Toucanbird's Week 6 Power Rankings

1. #2 UM-Duluth 5-0 (4-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. Bemidji State 44-21
LG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 56-7
UG - vs. Winona State (4-1)
Note - I've said it before and I'll say it again...the Bulldogs look like national championship contenders. Then again, I'd expect a team like UM-Duluth to bury MSU-Moorhead. The more I see Issac Odim play, the more I think he has talent to play professionally this weekend against the Dragons, he rushed 11 times for 169 yards with 4 TDs and also caught 3 passes for 68 yards and a TD. That's 237 all-purpose yards. Let me put that in perspective for you. Every time Odim touched the ball, he averaged 16.9 yards and scored touchdowns on 1/3 of all his touches. Those are impressive numbers to say the least...even if they came against MSU-Moorhead. This week, those numbers could be harder to get as the Bulldogs will get another big test on their home field. This week, they host the Winona State Warriors, who are coming off a big win at home against MSU-Mankato. This will be a statement game for both teams.

2. #15 Augustana 5-0 (4-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. SW Minnesota State 53-21
LG - W @ Concordia-St. Paul 22-16
UG - vs. Northern State (0-5)
Note - If we learned two things about the Vikings this past weekend. For one, we learned that they aren't unbeatable and secondly, we learned just how important Tyler Schulte is to this team. Hanson, who has been one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NSIC coming into this game, went 10-of-26 for 119 yards and a TD. It's not like Concordia-St. Paul has a phenomenal secondary. Although, if there is something positive to take out of the weekend, it's that Joe Clark had a bounce back game after having a disappointing start to the season. He rushed 22 times for 132 yards and 2 TDs. I'm not sure how much stock we can put into that considering the Golden Bears gave up 217 yards rushing the week before to MSU-Mankato. The bad news for Augie is it is likely Schulte will miss one more game...the good news is that game is at home against Northern State.

3. St. Cloud State 4-1 (4-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. U-Mary 30-14
LG - W @ Northern State 42-10
UG - @ MSU-Mankato (3-2)
Note - What I find ironic about St. Cloud State is Klaphake isn't putting up the monster numbers like he did through the first two weeks but I am actually more impressed in the way he is running the offense. He only rushed twice last week but gained 23 yards on those two carries. Even though he's throwing the ball less, he still completed 14-of-19 passes for 218 yards and 4 TDs, including 1 rushing TD. Granted, most of it went to Fred Williams as he caught 9 of those passes for 170 yards and caught all four TDs. I'd say if there's anything St. Cloud might need to improve on, it would be spreading the ball around but hey, you keep throwing to the guy that gets open. We'll see if the other receivers step up when Williams gets shut down...if he ever gets shut down. This week, the Huskies draw a big game. They are going to Mankato to take on a team that's lost 2 straight games going into their homecoming. Considering it is a must win for MSU-Mankato, it might actually be a tough game for the Huskies.

4. Winona State 4-1 (3-1 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Upper Iowa 42-14
LG - W vs. #25 MSU-Mankato 43-21
UG - @ #2 UM-Duluth (5-0)
Note - Remember what I said last week about the Warriors being very good in all three aspects of the game while MSU-Mankato was good in only one? Well, we might need to change our perspective on this one. WSU outgained MSU 507-272, showing off their offense and defensive abilities. The WSU special teams was also much sharper. Curtis Dewberry had his second punt return for a TD this season, while average 28.2 YPR. Thomas Kinney also banged through three of his FG attempts, including one from 40 yards. What does this all mean? It means that the Warriors are a very good football team in all three aspects of the game and they are hoping to keep that confidence when they go to play one of the toughest teams the program has ever faced. UM-Duluth hasn't won a game by less than 23 points this year. Could WSU spring the upset? It's doubtful but where there's a will there's a way. A win in Duluth in itself would make WSU's season.

5. Wayne State 4-1 (3-1 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ Northern State 42-20
LG - W @ SW Minnesota State 38-20
UG - @ U-Mary (1-4)
Note - Who needs QBs like Cyle Schultz when you've got gamers like Frederic Bruno? Bruno caught 3 TD passes and took a 91 yard kickoff return for a TD in a big 38-20 victory over SW Minnesota State. This wasn't the prettiest game for the Wildcats. Quarterback Evan Johnson also had a solid performance, completing 16-of-20 passes for 193 yards and 2 TDs, while rushing 24 times for 78 yards. Right now, it seems as though Wayne State is a very good football team but not great like they were with Cyle Schultz. I'm sure Wayne is hoping they get him back soon because after this Mary game, four of their five remaining games are against tough opponents. This week, they draw Mary and even though Mary might not be a great opponent, they can't afford to sleep on a team coming off a confidence-boosting win.

6. Bemidji State 3-2 (2-2 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L @ #2 UM-Duluth 44-21
LG - W vs. Upper Iowa 51-12
UG - @ Concordia-St. Paul (3-2)
Note - I had a tough call this week between Bemidji State and Concordia-St. Paul for #6 this week. Even though CSP lost, they played really tough against Augie but something that sold me on Bemidji State was they buried Upper Iowa early. They led by as much as 38 in the 3rd quarter before Upper Iowa got their first score. It was one of those rare games where the Peacocks played better in the 2nd half than the 1st half...although, you could say Bemidji State "called off the dogs" after they gathered a 38 point lead. That and Upper Iowa got their last score at the end of regulation...call it a garbage time score with no impact on the game whatsoever. Bemidji State crammed the ball down the Peacocks throat, rushing for 281 yards...amazing that no rusher had more than 88 yards rushing...now that's balance. This week, Bemidji State travels to the Twin Cities to take on Concordia-St. Paul. Needless to say, I think this will be the best game of the week with the victor taking claim of the 6th best team in the NSIC. It's not really something to be that proud of but considering how good the NSIC is, it's not a bad thing.

7. Concordia-St. Paul 3-2 (2-2 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ #11 MSU-Mankato 28-26
LG - L vs. #20 Augustana 22-16
UG - vs. Bemidji State (3-2)
Note - As funny as it might sound, I thought the Golden Bears played better this past weekend against Augustana than they did at MSU-Mankato. However, a loss is still a loss no matter how you hash it. I think you need to give a lot of credit to the Golden Bears' defense for keeping Concordia-St. Paul in that game. Augie could've blown the doors wide open in that 4th quarter but the defense held them to three field goals. To think, if Augustana scored 3 TDs on those drives, the score would've been more like 34-13. Either way, Concordia-St. Paul gets one more big home test to prove that they deserve to be in the upper half of the conference when they host Bemidji State. Considering how even these two teams are, I think it will be a battle. To the victor go the spoils...if #6 in the NSIC is a spoil...

8. MSU-Mankato 3-2 (2-2 NSIC) (-)
PG - L vs. Concordia-St. Paul 28-26
LG - L @ Winona State 43-21
UG - vs. St. Cloud State (4-1)
Note - Isn't it amazing at what a difference a change in schedule makes? After the first three weeks, the only real tough game the Mavericks had was against Northern Michigan and even then, they were a 2 point conversion away from losing that game. After two weeks of easy opponents, they hit the meat of their schedule with Concordia-St. Paul and Winona State. Both teams were able to dispatch them and Winona State proved just how overrated MSU-Mankato really was. I know it sort of makes it sound like I'm saying MSU-Mankato is a bad football team. They're not but they're not worthy of being in the top half of the league. I said earlier that MSU-Mankato needs to win at least 2 out of the 5 games against the "beef" of the NSIC (UMD, Augie, SCSU, WSU, WSC). Well, they are off to an 0-1 start and with the way St. Cloud State is playing right now, I don't know if I see them losing to MSU-Mankato...even if it is their homecoming.

9. SW Minnesota State 2-3 (1-3 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ #23 Augustana 53-21
LG - L vs. Wayne State 38-20
UG - vs. MSU-Moorhead (2-3)
Note - The losing streak continues for the Mustangs as they have now dropped three consecutive games. Granted, I don't think we can really fault a team of this caliber for losing three straight. Bemidji State, Augustana and Wayne State are hardly cupcakes for any team. The good news for the Mustangs is they get a little bit of a break when they host MSU-Moorhead. This is actually a matchup of comparable teams, granted, I think SMSU has a better shot of winning this one. For the Mustangs sake, I hope they do win it because 3 of their last 5 are on the road and the two home games are against Winona State and Concordia-St. Paul...yikes!

10. MSU-Moorhead 2-3 (2-2 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ UM-Crookston 48-18
LG - L vs. #2 UM-Duluth 56-7
UG - @ SW Minnesota State (2-3)
Note - What a stark contrast between games. They first played UM-Crookston, who is perhaps one of the worst football teams in Division II and they follow it up with a home game against perhaps the best team in Division II with UM-Duluth. The results followed. They destroyed UM-Crookston and that rushing defense got exposed again against UM-Duluth, giving up 389 yards rushing. Right now, MSU-Moorhead is a tough team to grade because they are either getting beat up by great football teams or they are beating horrible or comparable teams. Well, this weekend should be a good eye test for MSU-Moorhead to see what they are. They go to Marshall to take on a team with the exact same record. The only difference is SMSU's wins are against better opponents than MSU-Moorhead's.

11. U-Mary 1-4 (1-3 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L @ St. Cloud State 30-14
LG - W vs. UM-Crookston 48-0
UG - vs. Wayne State (4-1)
Note - Uh oh, don't look now but it really looks like the Mary Marauders are starting to get their swagger back. They played pretty tough two weeks ago against St. Cloud State and they followed it up with a HUGE effort against UM-Crookston. I know Crookston is bad but even a 48-0 victory against Crookston is impressive. Don't get me wrong, Mary's offense was far from impressive in that game...but who needs offense when you have three interceptions returned for TDs and a blocked punt recovered for a TD? That's 27 points right there (missed extra point)! The Marauders were also glad to see Jamal Lomax back on the field although his time was limited. He only carried the ball 11 times for 48 yards and a TD. Granted, I'm sure Mary decided to keep him on the sidelines after getting a 27-0 first quarter lead. This week should be far different as Mary prepares for some stiff competition when Wayne State comes to town.

12. Northern State 0-5 (0-4 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L @ Wayne State 44-20
LG - L vs. St. Cloud State 42-10
UG - @ # 15 Augustana (5-0)
Note - If I'm not mistaken, I said that with every week, Northern State loses by a bigger margin. Well, that trend continued this week. After losing by 24 at Wayne State, they got beat by 32 at home to St. Cloud State. It would be safe to say that trend could continue as they travel to Augustana this week. I really feel bad for Northern State because they played some tough football games this year and a few of which it seemed like they could have won. However, it just won't get any easier for this team. Outside of Crookston, this team is in the middle of a REALLY tough stretch. It's Augustana's homecoming this week...and I really think the Wolves will be running into a buzz saw when they head to Sioux Falls.

13. Upper Iowa 0-5 (0-4 NSIC) (-)
PG - L vs. Winona State 42-14
LG - L @ Bemidji State 51-12
UG - vs. UM-Crookston (1-4)
Note - Ahem...THE PEACOCKS ARE BAD!!! Phew, now that I got that out of my system, let's discuss why they are bad. This looks like a team that has had their fighting spirit whipped right out of them. A couple weeks ago, they played WSU really tough for one half and then got whipped in the second half. Coming into Bemidji, they looked like they had nothing left. Don't get me wrong, the Beavers are a really good football team but they were down 38-0 in the second half before finally scoring and they were down 51-6 when they scored a garbage time TD at the end of regulation. It really looks like the Peacocks have settled for mediocrity. Although, what's funny is they actually might be playing a winnable game this week. They host the UM-Crookston Golden Eagles in what might be the only game Upper Iowa wins all season. Overall, this game is what I'll like to call...the last place game.

14. UM-Crookston 1-4 (0-4 NSIC) (-)
PG - L vs. MSU-Moorhead 48-18
LG - L @ Mary 48-0
UG - @ Upper Iowa (0-5)
Note - Okay, there is bad and then there's DISGUSTINGLY bad. UM-Crookston belongs in that category. The last two weeks, they've played bottom feeding teams in the NSIC and lost by 30 and 48. These aren't exactly your "UM-Duluth"'s or "Augustana"'s...these are bad football teams they are losing to...and for God's sake, somebody get Josh Perea an ice pack! How does a QB go 11-for-20 for 71 yards and 3 interceptions and all three of those interceptions gets run back for a touchdown? What's hilarious is UM-Crookston's offense and special teams gave up more points than their defense...in a 48-0 loss, that's a bad thing. That's a testament to a bad football team. Who knows? Maybe this team will turn things around and get their first conference victory in Fayette? I highly doubt it...I don't think even a team as bad as Upper Iowa can lose to UM-Crookston...if they do, they'll be snapping defeat from the jaws of victory.