NUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – NCAA Division 2’s top-ranked defending champs, the PITTSBURG (KS) STATE GORILLAS, faced conference rivals and perennial D2 football powers the (7) NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS (helmet at left) in the REAL Fall Classic yesterday. These two gridiron juggernauts always treat us to a hard-fought matchup at neutral Arrowhead Stadium and yesterday was no exception. The Bearcats emerged with a 31-21 victory, setting up a new number 1 in the next rankings.
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HE BACONE WARRIORS RULE THE WORLD – For the 3rd college football season in a row Balladeer’s Blog has been chronicling the NAIA tradition of upsetting at least one NCAA Division 2 team per week. For newbies to these divisions that is like when a 1AA team upsets a 1A team.
For this week’s installment the NAIA’s BACONE WARRIORS (helmet at left) dismantled D2’s PANHANDLE STATE UNIVERSITY AGGIES by a score of 40-7.
NUMBER THREE TAKES A FALL – The 3rd ranked team in NCAA Division 2 also got toppled yesterday. In a Show Me State showdown the unranked MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS took it on the road and eked out a 31-30 victory over the MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFONS in an undeniable Instant Classic. The number 2 CSU- PUEBLO THUNDER WOLVES are the presumptive new number 1 with their 35-21 road win over the COLORADO MINES OREDIGGERS.
TOP 25 UPSETS – NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) – The CONCORDIA (NE) BULLDOGS improved to 4-3 by rising up and defeating the visiting number 11 team, the NORTHWESTERN (IA) RED RAIDERS in a 17-16 game for the ages. ### The FAULKNER EAGLES unleashed their sound and fury on the 16th ranked CUMBERLAND UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS in a 42-14 thrashing. ### … And the unranked SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE MOUNDBUILDERS knocked the number 25 FRIENDS FALCONS out of the rankings in a 32-21 homestand.
TOP 25 UPSETS – NCAA Division 2 – In addition to the number 1 and number 3 teams in D2 taking a tumble there were two more upsets in the rankings. The number 14 GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS got crushed on the road by the NORTHERN MICHIGAN WILDCATS 38-10. ### The UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BRONCHOS (their spelling) played road warriors by bringing down the 23rd ranked CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES in a 10-6 defensive epic. ### The number 6 NEW HAVEN CHARGERS had a close call at Continue reading
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