TOP EIGHT REMAIN SAME IN AFCA DIVISION II COACHES’ POLL

WACO, TEX.-- There was only one loss among the Top 15 teams after the sixth week of action, causing very little change in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Grand Valley State defeated Wayne State (Mich.), 41-10, and collected all 28 first place votes for the first time this season to remain solidly at No. 1.

No. 2 North Dakota continued its undefeated season with a 37-0 blanking of Augustana (S.D.). No. 3 North Alabama survived a fourth-quarter comeback by Arkansas Tech to win 27-20. No. 4 Chadron State moved its record to 5-0 after a 49-0 shutout of New Mexico Highlands. Valdosta State handed Ouachita Baptist a 31-3 loss and rounds out the Top 5.

No. 6 Nebraska-Omaha kept pace with North Dakota for the North Central Conference race lead after a 45-15 win over Minnesota State-Mankato, while No. 7 Carson-Newman looks to be the front-runner in the South Atlantic Conference after a 49-19 victory over then-No. 9 Newberry. No. 8 Delta State is now 4-0 this season after a 28-3 win over Southern Arkansas. Northwest Missouri State jumped to the ninth position after the Bearcats held Southwest Baptist to an MIAA record minus-74 yards rushing in its 86-13 win. West Texas A&M moves into the Top 10 for the first time this season after a 36-3 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville.

No. 11 California is 5-0 for the first time since 1986 after a second straight shutout, this time, 56-0 over Clarion. Midwestern State beat Angelo State, 44-16, and jumps one spot to No. 12, as does Catawba, who moved from No. 14 to No. 13 after a 45-21 win over then-No. 23 Mars Hill. No. 14 Tarleton State moved its record to 5-0 after downing Southwestern Oklahoma State, 43-19. Abilene Christian jumped two spots to No. 15 after beating previously unbeaten Eastern New Mexico, 45-20.

No. 16 Pittsburg State, No. 17 West Chester and No. 18 Indiana (Pa.) all moved up three positions each this week. The Gorillas survived in a double-overtime thriller to beat Central Missouri, 38-31, while West Chester beat Bloomsburg, 44-28. Indiana (Pa.) used a last-second field goal to edge Slippery Rock, 34-31. Newberry tumbled 10 positions to No. 19 after its loss to Carson-Newman, while Tuskegee jumped five to No. 20 after a 42-9 win over Concordia (Ala.).

Shepherd moves up to No. 21 this week after beating Seton Hill, 44-6. South Dakota dropped six spots to No. 22 after its 31-7 loss to FCS member, McNeese State, while No. 23 Wingate fell five positions after its loss to Tusculum, 31-28. Virginia Union enters the Coaches’ Poll at No. 24 for the first time since Dec. 11, 2001. The Panthers are 5-0 after a 30-14 win over St. Augustine’s. No. 25 Mesa State also jumps into the poll for the first this year after the Mavericks moved to 5-0 with a 19-18 win over Nebraska-Kearney.

Conference Breakdown: Lone Star-4 (West Texas A&M, Midwestern State, Tarleton State, Abilene Christian); South Atlantic-4 (Carson-Newman, Catawba, Newberry, Wingate); Gulf South-3 (North Alabama, Valdosta State, Delta State); North Central-3 (North Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota); Pennsylvania State Athletic-3 (California (Pa.), West Chester, Indiana (Pa.)); MIAA-2 (Northwest Missouri State, Pittsburg State); Rocky Mountain Athletic-2 (Chadron State, Mesa State); Central Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Virginia Union); Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Grand Valley State); Southern Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Tuskegee); West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic-1 (Shepherd).

Head-to-Head
Four games featuring teams ranked in the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll highlight this weekend’s action. The first match-up is the sixth “Fall Classic at Arrowhead,” pitting No. 9 Northwest Missouri State against No. 16 Pittsburg State. These two teams have met at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City since 2002 with the Bearcats winning four of the five contests. The second Top 25 match-up is a key Lone Star Conference South Division contest as No. 10 West Texas A&M travels to No. 12 Midwestern State. Both teams are 5-0, and each are looking to take control of the competitive LSC South.

The third match-up sees No. 18 Indiana (Pa.) playing host to No. 11 California (Pa.). The two squads tied for the PSAC Western Division title last season, with Indiana (Pa.) taking the head-to-head match-up, 21-17. The final Top 25 match-up has No. 13 Catawba facing its second straight ranked opponent as the Indians host No. 19 Newberry. Catawba owns the all-time series lead at 36-31-3, but Newberry won last year’s meeting, 21-14.

Poll Points
Pat Behrns recorded his 100th victory as Nebraska-Omaha’s head coach in the Mavericks’ 45-15 win over Minnesota St.-Mankato. His 19-plus year career record stands at 136-79, 100-52 at UNO ... Northwest Missouri State set new school records for most points scored in a game (86) and largest margin of victory (73 points) in the Bearcats 86-13 win over Southwest Baptist.

CFI: THIS DATE IN HISTORY

Oct. 2, 2004: Rice and San Jose State play the highest-scoring regulation game in college history as the Spartans edge the Owls 70-63 with a 28-point fourth quarter flurry. There are 19 touchdowns and 1,100-plus yards of total offense in the melee.

THE BIG TEN REPORT

BY MICK MILLER
BIG TEN INSIDER

Sift through the carnage from upset Saturday and we will find that the Big Ten’s ranked teams faired better than those in front of them. Ohio State and Wisconsin have moved up in the Top 25 as the shuffle takes place this week. In the conference, the bottom seems to be creeping up to the top, making for more parity and entertaining contests. In an exciting weekend of close calls and close shaves, let’s throw everyone in the Big Ten against the wall, and see who sticks.

Illinois 27 (#21) Penn State 20

Perhaps still smarting from last week’s loss at the Big House, Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli fared no better against the Fighting Illini in Champaign. Morelli threw three interceptions and fumbled and the Lions continue to put the ball on the turf. Illinois held a 21-17 lead at the half, but the defense held the Nittany Lions to only three second-half points. Freshman wide receiver Arrelious Benn returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown (his first career kick return) after a Penn State field goal in the first quarter and also caught six passes for 84 yards and another score.

Up next: Illinois host Wisconsin, Penn State welcomes Iowa

(#8) Ohio State 30 Minnesota 7

The Buckeyes continue to cruise as they dominated the Gophers Saturday in Minnesota. So far, and so good for Ohio State, quarterback Todd Boeckman (18-29, 209 yards, 2 touchdown passes) hasn’t had to win a game for them as they continue to be solid in the running game and on defense. Tailback Chris Wells ran for 116 yards and two scores while the defense held the Gophers to 277 yards of total offense. Buckeye wide receiver Brian Robiskie caught five passes for 99 yards, including a 52-yard score that made it 20-7 before the half.

Up next: O.S.U. visit Purdue, Minnesota travel to Indiana


(#9) Wisconsin 37 Michigan State 34

It’s not how, it’s how many. Wisconsin continues to push the envelope and yet continues to win. The Badger running game helped the offense win the time of possession battle and yet the Spartans rolled up 564 yards of offense against the defense. Badger back P.J. Hill rand for 155 yards and two scores and the two-headed tandem of MSU, Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick, combined for 218 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. When Wisconsin passed, tight end Travis Beckum caught 10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.

Up next: Wisconsin fights in Illinois, Michigan State hosts Northwestern

Indiana 38 Iowa 20

Hoosier quarterback Kellen Lewis threw for a personal high of 322 yards and two touchdowns, and picked up a fumble of an eight-yard completion and took it the remaining 71 yards for a touchdown in beating the Hawkeyes on Saturday in Iowa City. The Indiana defense sacked Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen nine times, as their injury-plagued offense again came up short. Hoosier wide receiver, the 6-7 James Hardy, continues his dominance of Iowa with 113 yards and a touchdown, giving him 24 receptions, 420 yards, and five touchdowns in three career games.

Up next: Indiana is home versus Minnesota, Iowa goes to Penn State

Michigan 28 Northwestern 16

The Wolverines wobbled, and then awoke to win against the Wildcats in Evanston. Northwestern used a potent running game and three field goals to take a 16-7 halftime lead, only to implode with four turnovers in the second half. Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham had his best game of the year with 10 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown while seniors Chad Henne (18-27, 193 yards, three touchdown passes) and Mike Hart (30-106 yards, touchdown) helped the Maize and Blue secure the victory in the fourth quarter. The much-maligned Michigan defense recorded four sacks, recovered two fumbles, and recorded three interceptions.

Up Next: Michigan hosts Eastern Michigan, Northwestern travels to Michigan St.

Purdue 33 Notre Dame 19

In West Lafayette, the Boilermakers used their running game for a change to get out to a 23-0 lead in the first half and add to the woes of the ailing Irish. Tailback Kory Sheets carried the ball 27 times for 141 yards and a score while the usually explosive quarterback Curtis Painter turned in an average game numbers-wise with 252 yards, two touchdowns, and as many interceptions. Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen threw his first career touchdown pass, but was replaced in the second half by back-up Evan Sharpley due to a hip injury, although he is expected to play next week. Sharpley led the Irish to two fourth quarter touchdowns as Notre Dame actually outgunned Purdue in total offense.

Up next: Purdue hosts Ohio State, Notre Dame is at UCLA

Kansas State is Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week

DALLAS (FWAA) - With their 41-21 win over at Texas, the Kansas State Wildcats (3-1) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Sept. 29.

The Wildcats returned an interception, a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns as they handed Texas coach Mack Brown his worst home loss in ten years.

The K-State defense intercepted four passes in defeating Texas for the second straight season. The 41 points were the most scored by a Texas opponent in Austin since 1997.

"We're not the biggest and strongest team in the country," Kansas State coach Ron Prince said. "We had to create some havoc."

Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 29 included:

· Auburn (3-2): Wes Bynum nailed a 43-yard field goal on the game's final play as the Tigers ended Florida's 11-game winning streak, 20-17.

· Colorado (3-2): Kevin Eberhart kicked a 45- yard field as time expired to cap a 20-point rally in a 27- 24 upset over Oklahoma.

· South Florida (5-0): Ben Moffitt intercepted two passes, including one for a touchdown as the Bulls upset West Virginia, 21-13.

The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the third season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Select members of the FWAA board of directors decide the weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2007 college football season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Bowl National Team of the Week through Nov. 26.

CFI: THIS DATE IN HISTORY

Oct. 1, 1904: Baseball Hall of Fame member Branch Rickey coaches his first game at Allegheny (Pa.) - a 5-0 win over Warren (Pa.). Rickey guides the Gators to a 5-5 record in ’04 and coaches the 1905 squad to a 3-8 mark before going back to baseball. He later breaks the modern Major League Baseball segregation barrier by bringing former UCLA football standout Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.