They looked, nodded and shrugged.
What else could Todd Knight, Bill Keopple, Paul Simmons and Scott Maxfield do after the first batch of NCAA Division II regional football rankings were released on Monday?
Division II (Region III) rankings
RK;SCHOOL (CONF.);IN-REGION/DII;SOS;ROAD;VS. .500+
1.;Ferris State (GLIAC);7-0/8-0;.553;5-0;4-0
• Awaits word/punishment from NCAA for using ineligible player for first 4 games.
2.;Ouachita Baptist (GAC);8-0/8-0;.470;4-0;2-0
• Victory over Southern Arkansas (Nov. 3) would give Tigers nothing less than share of GAC title and all tie-breakers in event of 3-way tie.
3.;Grand Valley St. (GLIAC);5-1/7-1;.563;4-0;3-1
• Victory over No. 10 Saginaw (6-2) on Saturday would all but clinch a spot in top 7
4.;NW Missouri State (MIAA);7-1/7-1;.538;3-1;5-1
• Next week’s matchup with No. 7 Fort Hays (6-2) looms larger for Fort Hays than it does Northwest Missouri. Has victory over No. 9 Pittsburg State.
5.;Indianapolis (GLVC);6-1/6-1;.542;2-1;3-1
• Can get playoff bid as long as it stays in the top 9 since it is the highest-ranked team from an “earned access” conference.
6.;Southern Arkansas (GAC);7-1/7-1;.458;3-1;1-0
• Needs to win 2 of final 3 to stay in top 7; victory over Harding looms large
7.;Fort Hays (MIAA);6-2/6-2;.526;2-2;4-2
• Needs to win out. Has victory over Pittsburg State.
8.;Harding (GAC);6-2/6-2;.534;4-0;2-2
• Must win out and hope Fort Hays loses. Could also move up if a 1-loss team loses twice, or if Ferris State is forced to forfeit.
9.;Pittsburg State (MIAA);6-2/6-2;.527;3-1;3-2
• Can finish 9-2 , but needs Fort Hays to lose and would have to leapfrog Harding to reach top 7.
10.;Saginaw Valley (GLIAC);6-2/6-2;.509;2-1;1-2
• Needs victory at No. 3 Grand Valley to enhance resume.
KEY GAC (Great American Conference]; MIAA (Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association); GLVC (Great Lakes Valley Conference);GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
By the numbers
1 Ouachita Baptist’s Division II national ranking in scoring defense (9.5 ppg)
2 Harding’s national ranking in rushing offense (331.1 ypg)
3 Great American Conference teams in top 8 of Region III rankings
7 Super Region III teams, including 3 from GAC, currently ranked in AFCA Top 25 poll
10 Ouachita Baptist’s national ranking in rushing yards per game (281.6)
41.5 Net yards per punt for Ouachita Baptist, No. 1 in the country
Knight, coach of 8-0 Ouachita Baptist, said he had no complaints with the Tigers' No. 2 standing in Super Region III behind Ferris State of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
A No. 1 seed would be better.
That earns a bye into the round of 16 in the 28-team playoff bracket, but it's not something Knight can allow himself or the Tigers to think about with games to be played against Arkansas-Monticello (4-4), Southern Arkansas (7-1) and Henderson State (5-3).
"It's just too early," Knight said. "That doesn't matter for three more weeks."
Knight's Tigers and Keopple's SAU Muleriders (No. 6) will be playoff bound if Monday's ranking order remains in tact, with Harding (No. 8) one spot back.
The GAC , GLIAC and the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all landed 3 teams in the top 10 and each placed 2 in the top 7.
The Grand Lakes Valley Conference has one team -- No. 5 Indianapolis (6-1 vs. Division II teams) -- in the top 10.
Keopple said it's nice to be in a spot where the Muleriders don't have to rely on other teams winning or losing to determine their plight.
"It's right there in front of us," Keopple said. "We've just got to get there."
Harding (6-2) can win out, finish 9-2 and not be assured of anything because earlier losses to SAU (28-23) and OBU (7-3) put the Bisons on the wrong side of all tiebreakers.
"We've just got to win ballgames," Simmons said. "It's crazy to worry about things you can't change."
The Bisons will need some help, just like they received last season en route to reaching the Division II semifinals after an 0-3 start.
Simmons said he was shocked when Athletic Director Jeff Morgan broke the news to him that the Bisons (5-3) were No. 10 in the first standings.
"No. 10 in what?" he said. "What are you talking about?"
Harding's ascent can provide hope to Henderson State (5-3 after 1-3 start), but Maxfield said the Reddies are in no position to think about anything other than winning their final three games and serving as a roadblock to playoff plans for SAU on Saturday, and OBU on Nov. 10.
"That would be a loooooong shot," Maxfield said, all but dismissing the chances of an 8-3 Henderson making the field. "Anything's possible."
Ferris wheel
Ferris State (8-0), the top-ranked team in Region III, has been told by the NCAA it used an ineligible for the season's first four games and is awaiting word on whether it will have to forfeit those games.
If the Bulldogs (GLIAC) are forced to forfeit, it would pave the way for the possibility of three Great American Conference teams making the playoff field. The GAC has never had more than two representatives since its inception in 2011.
Halftime hoopla
Six points in six quarters pushed SAU Coach Bill Keopple past the stage of calmly correcting mistakes at halftime of last week's game with East Central (Okla.) in Magnolia.
The Muleriders led 6-3, one week after getting shut out by Southeastern Oklahoma State 21-0 in Durant, Okla.
Keopple said he was not happy, and he let his players know it.
"There wasn't any talking," Keopple said. "There was a lot of yelling."
The Muleriders responded, scoring on all six possessions in the second half en route to a 48-9 victory."
"There's just a point where it becomes a mental thing and there needs to be an attitude adjustment," he said. "It was fun to watch."
Keopple was referring to the second half, not his halftime tactics.
Air time?
Ouachita Baptist ranks at or near the top of numerous statistical categories in the GAC and Division II, but passing offense (120.4 ypg) is not one of them.
The Tigers are No. 9 in the GAC and No. 157 in Division II, and that's not by design.
Injuries at different times to quarterback Brayden Brazeal and wide receivers Allie Freeman and Drew Harris have stunted the passing game's development.
The weather hasn't helped -- three games played in rain -- and thanks to a productive rushing attack (No. 2 in GAC/No. 10 in the nation), the Tigers have not been in must-pass situations very often.
But Coach Todd Knight said the pieces are in place for the Tigers to pass and pass effectively as they gear up for the final three games of the regular season and a possible run into the playoffs.
OBU is No. 1 in the GAC and No. 7 in the nation in completion percentage (65.3).
"We know we can get it going," he said. "It's not something we've got to work at. It something we do. ... To be a really good football team you've got to be balanced."
Sports on 10/26/2018