’t make any difference,” Northwest coach Mel Tjeerdsma insists. “If we were 0-5, it would still be a good game.”

Tjeerdsma noted that his sixth-ranked Bearcats always seem to get Western’s best shot, and with an experienced quarterback in Drew Newhart — the conference leader in passing efficiency — No. 16 Western could give Northwest its toughest test to date.

However, Northwest has the best pass-efficiency defense in the MIAA, adding additional excitement to a showdown that would have packed Western’s stadium regardless.

Tjeerdsma believes the atmosphere will be more like the annual game the Bearcats play against Pittsburg State at Arrowhead Stadium than it will a true road game.

“We’ll have a few fans there; they’ll show up,” Tjeerdsma said in an understatement.

Northwest already is on its second allotment of tickets, with ticket sales brisk on both campuses.

It all makes for an interesting Saturday afternoon atmosphere — a big-game atmosphere that Northwest has tasted more often than Western over the past few seasons, with four straight playoff runs to the Division II national championship game.

“I tell our kids that this is what you come here for, to play in these kinds of situation,” Northwest defensive coordinator Scott Bostwick said.

Bostwick said that even when one team or the other has had an off season, the Northwest-Western matchup usually produces a good game. Such was the case last season, when Northwest enjoyed a playoff run and Western endured mid-season doldrums en route to a 6-6 finish.

“I asked all of our kids who’ve come in here what the score of the game last year, and they couldn’t tell me,” Bostwick said. “Well, it was 45-32, and we intercepted the ball in our own end zone to win the game. And we were a pretty good defense last year.

“They pushed us right to the edge, and that was right out here,” Bostwick said, pointing toward Bearcat Stadium.

Bostwick said the fact that some students and players from both schools tend to spend some time in their rivals’ city just adds to the intensity of the

rivalry.

“There’s always a little talking and squawking that makes it much more personal,” Bostwick said. “It’s MoWest, and it’s Northwest. We don’t like each other if we play tennis against each other, let alone a football game.”