Week 10 “Other” Conferences Breakdowns
Week 10 may not be able to quite compare to last week, but there’s still plenty of great matchups in other conferences that are worth keeping an eye on. The Pioneer League’s first playoff team will be decided over the next few weeks and this Saturday is the first step in narrowing down who remains on top. We also have conference races impacted in the Ohio Valley and Southland as well as a chance to see someone rival a dominating undefeated team. Last week was a quality week where the predictions went 5-1 for the six matchups bringing the season total to 35-13. We’ll see what this week brings with these five great games for week 10.
Butler (6-3) vs Dayton (6-2), Saturday, 1:00 ET
Both schools are tied for first in the Pioneer League with a 4-1 conference record. With this being the first season that a Pioneer school will get an automatic bid into the playoffs, the conference race has never been more important and the winner here puts themselves in a good spot to be in position for that bid. Butler suffered its first conference loss last week to San Diego and hopes not to fall farther behind while Dayton is looking to its fifth straight game.
Projected Score: Dayton 32, Butler 20
#22 Tennessee State (7-2) vs Eastern Kentucky (5-3), Saturday, 1:00 ET
Tennessee State ran into the new power in the OVC last week in Eastern Illinois and the Panthers didn’t even get phased by TSU’s top notch defense. The Tigers will have to rebound against EKU who hasn’t had the season many expected, but could be on the way up and a win over TSU would really get things going. The Colonels have just run through the bottom ranks of the conference and now get to test their regrouped squad against one of the better teams in all of FCS rather than just the OVC. An EKU win would push the Colonels to second in the conference despite a slow start.
Projected Score: Eastern Kentucky 35, Tennessee State 27
Jacksonville (4-4) vs Marist (5-3), Saturday, 1:00 ET
This will be another battle near the top of the Pioneer conference standings with these schools battling just behind Butler and Dayton. A loss could knock the loser too far behind to get back into the title race, while a win will likely keep one team’s hope of earning that automatic bid alive. The Dolphins had a tough early schedule and have played better as of late. Even on the road their chances look good.
Projected score: Jacksonville 42, Marist 27
Charlotte (4-4) vs #6 Coastal Carolina (8-0), Saturday, 3:00 ET
The 49ers are currently FCS Independents before they move up to the FBS ranks. But first they have faced a good FCS schedule this season and have experience, which may help Saturday’s game at undefeated Coastal Carolina. Charlotte has already played road games at Charleston Southern and James Madison this season. The Chanticleers have just three FCS games left before playing South Carolina to end the regular season. There’s a good chance Coastal could win out in FCS games, but Charlotte is one team that poses a threat at the upset.
Projected Score: Coastal Carolina 31, Charlotte 14
Southeastern Louisiana (6-2) vs #8 McNeese State (7-1), Saturday, 8:00 ET
The Southland has had some of the best FCS football all season. Sam Houston State continues to carry the banner remaining near the top of the polls for a third straight year, and while Central Arkansas hasn’t had the dominate season expected, others in the conference have made it an entertaining conference. The championship race is still up in the air even though McNeese controls their fate, but the Lions, with a big win Saturday night, could slide into that role as SLU begins a three-week stretch facing the top three teams in the conference.
Projected score: McNeese State 38, Southeastern Louisiana 24
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