Theres no debate about which teams are the elite of the Southland Conference. Just look at the polls -- this year or last year -- and everyone knows the answer is Sam Houston State and McNeese.Yet, the Bearkats and Cowboys cant just cruise until their playoff rematch at the beginning of November. Theyll be starting October on upset alert.Both Southland powers face potentially tough obstacles Saturday, with second-ranked Sam Houston State (3-0, 2-0) taking on rival Stephen F. Austin (3-1, 2-0) at NRG Stadium -- home of the Houston Texans -- before No. 23 McNeese (2-2, 1-1) hosts a Nicholls team which has proven its mettle on the road.Since the STATS FCS Top 25 came into existence before last season, no Southland team has made the poll besides the Bearkats and Cowboys. Both have been part of every single one since last October.That could all change next week.McNeese would drop out with a loss to the Colonels (1-2, 1-0), who received 52 votes of their own in this weeks STATS poll. Stephen F. Austin would certainly join the rankings by stunning Sam Houston, having already won 31-28 at McNeese two weeks ago on Hunter Taylors touchdown pass with 3:35 to play.That was the only drive of the game for Taylor, a former walk-on who had been playing behind Zach Conque -- son of Lumberjacks coach Clint Conque. But dad had a much quicker hook last week, pulling Zach in the first quarter, and Taylor came on to complete 31 of 46 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Abilene Christian.So it would seem the Lumberjacks will stick with Taylor even though it was Zach Conque who was the preseason all-Southland first-team quarterback ahead of second-teamer Jeremiah Briscoe of Sam Houston. Briscoe is off to a brilliant start, throwing for three touchdowns and more than 300 yards in each of the Bearkats three games.Those have all been easy wins, and Sam Houston leads the FCS with 51.7 points per game.Were gonna need to play with great passion, energy and focus this week versus the No. 2 team in the country, Clint Conque said. This is a ring-the-bell type of week. Weve got the most prolific offense really in the country coming in.The Bearkats have won the past five meetings of a rivalry which dates back to 1923. However, three of the last four were decided by eight points or less, including last years 34-28 game in which the Lumberjacks had the edge in total yards and led deep into the third quarter.This SFA squad has won three in a row, earning the most votes of any team not to make this weeks Top 25. Coach K.C. Keeler called the Lumberjacks playoff-caliber and the best SFA team hes seen since arriving at Sam Houston in 2014.Its a really intense rivalry, Keeler said heading into the 91st edition of the Battle of the Piney Woods. Emotion is great because you cant play this game without it, but you can put yourself in a position where emotion gets out of control which we cant do.While Keeler expects emotions to run high, McNeese cant be complacent despite facing an unheralded Nicholls program which the Cowboys have dominated. McNeese has won seven straight in the series, the last two by a combined 82-10 score.The Colonels two defeats this season were close ones against FBS programs. They lost in overtime at South Alabama last Saturday and nearly pulled off a true shocker to open the season, falling 26-24 to a Georgia team ranked ninth in the country.Georgia in front of 90,000 people was kinda crazy, and a great atmosphere this past weekend (in Mobile), but our conference is so tough and McNeese uses that home-field advantage and theyll have that stadium packed and rolling, Nicholls coach Tim Rebowe said.However, the luster of the Cowboys has been tarnished in September with the home loss to SFA and last Saturdays uninspiring seven-point win over Incarnate Word.Plus, McNeese hasnt shown off the formidable ground game which keyed its 10-1 season in 2015. That Cowboys squad rushed for 233.3 yards per game and 5.0 per carry whereas this one, excluding a win over Division II Tarleton State, has averaged 106.7 per game and 2.8 per carry.That leaves coach Lance Guidry concerned because even though quarterback James Tabary has played well (eight TD passes, one interception), the Cowboys are facing what has been an impressive Nicholls pass defense. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just 48.0 percent of their passes against the Colonels, who had five sacks in a win over Incarnate Word before picking off four passes at South Alabama.Its kind of scary because were having to throw the ball to move the ball and score, Guidry said of the struggling ground game. Were gonna have to be balanced, find ways to run the football. But Nicholls makes it tough. Nike Vapormax Flyknit Moc .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Nike Air Vapormax Scontate . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. http://www.vapormaxoffwhite.it/76-tb-nike-vapormax-country-pack/ . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Nike Air Vapormax 2018 Uomo . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Nike Vapormax Flyknit Uomo .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. One game separates Western Michigan from an undefeated regular season and its against a team that will have plenty of motivation in its own right.The 14th-ranked Broncos face Toledo on Friday with a division title at stake. Yes, its true: After all the fanfare WMU has received for its remarkable run this year, the Broncos arent even assured a spot in the Mid-American Conference title game. They still have another test to pass.We have to be at our best. Toledos a phenomenal football team, with a really, really talented coach, Broncos coach P.J. Fleck said. Its like looking in the mirror on offense, defense and special teams. Its amazing how similar we both really are.The winner of Fridays game will face Ohio in the MAC title game next week.WMU (11-0, 7-0, No. 21 CFP) beat Northwestern by one in its season opener and has won every game since by double digits. Along with Alabama, the Broncos are one of two FBS teams that are still undefeated. With every victory, the stakes grow for WMU, which has a legitimate chance to play in a major bowl if it can maintain its unblemished record.Last weekend, ESPN CollegeGameday paid WMU a visit for its 38-0 win over Buffalo .Probably one of the most historic days our community and our city and our university have ever seen, Fleck said. We embraced it, we had a lot of fun with it, our players learned a lot, and then they also finished off the week with a win.Toledo (9-2, 6-1) comes into this weeks game having won three in a row. The big question for any team hoping to upset WMU is how to contain the Broncos electrifying tandem of quarterback Zach Terrell and Corey Davis.Theyre going to do what they do. Theyre well coached on offense, theyre going to get the football to their playmakers, Toledo coach Jason Candle said. Youve got to do a good job of trying to limit Coreys touches if you can, and I think the most important thing, where it can get lost, is the yards after the catch.Here are a few things to know when WMU hosts Toledo:HISTTORYToledo has been one of the MACs most consistent teams in recent years -- the Rockets will finish above .dddddddddddd500 in league play for a seventh straight season. But they havent been able to break through and win a league title in that span. Northern Illinois represented the MAC West in the conference championship game for the past six years, with Toledo always seeming to fall just short.The Rockets would have won the division outright if theyd been able to beat WMU last year, but a 35-30 loss to the Broncos created a four-way tie for first place and sent NIU to the MAC title game again. Toledo hasnt been to the league championship game since winning the title in 2004. WMU hasnt won a MAC championship since 1988 and hasnt played in the title game since 2000.RECORD WATCHDavis comes into Fridays game with 4,987 yards receiving in his career, 18 shy of the FBS record. Trevor Insley of Nevada had 5,005 from 1996-99.HUNTING SEASONToledos Kareem Hunt has 1,155 yards rushing this season and is approaching a record of his own. He has 4,625 yards rushing in his career, second in school history behind Chester Taylors 4,849.Hes had a tremendous career, and hes having another great season, Candle said. When youre able to build everything around him and that good offensive line, that opens up some things in the passing game.DAZZLINGTerrell has completed 71 percent of his passes this season, throwing for 2,890 yards with 27 touchdowns and only one interception. Toledos Logan Woodside has been tremendous as well, completing 70 percent of his passes for 3,653 yards with 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions.OPPORTUNISTICWMU has a turnover margin of plus-15. The Broncos have only five giveaways all season.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '
