Great American Conference Commissioner Will Prewitt summed up the NCAA Division II playoff situation for Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State and Harding University in both certain and uncertain terms.
"The picture should be really clear by 5 [p.m.] or so," Prewitt said, looking ahead to Saturday. "Or, if the right things happen, clear as mud."
That's as much as Prewitt, who is on the Super Region III selection committee, can say before taking part in Sunday morning's conference call.
Common sense comes into play, though, when evaluating what the three GAC contenders need to do.
It goes like this:
No. 4 Harding (9-1, 9-1 GAC) must defeat Arkansas Tech (3-7, 3-7) in Russellville to sew up its fourth consecutive playoff bid.
"We have to win," Harding coach Paul Simmons said of the Bisons, who have won nine consecutive after a season-opening loss to OBU, including a 14-13 victory over Henderson in Week 4. "This is the playoffs for us."
No. 7 Henderson State (9-1, 9-1) is in a near-identical position.
The Reddies will earn their first playoff bid and title share since 2015 with a victory Saturday over Battle of the Ravine rival OBU (10-0, 10-0).
A loss puts Henderson State in a situation where it will need others to lose.
"We would be playing with fire," Henderson State coach Scott Maxfield said of the chances of making the top seven with a second loss. "l think if we all finish 10-1, from what we've done in the playoffs the past few years, we should be as well-respected as anyone."
No GAC team with one regular-season defeat has been left out of the playoffs since the conference's inception in 2011, but there has never been a year with three one-loss GAC teams.
It came close in 2014 when OBU (9-0) hosted Henderson (8-1) in the regular-season finale while Harding (8-1) played at Arkansas Tech.
OBU defeated Henderson State 41-20 to finish 10-0, Harding won to go 9-1, and two-loss Henderson State got left out when the bids were extended the next day.
"Those were three really good football teams," OBU coach Todd Knight said. "Boy, that was a fight to the finish with the conference race. ... Here we go again."
UAM at SAU
MAGNOLIA -- Two of the GAC's top freshmen will face off at 2 p.m. today at Rip Powell Field as Southern Arkansas all-purpose back O.B. Jones and the Muleriders host Arkansas-Monticello quarterback Demilon Brown and the Boll Weevils.
Brown, who took over starting quarterback duties for the Weevils (5-5) in Week 4, is 65-for-109 passing for 836 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing 94 times for 720 yards. Jones has now scored seven touchdowns while rushing 31 times for 114 yards while catching 18 passes for 194 yards for the Muleriders (7-3), who lead the series against UAM 56-36-1.
The Tatum (Henderson, Texas) graduate scored twice in last week's 38-31 loss to HSU as SAU looks to avoid ending the season on a three-game losing streak for the second-straight year. Quarterback Hayden Mallory has thrown for 1,995 yards and 16 TDs in his first year as the starter, as the Muleriders will record a fifth consecutive winning season. Kor'Davion Washington is SAU's leading rusher with 859 yards and 9 TDs.
The Weevils need a win to earn their second-straight 6-5 season, but the team will be a force to be reckoned with next season. The team's top skills players -- Brown, running back Devontae Dean (792 rushing) and receivers DeAndre Washington (35-535, 6 TDs) and C.J. Parham (35-463, 4) -- are expected to return next season.
Harding at Ark. Tech
RUSSELLVILLE -- After an 0-6 start to the season, Arkansas Tech welcomes one of the top teams in the conference to Thone Stadium at 2 p.m. in Harding.
The No. 14/11 Bisons (9-1) are ranked fourth in Division II Region 3 in addition to their national rankings, and with their only loss coming in Week 1 to OBU, the 31-25 series lead is expected to extend. The Wonder Boys (3-7) fell 28-0 in Searcy a year ago and have won just eight of 27 contests in Russellville against the Bisons.
The Bisons bring the country's top-ranked rushing offense (392 yards per game) to Russellville to take on the league's No. 5 rushing defense (171.6 ypg). Harding has rushed for more than 400 yards and four TDs in five consecutive games for the first time, including 462 in last week's 35-14 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma in Durant. Junior fullback Cole Chancey (205-1,217, 11 TDs) leads the GAC and ranks 10th nationally in rushing while slot back Tristan Tucker (68-641, 10) and quarterback Preston Paden (109-583, 7) are among seven Bisons who have rushed for more than 143 yards on the season.
The Wonder Boys have picked up wins in three of their last four games and seem to have found a winner in quarterback Carter Burcham, of Greenbrier, who has completed 44 of 77 for 731 yards with five scores and two interceptions in his three starts. The junior is 2-1 as a starter and has led the team to 34.5 points per game in the stretch.
Sports on 11/16/2019