Aug. 26, 2010

Around NAIA Football
• The 55th season of NAIA football begins this weekend, with five games on the docket for Thursday. No. 4 Saint Xavier (Ill.) heads to Bethel (Tenn.), No. 14 Minot State (N.D.) hosts Bemidji State (Minn.) and No. 18 Dickinson State (N.D.) welcomes Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on the opening night. Two other contests are scheduled, Georgetown (Ky.) plays host to NCAA Division III Hanover (Ind.), while Southern Virginia heads to NCAA Division II Concord (W.Va.).
• On Saturday, five other NAIA Top-25 teams will be in action on the opening weekend. One of the highlighted games is the Victory Sports Network Game of the Week between No. 9 Ottawa (Kan.) and No. 24 Baker (Kan.) at 6 p.m. CST. Look below at the next section for more game details.
• The Victory Sports Network Game of the Week on Saturday will be streamed live and free through the Victory Sports Network web site at www.victorysportsnetwork.com. Next week features two VSN Games of the Week, Evangel (Mo.) at No. 2 Lindenwood (Mo.) on Sept. 2 and No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) at No. 23 Northwestern (Iowa) on Sept. 4.
• There are three new schools that sponsor a varsity football program in the NAIA, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Menlo (Calif.) and Notre Dame (Ohio). Lindsey Wilson restores a football program that has been dormant for 75 years. The Blue Raiders open the season on Sept. 4 against Notre Dame. On Saturday, Notre Dame plays its first football game in the 88-year history of the institution with a home game against Mercyhurst (Ohio). Menlo is in it’s first year of NAIA football but was 4-6 overall as a football member of NCAA Division III last year. The Oaks open up 2010 with a trip to Occidental (Calif.) on Sept. 4.
• The Second Annual Big River Bowl on Saturday pits No. 8 McKendree (Ill.) against No. 11 Cumberlands (Ky.) in Dyersburg, Tenn. McKendree finished last year 9-2 overall and ranked sixth in the country in rushing offense (235.1 ypg). Coming off the same 9-2 mark, Cumberlands was a shade better averaging over 290 rushing yards per game to rank second nationally.
• In all levels of college football (NCAA and NAIA), No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) enters the 2010 season with the nation’s longest active winning streak. The Cougars are riding a school-record 29-game winning streak into their season opener at No. 23 Northwestern (Iowa) on Sept. 4. The longest NAIA streak stands at 42 straight accomplished by Texas A&I in the mid-70s.
• Four coaches have a shot at hitting the 100-win mark this year. Paul Troth at Missouri Valley is two wins shy of that milestone. In his 14th season overall, Troth is 94-47 (.676). The Vikings open this year with Baker (Kan.) on Sept. 4, followed by Culver-Stockton (Mo.) on Sept. 11. Coach Mike Feminis at Saint Xavier (Ill.), who is in his 12th year with a 89-39 mark, has a shot at the mark. His club has averaged 10 wins in each of the last four seasons. The other two that are on the radar for 100 wins is Dan Kratzer at South Dakota Mines (17th year; 89-88) and Keith Barefield at Northwestern Oklahoma State (15th year; 88-44-2).

NAIA Game of the Week
No. 24 Baker (Kan.) (0-0) at No. 9 Ottawa (Kan.) (0-0) - Victory Sports Network Game of the Week:
Aug. 28, Ottawa, Kan., 6 p.m. CST, Peoples Bank Field
• For the first time since 1993, No. 9 Ottawa and No. 24 Baker will face each other on the gridiron in the Victory Sports Network Game of the Week and the VSN First Down Classic. Both schools are separated by a mere 17 miles, but play in separate conferences, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (Ottawa) and the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Baker).
• The teams will be playing for the 79th time in the series. Baker leads all-time 44-32-2 and the Wildcats have won the last nine meetings against Ottawa. On Sept. 11, 1993, Baker prevailed 43-9 in Baldwin City, Kan.
• This meeting marks the first time in series history that Ottawa and Baker are ranked in the NAIA Top 25.
• Ottawa is searching for its fourth straight season-opening victory.
• Baker head coach Mike Grossner is heading into his seventh season with a 32-32 record as a Wildcat. Ottawa coach Kent Kessinger is also in his seventh year and maintains a 32-30 mark.
• Baker looks to build on a finish in 2009 when it won five straight games. The 7-3 overall record marked the third consecutive winning season.
• OU had a record breaking offense last year and scored over 500 points for the first time in program history (528). The Braves passing game led the nation and for the first time in school history OU had two receivers with 1,000 or more yards.

Around the Top 25 This Week
• Besides the Top-25 showdown in Ottawa, Kan., on Saturday, there is one other game with both teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 poll. In Dyersburg, Tenn., on Saturday, No. 11 Cumberlands (Ky.) takes on No. 8 McKendree (Ill.). After a 9-2 season and its first appearance in the Football Championship Series since 2005, McKendree was ranked in every poll last year. Cumberlands finished 9-2 overall last year and is searching its fourth straight trip to the playoffs.
• Saint Xavier (Ill.) is the highest ranked team to play in the opening weekend. The Cougars travel to Bethel (Tenn.) on Thursday. St. Xavier defeated Bethel 26-13 in Chicago last year in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
• In the 12th annual “Beaver Bash” rivalry on Thursday, Bemidji State (Minn.) and No. 14 Minot State (N.D.) meet in Minot, N.D. BSU owns a 10-1 record in the series and is riding a seven-game winning streak against MSU. Bemidji State is 6-0 on Minot State’s home field.
• Defending national champion No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) will open up play with a road tilt at No. 23 Northwestern (Iowa) on Sept. 2. Sioux Falls has won 43 straight games against GPAC competition. The Cougars own college football’s (all divisions) longest active winning streak at 29 games.

National Streaks
• Sioux Falls (S.D.) has won its last 43 straight games against Great Plains Athletic Conference competition as the Cougars head into 2010. The last league loss came against Morningside on Oct. 15, 2005. Overall, USF has won 83 of its last 84 conference games. The Cougars are also riding a 43-game home winning streak.
• St. Francis (Ind.) had one of the nation’s longest home winning streaks snapped late in the 2009 season. Saint Xavier (Ill.) ended the 56-game home winning streak with a 36-24 defeat of St. Francis on Nov. 7, 2009.
• Carroll (Mont.) has won 33 straight conference contests heading into its season opener on Sept. 4 against Rocky Mountain (Mont.). The last league opponent to defeat the Fighting Saints was Montana State-Northern back on Oct. 28, 2006, in a 10-3 win. Late last year, Carroll had its 24-game home winning streak at Nelson Stadium snapped after a 42-35 loss at the hands of Lindenwood (Mo.) on Dec. 5, 2009, in the national semifinals.